In a rapidly changing communications landscape, public relations (PR) professionals are recognising the importance of adopting customer service principles to build stronger relationships with stakeholders and drive business success.
By embracing a customer-centric approach, PR can move beyond traditional media relations and reputation management to foster meaningful connections with customers, employees, and other key stakeholders.
This shift in approach is crucial for organisations seeking to build trust, credibility, and loyalty in today’s competitive market.
Why Customer Service Matters In PR
Customer service is all about understanding and meeting the needs of customers. Similarly, PR is about understanding and meeting the needs of various stakeholders, including customers, media, investors, and the general public. By adopting customer service principles, PR professionals can: build trust and credibility; improve communication; and enhance organisation’s reputation.
Speaking at the recent 2025 PR Power List event held in Lagos, Public Relations Manager, MTN Nigeria, Dr. Lakinbofa Goodluck said, “PR has progressed from that period when the speech was one company to everyone, now we do one company-to-one person engagement. It is the same principle that is applied in customer relations.”
He explained during a panel session. His approach centres on the principle that successful brands speak to one customer at a time, designing products and messages for individual satisfaction, knowing that others within similar demographics will naturally follow suit.
Goodluck emphasised the critical importance of understanding media consumption behaviour as part of audience analysis, a component he believes many PR professionals overlook, saying, “If you understand the media consumption behaviour, then you’ll be able to tailor your message to the audience properly.”
The communications expert referenced Marshall McLuhan’s famous theory that “the medium is the message,” explaining how platforms dictate communication formats and styles.
This insight becomes particularly crucial for Nigerian brands navigating diverse media landscapes, from traditional outlets to rapidly evolving social media platforms like TikTok, where content format fundamentally shapes message delivery.
His customer service-inspired approach to PR represents a strategic evolution for Nigeria’s communications industry, moving away from broad, generic messaging toward precision-targeted, individually-focused communication that creates ripple effects across larger audience segments.
Key Customer Service Principles For PR
Here are some key customer service principles that PR professionals can adopt:
Be responsive: Respond promptly to inquiries, concerns, and feedback from stakeholders.
Be empathetic: Show understanding and empathy towards stakeholders’ concerns and needs.
Be transparent: Provide clear and accurate information about the organisation and its activities.
Be proactive: Anticipate and address potential issues before they become major problems.
Be personalised: Tailor communication to meet the specific needs and preferences of different stakeholders.
By adopting customer service principles, PR professionals can build stronger relationships with their stakeholders, enhance their organisation’s reputation, and drive business success.
By being responsive, empathetic, transparent, proactive, and personalised, PR professionals can provide excellent service and support to their stakeholders, ultimately driving long-term growth and profitability.
