Some successful service firms:

There are many successful service firms which have adopted modern marketing techniques. Their success is in largely due to the marketing orientation. In Kenya, we can consider marketing orientation as the major reason for the success of companies such as American Life Insurance Company (Alico), Express Kenya Limited, etc. At Express you can find the Managing Director, the Freight Director, the Travel Director and the Marketing Manager of the company spending

their working time in checking the quality of customer service and planning new service strategies.

In the USA, organisations such as Holiday Inn, Avis, Pacific South-West Airlines, etc, have done well because they are marketing-oriented in the service industry.

In the banking service industry, things are changing. In the past, the top management executives were not marketing-oriented. For years, commercial banks thought that they honoured or favoured customers to deposit their money in the banks. The bank tellers were faceless people behind the protective counters, savings accounts earned low interest rates, and customers paid charges for operating current accounts (checking accounts).

The above situation is still prevailing in East Africa. However, competition has intensified both within and outside the banking service industry. This has forced many banks to do a little marketing. They are now making efforts to attract the retail (customer) business, e.g. introducing 24 hour service, designing buildings and internal layouts to project good image, bank credit cards, etc. Their new services include insurance, financial counselling, payment of customers' monthly bills, etc.

At the present moment in Kenya or East Africa, Barclays Bank Ltd. appears to lead other banks in respect of customer service, for they have a feedback system in their communication with their customers. The Standard Chartered Bank is another one which has become customer-oriented in Kenya today.