Influence of Customer Service on the Success of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises and Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Abstract

Customers are very important to the success of business organizations. This implies that 
customers should be well served and treated in order to enjoy continuous and referral 
patronage. The aim of this paper is to present the influence of customer services on the success 
of Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) and sustainable development in Nigeria. The 
paper conceptually looked at customer services, small and medium scale enterprises and 
sustainable development. It examined various types of customer’s services, customer’s services 
skills, characteristics of customer’s services. Furthermore, it discusses the interconnectedness 
between successful SMEs and sustainable development. It also established that customer 
services could enhance the success of SMEs because it could lead to increase in sales and profit 
and by extension, sustainable development in Nigeria through generating employment, 
contributing to economic growth, utilizing local resources, alleviating poverty and increasing 
investment. The paper concluded that customer’s services is not merely a transactional 
component but a powerful force that shapes the trajectory of SMEs and the broader nation, and 
consequently making provisions for the present and future generations. Finally, the paper 
suggested that there should be campaigns by the government agencies responsible for 
promoting entrepreneurship and Non-governmental organizations on the effect of customer 
services on business success and their attendant effect on the entire society.