Interview with Uche Akeeb

Author of The Impact of Excellent Customer Service On Business Growth

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

Originally from Nigeria and resides at Houston TX.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

In 2011, I graduated from the University of Ibadan and gained a scholarship to study my doctorate degree but at this same time, I got married and my husband won the visa lottery , so I decided to relocate with him to the United states instead.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

When I turned 7, I would go around and get cardboard sheets, cut them up into smaller pieces to form pages of a book, then write jokes, stories, poems and basically everything my imagination could produce. I named this cardboard book the “Young Ones Loving Magazine”. I would produce weekly issues of my magazine and it was critiqued by one of my dear neighbors who would go through it and give me feedback.

Unfortunately, this neighbor relocated and there was no one to critique my magazine, so I stopped writing.
After I relocated to the United States, I got hired by a great company that trained me efficiently and gave me the tools that I needed to succeed and acquire the best skills in order to offer world class service to my customers. But unfortunately for me, I expect the same level of service I offer my customers from companies that I patronize and each time ,I get disappointed when I receive bad service.

I came to the realization that some businesses do not know how to properly communicate with the customers. They do not realize that the customer is the essence of their existence, that valuing their customers and treating them right will determine the extent of their long term growth and sustainability.

I decided to not only complain but be a part of the solution in my own way.
This is exactly what inspired me to publish, “The impact of excellent customer service on business growth.”

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

My book teaches how to be successful and profitable in your business by offering outstanding customer experience and it also explains the main reason why many successful companies make excellent customer service an important element in their agenda.
You will get to learn great concepts from my years of experience and research. Customer service is the heart of the client’s buying experience and businesses that provides great service distinguish themselves among the rest in this competitive world. Quality service can lead to increased sales, and improved returns because your customers will return and bring new customers through referrals. There is power in the word of Mouth!

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Entrepreneurs, Small businesses, Big companies, Customer service representatives.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

One thing that surprised me is that when I’m writing, I can stay up all night without realizing it.
Also, I did not expect it to be as difficult and time consuming to create my book cover. But at the same time, I was surprised at the fast pace of the self publishing process with the Kindle Direct publishing network.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Carry out all your research, have all your materials ready and build a template to follow.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

As many people as possible because customer service is key to business excellence.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

My biggest challenge has been marketing.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest strength is having in-depth knowledge of the topic.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest weakness is time management and coordination.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I wrote another book, “Find your passion take action”, this year, 2019 where I used my life story to explain the main factor and circumstances that can influence the discovery of your talents and how to follow through.
I plan to write a short story on this same topic by 2020

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I am self published.