The Rwanda  Development Board (RDB) has started a new drive that is hoped to further improve customer service standards in the country. 

The three-month campaign dubbed ‘Kumva’ (to listen) will focus on five pillars; communication, problem solving, timeliness, professionalism and ease of doing business, Yves Ngenzi, the RDB customer care unit boss said in a statement yesterday. 

Ngenzi said ‘Kumva’ aims at encouraging service providers to use active listening and understanding to boost their communication among themselves and with customers and staff.

He said RDB designed the five-pillar approach following low ratings in a customer satisfaction survey it conducted mid-last year.

"The majority of the survey respondents were not able to communicate effectively in English and conducted themselves unprofessionally. 

"That’s why it is essential to improve each of these pillars to improve customer service in the country,” he said.

The new drive follows two similar campaigns conducted last year. ‘Na Yombi’ and ‘Noza Serivisi’, which were spearheaded by the board and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, respectively aimed at creating and entrenching better customer service values among Rwandans, especially businesses in the services sector. 

Though the initiatives had an impact on the level of service delivery, bureaucracies, delays and repetitive procedures still dog service delivery to citizens and investors, the trade ministry said last year. 

The RDB survey showed that 71 per cent of the population was satisfied with the way different public and private institutions were rendering their services.

Ngenzi said the target was to raise the level of customer satisfaction to 80 per cent by 2017.

Improved service delivery has been singled out as an important ingredient in the country’s development effort due to its role in attracting investments, and boosting the tourism sector, among others.

Rwanda loses about $40m annually due to poor customer service, experts say.

Meanwhile, the best service providers in the country will be recognised on Tuesday next week. This follows a customer satisfaction survey conducted by ServiceMag, a services sector-oriented publication that promotes customer care and improved service provision in public and private sector organisations.

A total of 15 institutions will be recognised at the awards event at the Kigali Serena Hotel, said Sandra Idossou, the publisher  of ServiceMag and organiser of the awards.