Ibom Air: The Challenges Of Entrepreneurship

By Nestor Udoh

I jerked up my head from the page of an interesting chapter in the book, TIGER WOODS, that I was devouring.

The commotion at the counter was getting louder. 

As I stepped out of the office to find out what was happening, I met an irate, skimpily-dressed and heavily top-jelled woman yelling at the attendant sales’ girl at the counter.

The attendant had stopped what she was doing and was staring at her, glazed-eyed, like a frightened, caged squirrel.

As I opened my mouth to ask her what the problem was, she shouted at me to shut up.

“You people are messing up in this place. Better close this shop and go back to your houses.”

What was the problem?

She had been delayed.

Our sales’ computer had suddenly developed a fault and shut down on its own.

The attendant, after trying to trouble shoot without success, was trying to arrange for a handwritten receipt for her when she lost patience.

The whole process had not taken up to 10 minutes at the very most.

Now, let us sound an alarm.

In a typical business, apart from inventory management, customer service is the most difficult aspect.

And it is a most important aspect.

Customers come in many shades and hues.

Mercifully, majority are nice.

But occasionally, every business comes across the unruly customer who can cause such a scene that, if not well handled, can  make a huge dent on an image you have laboured to create over the years.

Such was the lot of Ibom Air recently.

The story needs not be repeated.

But suffice it to say that  though the story is still fluid, and will remain so, as all parties in the imbroglio claim right, Ibom Air is not seeing the last of an unruly passenger.

Neither is any business seeing the last of an unruly customer.

Customers are human beings with all manner of nuances and idiosyncrasies.

Some come with a residual frustration from the economy or a relationship.

The most important thing, therefore, is to be prepared to handle the situation like a fresh egg when it arises.

The panacea for this is the regular training and restraining of all business staff.

Our beloved airline will come out of this stronger.