“I visited the company, dealt with the salesperson… and bought anyway.”
In Morocco, commercial success does not necessarily mean that a company is doing its job well, treating its customers properly, or even providing the minimum acceptable level of service.
If we are to be objective, we must acknowledge the shortcomings in both the services we provide and those we receive.
It seems that we have collectively accepted mediocrity and the near absence of professionalism simply because this has become the norm almost everywhere we go, leaving customers with very few alternatives.
This reality presents businesses with two very different paths.
The first is to ignore their shortcomings, no matter how glaring they may be.
The second is to recognize the widespread mediocrity within their industry and use it as an opportunity to clearly distinguish themselves from the competition.
For companies willing to adopt proven best practices—many already successful abroad, and some locally—Morocco offers an extraordinary opportunity. In countries where customer service is deeply embedded in the culture, these principles have long demonstrated their value.
Another issue further compounds the problem: the exclusive distribution of highly desirable international brands.
The lack of competition surrounding many exclusive importers has, in some cases, fostered a sense of complacency—and even arrogance. With no alternative supplier available for certain sought-after brands, customers often have no choice but to accept poor service, inconvenient procedures, or outdated business practices. Without competitive pressure, there is little incentive for these companies to improve their processes, operating hours, or overall customer experience.
We often blame the employees we interact with during a service experience, when the real problem frequently lies elsewhere—higher up the organizational hierarchy.
I deliberately use the word hierarchy, although even that may not fully capture the reality. The traditional concept of a pyramid suggests that responsibility, strategic thinking, and innovation are progressively delegated throughout the organization.
In many medium-sized and large Moroccan companies—and even within certain multinational corporations operating in Morocco—that is rarely the case.
Too often, strategic thinking is concentrated in the hands of a single decision-maker, who alone determines the direction of the organization, frequently relying on improvised decisions with little regard for their long-term consequences.
As a result, talented employees often remain underutilized, unheard, and discouraged. Morocco is certainly not lacking in highly educated professionals or experienced individuals with valuable expertise. Yet, for many, career advancement is more easily achieved by following the status quo than by attempting to improve existing systems.
This is, unfortunately, a reality that is unlikely to change overnight.
We all admire the success stories of companies such as Apple and Audi, yet we often refuse to adopt the very practices that made them successful.
Their strategic vision is remarkably simple: create products and services that delight the customer.
By contrast, many businesses remain primarily focused on something quite different: doing whatever is most likely to please the boss.
The choice, ultimately, is ours.
— Karim Kadiri