The Last Mile of Excellence: Why service centers are the future of customer experience

By Patrick Katende

Customer service has become one of the most defining measures of business success. We live in a time when the distance between a brand and its customer can determine its relevance, and where accessibility is no longer a convenience but an expectation.

Across industries—banking, telecom, healthcare, or manufacturing—the businesses that stand out today are those that have learned to serve from the edge, and not the center. They have discovered that growth happens when you move closer to the people you serve.

This shift is changing how we think about customer experience.

Twenty years ago, many companies believed that a single headquarters or central office could efficiently serve the entire country. But as Uganda’s towns have grown and communities become more dynamic, that model no longer works. People want immediate access to solutions.

They want to feel seen and supported. A farmer in Ibanda, a contractor in Lira, or a small hardware owner in Mityana should be able to access the same quality of service as someone in Kampala. And that’s where the idea of the last mile of excellence begins to matter.

The idea is about logistics and retail presence, but is also about proximity that builds trust.

In my years of working in customer-facing operations, I’ve learned that nothing replaces human interaction. Technology may make transactions easier, but it is trained, empathetic, and accessible personnel who make service meaningful.

At Uganda Baati, we’ve built our approach on this understanding. We have steadily expanded our network of service centers across the country, growing from a handful of outlets to now twenty three showrooms. Each new center is a bridge between our promise and our people.

When we started opening showrooms out of town, we saw what access means to a community. Customers who once had to travel long distances to Kampala could now walk in, get professional guidance, compare roofing solutions, and make informed decisions.

Contractors could receive technical support. Fundis could be trained on proper installation techniques. Suddenly, the brand was no longer distant; it was part of the community. Still is.

That, to me, is the essence of service leadership: to make a brand not just visible, but present. Every new service center is an act of listening. It’s a recognition that customer experience is shaped where the customer lives, works, and builds. The more we’ve expanded, the clearer it has become that accessibility deepens trust—and trust, in turn, drives loyalty.

When customers know they can walk into your space, see your face, and have their questions answered, you move from being just a supplier to becoming a partner in their growth. That relationship is what sustains a brand long after marketing campaigns fade.

Many organizations today are beginning to rediscover the value of proximity. We see banks opening agent points in villages, telecom companies establishing experience centers upcountry, and hospitals extending outreach clinics to rural areas. These expressions of empathy say to the customer: we see you, and we will meet you where you are.

The last mile is not the end of the customer journey, but rather, the most important part of it. It’s where promises are tested, trust is built, and brands earn their place in people’s lives. That’s the future of customer experience. And it begins by walking the last mile, every single day.

 Patrick Katende is the Head of Service Centers at Uganda Baati