Jennifer Orode is a customer service expert who re-engineers businesses across Africa to achieve high profitability by delivering exceptional experiences to customers. She is a firm believer in the mantra that businesses should be of and for the customer. She is a fellow of WAACSP, a customer service professional certified by the National Customer Service Association (NCSA) in the USA, a member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) in the United Kingdom, and a chartered manager with the Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM). She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Finance) from Coventry University and has been trained as a portfolio manager by the International Faculty of Finance (IFF), United Kingdom.
Jennifer is passionate about driving business growth and transformation as well as creating wealth for both customers and organizations. She has led and managed businesses and multi-dimensional teams across various capacities in treasury and security sales, fund management, business development, client relationship management, and strategy formulation and implementation.
She is the curator of the Entrepreneurial Training Program, CRSP, which has equipped entrepreneurs to engineer customer-centric businesses.
Read our Q&A with her and be inspired.
What does being a woman mean to you?
She is a builder, a good support system, and someone who is devoted and committed to a course, be it career, family, and anything at all. She is a fighter and a crusader, strong, determined and resilient, accommodating and tender, larger at heart, and big with her dreams. She is unstoppable. That’s a woman and more.
You’re regarded as one of Nigeria’s and indeed Africa’s leading authorities in customer service. How did you get to become this person? What led you to this path?
Post NYSC, I got a job as a customer service representative in a stockbroking firm in Lagos. I knew nothing about equities or investments but here is what I knew about myself from my first work experience; I enjoyed seeing relief/smiles on customers’ faces, being able to resolve challenges, bringing ease to customers, just being a solution, and then I also love figures. All of these gave me confidence that I would be just fine in the new role. Well, it wasn’t the easiest, it was rough, and I quitted more than I wanted to stay. But all of these experiences strengthened my career foundation. Amid all the issues, I remember telling myself that my hard work will announce me. I kept at it. Customers began to notice me, sang my praise, and sent an email of commendation to management. I remember once, my MD called me to his office saying some of our international customers sent them a commendation, saying, “ whoever Jennifer is, is an exceptional customer representative”. Management confidence in my competence grew and my work started getting attention and commendation. My motivation to be more grew for all customers. I became the most preferred by general customers and the HNIs of the firm. My first MPR with the firm was one I will never forget. Genuine hard work is very rewarding and this satisfaction cannot be bought. Every unit head of the organisation commended my contribution to their unit and made beautiful remarks about how an asset I was. This blew me away and I was ever committed to creating an impact on both customers and my employer’s business. Don’t get me wrong, the incentives were nothing to reckon with, it could barely cover my transportation. The business culture wasn’t one for productivity. But my motivation wasn’t in any of those. One thing that was important to me was learning from every situation/experience. I learned virtually from every unit and to management’s surprise, they couldn’t determine where best to place me to maximise my potential. Every unit task I was given was met with exceeding results. I grew, got promoted and ultimately, I was asked to create a desk that never existed – The Fixed Income Unit. It was the first of its kind and happened in the era when the equity market crashed and even during the global recession in 2008. Again, I put in the work and developed the unit. I grew in knowledge, skill and my customer base increased. Guess what, I got all my job referrals from customers. I found love for customers deeper in all I do, I yearned to be more and that is evident in the certifications, training, and passion for acquiring knowledge.
Now, there’s a remarkable part of my journey and that’s entrepreneurship. It has always been one of my goals and aspirations. However, its realisation came earlier than I anticipated, and funnily through an unfortunate situation (well, to my benefit). I was fired from the last place I worked as an employee. My line manager had felt threatened by my work and never reported my contributions. This made the management assume that I was a liability. After this occurrence, my husband (my support system) said to me “You are not working for anyone no more”. He said, “no one can pay you enough for how you work”. And that, really, was the end of a phase and the beginning of another for me. I thought carefully about my potential. What do I have? What can I offer? I was certain that I had my skill set and a customer base to kick off with and so I concluded that I was going to figure it all out as I journey along, I always do anyways. Seeking help where and when needed, is one of my strongest virtues. I recognise & acknowledge my weakness, then seek ways to strengthen it.
I ventured into my employer’s business (Astute Professionals Ltd) and once my employers’ customers knew I was somewhere else, they moved. Here is a shocking reality, customers told me, “Jennifer, wherever you go I will go. They were concerned about the name of the firm but my name being the brand they can identify with was all that was needed. And that is what every brand should ascribe to and aspire to be. I always listen to my customers and know areas that require more. A lot of them come to me not just for investment but for portfolio advice and structure. This pushed me to garner more knowledge and acquire other certifications.
My level of experience has exposed me to the pain of customers from an employee’s point of view and now as a Business owner, I can also clearly see their pain. As always, I have listened to customer yearnings and the pain of not getting what they deserve from brands – this is the foundation with which Ingenium Concepts Ltd was built. We are passionate about inspiring excellence in businesses, their growth, and transformation through customer service intervention, refined cultures, strategies, and structures. With a strong understanding of the role of employees in customer satisfaction, we are by extension, intentional about training employees, especially those interacting with customers, to be exceptional at service. So it is safe to say my aspiration to improve the experience customers get from brands, has a two-way approach, the brands and their employees.
I can define customers’ pain as an employee and as an employer, this is why the impact of my approach to resolving these issues for brands and customer service representatives is absolute. Did I mention that non-interfacing employees aren’t left out? To build a customer-centric brand is to make service to customers a culture rather than a unit.
Congratulations, you have partnered with the US National Customer Service Association to train four million Africans to become exceptional customer service professionals. Tell us about this major initiative.
SMEs are a reflection of a nation’s economy and the role of exceptional service to customers by brand presents golden opportunities for SMEs’ growth. Excellent customer service is critical for success and sustainability in today’s highly competitive business environment. Statistics have it that SMEs make up 80-90% of all firms and are responsible for 50% of employment. It’s no wonder SMEs are considered the mirror of any country’s economy. They are a reflection of a nation’s economy and contribute about 60-70% of a country’s GDP (World Economic Forum, Aug. 2022).
Africa’s economic growth was 1.6%, a rate higher than the world growth forecast. This business growth reflects how SMEs are faring. However, there still exists a significant gap in skilled labour, especially in service to customers. That’s not even the pain, the business world has become very competitive, and customers are not looking to settle for just any service but one that is Exceptional. Now, That’s the PAIN. Businesses have a double-edged sword objective- Profitability and Sustainability.
Unfortunately, the business can only be profitable and sustain itself only via the resources of its Customers. The big question is, how then, do you guarantee the consistency of their resources to your business? ‘Service to them’. It is no wonder that customers are looking to commit their resources and loyalty to brands that would serve over and those that sell to them. Thus, our forthcoming project -THE 4M PROJECT is set to help SMEs do better and be more to the nation’s economy.
Why is this training important, who can benefit from it and what are the cost implications?
It’s Free training on how to be EXCEPTIONAL AT SERVICE. It presents an opportunity for participants to learn the practicality of service, unlearn unhealthy practices and relearn. Have we wondered why service is poor, though we have a lot of customer service professionals out there? Measurable outcomes for businesses participating in the Customer Service training initiative would include:
- Increase in customer satisfaction ratings
- Increase in revenue
- Reduction in customer complaints
- Increase in customer retention
- Increase in employee satisfaction and motivation
Furthermore, some measurable outcomes for customer service representatives participating in the Customer Service training initiative would include:
- Increase in knowledge and understanding of customer service best practices
- Increase in empathy and customer-centric attitude
- Increase in problem-solving skills
- Increase in first call resolution rate
- Increase in customer satisfaction rate
You are regarded as a superb leader and strategist. What would you define as your leadership style and why is it important to have more women in leadership?
To serve is to Lead. My style of leadership is an all-inclusive approach. I see the strength in everyone, equally acknowledge their weaknesses, and seek ways to strengthen them. I put myself in people’s shoes and address their concerns as I would mine.
I serve from a place of love and genuine care. It’s always a privilege for people to look up to you and your way of saying thank you to them is to make them better than when they met you. My team of employees knows, from the day of onboarding, we are already working toward their exit. This allows me to impact you within the time frame you have to spend with me and help you impact the brand as we all journey along.
Women are special in nurturing and grooming. Their capacity to take on a lot at a time and still be able to attain excellent outcomes is what a quality business, especially a startup requires. However, this can only happen if she is given the chance to exercise her strength unrestrictedly.
Based on your years of experience, what actions do you think business leaders (men and women) can take to create a more equitable workforce?
Systems and structures are good and allow for seamless business activities. However, understanding who you are as a person greatly reflects in your leadership style. In adopting your unique style, ensure you onboard a team that aligns with your principles and values for you to be successful at leading. A great leader looks to guide, grow, impact, and serve others. Making their individual growth collectively impacts the organisational growth. Grow by growing others.
What method do you typically use to tackle problems that come up in your professional engagements?
There is usually no one-fit approach to addressing issues. I LISTEN to understand and digest the issues, breaking them down into fragments, in addition, approaching them with dialog and high emotional intelligence always taking precedence. Knowing my rights and acknowledging your opinion too is put into consideration. However, in whatever I do, I will not allow the situation to compromise my standards and principles.
Over the years, you have trained thousands of people; what is one common thread you’ve discovered that prevents people especially the youth from achieving their professional goals and how would you advise them to work through it?
The Pressure of survival, lack of understanding of who they are, what they hope to become, and lack of guidance in aligning career goals with experience acquired tops the list. Another is acquiring the right knowledge with the determination to implement and grow. Being different requires INTENTIONALITY AND DETERMINATION.
What skills would you recommend other women develop to help them advance in their careers?
Look for a mentor who has journeyed in the career path you have chosen, if you want to get there and get through it.
Note, take advantage of opportunities and acquire knowledge to maximise the potentials that the opportunity presents.
If you have one piece of advice for the woman reading this what would it be?
BE YOU. BE THAT VIRTOUS WOMAN who builds, encourages, nurtures, cares, and impacts others with your values, principles, and knowledge.
How would you like to leave your mark in the sands of time?
That will be seeing SMEs live up to their expectations and contribute to the growth of our economy. Let it be said that service brought about the change. Alleviate the pain of customers by refining business cultures and restructuring them to be customer-centric. Build businesses that are of the customers and for the customers.
Finally, please share with our readers how they can register to join your customer training so they can take advantage of this opportunity.
This is not a training anyone would want to miss. It is for customer-facing (CSRs, Sales & Marketing) and non-customer-facing (Accountants, operations, and others), C-Suites, and HR executives. Businesses who would like to send their teams can register here or send an email to info@growwithingenium.com
And for HR and C-Suits executives who would like to receive an invitation to join the training live, kindly send email to info@growwithingenium.com or call +2349161852329. Registration link is equally on our social platform; @growwithingenium; @jennifer_orode
Thank you for having me and it’s always my absolute pleasure to serve.
More about Jennifer Orode – Jennifer further explored her entrepreneurship career by starting up Ingenium in 2022, a business advisory firm committed to inspiring excellence and advocating for better customer relationship management in business organizations. Eradicating the pain of each customer had been the mantra at Ingenium, and the business lived up to its principles as it exceeded the fiscal year target in total customer pain resolution in less than nine months since its inception.
Having been given the exclusive right to train and certify customer service and interfacing professionals by the National Customer Service Association (NCSA) in the USA, Ingenium in 2023 is positioning itself to accomplish the first of its kind: training 4 million people on customer service across Africa over a 12-month period. The training is themed “Be That Exceptional Customer Service Representative” and is geared to change the narrative around customer experience from brands, career growth for employees, and customer centricity for brands.
She also founded Astute UK, an investment brand that facilitates start-up investment deals through its community-based tech platform for founders, investors, and deal originators. This start-up was conceived from her pool of (Astute Plans for 2023.) She is happily married to her supportive accountant husband, Mr. Anthony Orode. They reside in the UK with their two children. She embodies her family ties, which you can see in the closely-knit nature of her nuclear and extended families.
Her philosophy is summed up in the acronym, G.I.V.E., Growth—helping you to become more and giving real depth to your business. Impact: – helping you achieve real transformation, Value: realizing the real potential of your business Excellence: bringing onboard best practices for business growth.
More about Jennifer Orode
Jennifer further explored her entrepreneurship career by starting up Ingenium in 2022, a business advisory firm committed to inspiring excellence and advocating for better customer relationship management in business organizations. Eradicating the pain of each customer had been the mantra at Ingenium, and the business lived up to its principles as it exceeded the fiscal year target in total customer pain resolution in less than nine months since its inception.
Having been given the exclusive right to train and certify customer service and interfacing professionals by the National Customer Service Association (NCSA) in the USA, Ingenium in 2023 is positioning itself to accomplish the first of its kind: training 4 million people on customer service across Africa over a 12-month period. The training is themed “Be That Exceptional Customer Service Representative” and is geared to change the narrative around customer experience from brands, career growth for employees, and customer centricity for brands.
She also founded Astute UK, an investment brand that facilitates start-up investment deals through its community-based tech platform for founders, investors, and deal originators. This start-up was conceived from her pool of (Astute Plans for 2023.) She is happily married to her supportive accountant husband, Mr. Anthony Orode. They reside in the UK with their two children. She embodies her family ties, which you can see in the closely-knit nature of her nuclear and extended families.
Her philosophy is summed up in the acronym, G.I.V.E., Growth—helping you to become more and giving real depth to your business. Impact: – helping you achieve real transformation, Value: realizing the real potential of your business Excellence: bringing onboard best practices for business growth.