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deBBie akwara

CEO at Niche Customer Experience Consulting Firm

Lekki, Nigeria

deBBie akwara is a leading CX consulting practitioner & educator in Africa. In 2015, she founded Nigeria's 1st boutique customer experience management consultancy; Niche Customer Experience consulting Firm (formerly called Neetch company) and has since then grown the business into a group of 3 businesses i.e. the Niche Customer Experience Group; an integrated customer experience management services, training and digital solutions provider in Africa. The businesses in this group are; the Niche Customer Experience Consulting Firm, Niche Institute of Customer Experience & Innovation and Niche Digital Solutions which have to date executed 47+ CX projects for 38+ clients in 11+ industries in Africa.

Prior to Niche, she led CX success in the banking, telecommunications & education sectors.

CX successes recorded were an increase in; product adoption by 2567%, industry customer service ranking by 18.7% & revenue generation from CX of up to NGN300 million.

As an advocate for CX education in Africa, deBBie (via Niche Institute of CX & Innovation) launched Africa's 1st globally recognized CX certification courses in partnership with the Institute of Customer Management, UK. The courses are a trio of certifications for business managers (Certified Customer Experience Manager - CCEM), leaders (s (Certified Customer Experience Professional - CCEP) & CX-related consultants (s (Certified Customer Experience Practitioner - CCEPR).

deBBie is on a mission to grow businesses one CX at a time across and build the CEM capabilities of professionals in Africa that will drive a realistic practice of CEM to increase profitability. She intends to achieve this using Africa-inspired insights, frameworks, structures and methodologies. So far, deBBie has:
1) launched West Africa's and Africa's 1st multisector CX report i.e. the 2020 State of CX in West Africa and the 2021 State of CX in Africa reports
2) designed and launched a CX management competency framework in Africa
3) designed and launched a CX management competency self-assessment in Africa
4) the CX Africa Summit and Awards running 4 editions to date recording 2500+ event and masterclass attendees

In 2020/21, deBBie was recognized as a top 50 global CX thought leader & influencer by The Awards Magazine and Engatica.

She is an author with 3 published CX books; 10 Common Mistakes SMEs Make, Customer Pulse Check and CX Food for Thought (113 CX Quotes by deBBie akwara), a mom, humanitarian & is always looking for new opportunities to learn about CX, connect with professionals & impact the practice of CX management in Africa & globally.

deBBie is a pan-Africanism CX advocate.

Available For: Advising, Authoring, Consulting, Influencing, Speaking
Travels From: Nigeria
Speaking Topics: Business Transformation, Customer Experience, Congruent Living

deBBie akwara Points
Academic 40
Author 84
Influencer 77
Speaker 3
Entrepreneur 0
Total 204

Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.

Thought Leader Profile

Portfolio Mix

Company Information

Company Type: Service Provider
Business Unit: Advisory
Theatre: Africa
Minimum Project Size: Undisclosed
Average Hourly Rate: Undisclosed
Number of Employees: Undisclosed
Company Founded Date: Undisclosed
Media Experience: 20
Last Media Training: 10/18/2022
Last Media Interview: 10/18/2022

Areas of Expertise

Business Strategy 33.63
Change Management
CSR
Culture
Customer Experience 31.82
Customer Loyalty 34.38
Design Thinking 30.81
EdTech 31.43
Entrepreneurship
FinTech
Innovation
Leadership
Management 30.86
Marketing
Project Management 30.45
Retail
Social
Startups

Industry Experience

Automotive
Consumer Products
Financial Services & Banking
Higher Education & Research
Insurance
Manufacturing
Media
Professional Services
Real Estate
Retail
Telecommunications

Publications

2 Academic Certifications
Certified Experience Management Professional
XM Institute
January 08, 2022
A certification in experience management issued by the Qualtrics XM Institute.

Credential ID ubjh3oyty4nu

See credential

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Tags: Business Strategy, Customer Experience, Management

Certified Management Consultant
Institute of Management Consultants (IMC)
January 04, 2021
I am a certified management consultant (CMC).

Credential ID CMC.ABJ.4698.21

See publication

Tags: Business Strategy, Customer Experience, Project Management

1 Analyst Report
2021 State of CX in Africa
Niche Customer Experience Group
July 05, 2022
The 2021 State of Customer Experience (CX) in Africa report is Africa's first multi-sector CX report aimed at providing contextual insights into the current state of CX on the continent while providing CX management advisory to improve customer experience, business performance and profitability.

See publication

Tags: Business Strategy, Customer Experience, Management

13 Article/Blogs
MTN Case Study: Customer Feedback Response Strategy.
LinkedIn
April 04, 2023
As we enter the month of April and a new quarter, it is important to highlight the significance of social media as an essential tool for businesses to interact with their customers. Among the various social media platforms, Twitter stands out as one of the most popular platforms for customer feedback.

See publication

Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

My Customer Experience (CX) Strategy Story
LinkedIn
October 12, 2022
In December 2005, my total quality management (TQM) team was dissolved. I was an assistant banking officer (ABO) at the time in a tier 1 bank in Africa and joined the bank/department after heading a customer service team at one of the leading banks in my country.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

XM Inspiration | 10102022
LinkedIn
October 10, 2022
It's my first experience management (XM) newsletter right after customer service week 2022. As expected, so many lovely posts and messages online celebrating the week.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

2022: The Year For Customer Experience (CX) Appraisal
Import from wordpress feed
January 09, 2022
Predictions are what they are; a forecast, a statement about what will or might happen in the future.

In 2021, we foresaw CUSTOMER REACQUAINTANCE being the CX focus for businesses in Africa and from our interactions with new, existing and prospective clients at Niche Customer Experience Group as well as our interactions with business professionals in Africa, this prediction was spot on because more and more businesses were asking; what do customers want?

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

The State Of CX In West Africa 2020
Import from wordpress feed
July 06, 2021
According to a customer experience leadership report by Unlimited Experiences South Africa, 50% of customer experience and business leaders in Africa depend on global customer experience (CX) industry reports and blogs to gain CX insights.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

The Customer Experience Return On Investment Cycle CX ROI
Import from wordpress feed
June 01, 2021
Growing a business from an idea to a profitable enterprise is the number one goal for every business. It takes many moving parts to conceptualize a product or service, create a prototype, test the prototype, go to market with the finished product, provide support to customers and leverage insights from customer behaviour to consistently fine-tune the product or service to increase retention and extension.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

Approaching Customer Management Methodologies
Import from wordpress feed
May 04, 2021
Managing customers is critical for every business. If a business creates a product or service that customers need and it has the privilege of getting customers to buy the product or service repeatedly, it goes without question that managing these customers to repeat the demand and supply cycle continues to keep the business running and growing.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

CX Management Competencies: An African Perspective (CX Articles)
Import from wordpress feed
April 02, 2021
When we think about customer experience management (CEM) competencies, we typically will think about 4, 5, 6, 7, etc things you need to be proficient in when managing customer experience. In fact, sometimes, these competencies are described as frameworks or pillars driving business growth or profitability.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

Customer Compensation As A Customer Experience Booster
Import from wordpress feed
March 05, 2021
In times when customers are exposed to diverse customer service experiences globally across different sectors especially amid the outbreak and spread of COVID-19, it goes without question that customers are bound to compare their experience whether good, bad or ugly.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

Nigerian Banks & Customer Experience; What Is Missing?
Import from wordpress feed
February 03, 2021
The banking sector in Nigeria has evolved commendably over the years from a focus on demand deposit accounts (DDA) to a focus on DDA and the customer. Thanks to KPMG Nigeria, since 2007, the banking sector has had access to an independent evaluation of customer satisfaction. This has made banks more attentive to the voice of customers.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

2021: The Year For Customer Reacquaintance
Import from wordpress feed
December 30, 2020
2020 is gone but the scars of the year will linger on for a while as we continue to adapt to the new normal i.e. doing business amid the outbreak and spread of the coronavirus. We have seen understandable changes in customer and employee behaviours ranging from changes on preferences, priorities and the role of proximity and safety in decision making.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

CX Transformation: An African Perspective
Import from wordpress feed
December 02, 2020
There is an African approach to driving customer experience (CX) transformation. If you understand and accept that in Africa overall business performance comes before overall customer satisfaction, your job is half done if you want to drive CX transformation.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

Managing Customer Experience In A Recession
Import from wordpress feed
December 02, 2020
On 21st November 2020, the Nigerian economy officially plunged into a recession as the country’s GDP in real terms declined by -3.62% YoY in Q3 2020, the second contraction in 2020 (source: nairametric.com).

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

1 Book
CUSTOMER PULSE CHECK: A Guide To Gathering And Using Customer Feedback
Free State
February 04, 2021
Customer Pulse Check is your practical guide to gathering and using customer feedback.

This book contains tried and tested guidelines and illustrations I have applied in my career and still use in my business which will be of great help to you as you define and aim to achieve customer goals in your organization.

Whether you are a customer manager or head of a department looking for practical ways to help your team achieve customer-related key performance indicators (KPIs) or a business executive looking for practical ways to check your customers’ pulse in line with operational effectiveness, customer success and product leadership, this book is for you.

As a business owner, this book sheds light on why customer feedback data should be a compulsory feature in your weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual business performance dashboard.

Above all, this book will change your perception of your customer and the power your customer has over your business or your organization. Trying out the guidelines in this book will help you understand how your customer feels at different stages of their interaction with you giving you the power to satisfy and retain them.

Have a good read!

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Tags: Customer Experience, Business Strategy, Customer Loyalty

1 Faculty Member
Certified Customer Experience Manager (CCEM)
Niche Institute of Customer Experience & Innovation
October 12, 2020
I am the lead faculty for the Certified Customer Experience Manager CX certification at the Niche Institute of Customer Experience and Innovation.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Design Thinking, EdTech

1 Webinar
Increasing Customer Profitability in 2023
Stanford Seed Transformation Network
September 08, 2022
A webinar hosted by the Stanford Seed Transformation Network to boost the business transformation capabilities of members towards increasing customer profitability covering topics on; contextualizing profitability, the role of the customer in profitability, 2022 global statistics and how much businesses can lose due to poor CX and tips to increase customer profitability in 2023.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty

Thinkers360 Credentials

5 Badges

Blog

Opportunities

1 Business Consulting
Customer Experience (CX) Consulting Practitioner

Location: Onsite or Virtual    Fees: 5000 - 10000

Service Type: Service Offered

Hello!

What's on your strategy session agenda to review your 2022 business performance and set goals for 2023?

Let me help you THINK DIFFERENTLY this time.

While each department in your organization presents its performance report, I can help you design a holistic customer experience (CX) balanced scorecard that covers all core aspects of your business operations and all stages of your customer's journey as it impacts product design to governance and revenue.

I will also be available physically or virtually to share further insights and provide guidance as you streamline your business strategy for 2023.

I am here to help you THINK DIFFERENTLY as you plan for increased customer profitability in 2023.

To book this service, email debbie@nichecx.com

Have a good one.

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