Rotimmy Akindele, a Nigerian journalist who was in Kigali to cover the 2016 African Nations Championships that ended Sunday, was amazed by a lot of things in the country but one: customer service.

He was shocked at how people in the service industry were either too slow or not mindful of their clients.

"The biggest issue is being slow. One can order for breakfast and wait for over an hour to get it and when you talk to them they just smile and take their time,” Akindele said. adding that service providers must up their game or risk losing out on business.

Both private and public institutions grapple with how best to deliver exceptional service to their clients.

And, according to Yves Ngenzi, the head of the customer care unit at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), a little push from their customers can make a difference.

The government took customer care so seriously that a department was set up to help fix the problem. But for the department to succeed, they will need input from the customers themselves.

Ngenzi argues that it is complaints from clients that will keep providers in check and push them to deliver more efficiently.

"Companies and organisations are now kept on their toes as more people have unrestricted avenues to air out their views, thanks to social media and other feedback mechanisms,” Ngenzi says.

While venting on social media works, it is not always efficient. For some industries, especially those that require face-to-face interactions, it is imperative that the clients speak out whenever they get poor service.

That is one area RDB, through its customer care department, can focus on. There are some clients who accept poor service and believe that the provider is actually doing them a favour and do not deserve the service.

With social media, people can easily rant and in efforts to save face, more often than not, they get feedback.

Beyond that, however, people should learn to say no and reject poor service.

It is when businesses miss out on revenue that they will take customer care more seriously.

There is no doubt that poor customer service can be damaging to a business. But for businesses to feel the impact of poor customer service, there has to be stiff competition and that is where Rwanda is headed.

Watching clients opt for a competitor is one of the most painful experiences for any entrepreneur.

Livingstone Buyinza, a procurement manager, narrates an encounter he had with a receptionist who neither cared about her work nor the customers she was to attend to.

He said the customer care that is given in most places isn’t satisfying because providers act as if they are doing their clients a favour.

"One time I went to a reputable bank and the receptionist was on the phone for over 10 minutes, meanwhile I was at her desk but it didn’t even occur to her to put her call on hold, if it was business she was handling I would understand but it wasn’t the case,” Buyinza says.

"This is something so common but one may wonder how a business can develop with such attitude. A satisfied customer is the best advertisement and people should know that.”

Such poor phone etiquette is another issue that can be dealt when customers complain directly whenever they experience

A 2013 RDB research carried out in both public and private institutions found that the level of customer satisfaction stood at 71 per cent, against a target of 80 per cent by 2017.

What’s being done

In collaboration with regulatory agencies and Private Sector Federation, legal frameworks and service standards have been developed and introduced in the hospitality, banking, transport and health sectors.

To monitor the progress, RDB, in partnership with stakeholders, conducts periodic on-site inspection and off-site analysis, and recognises establishments that are performing well. National customer satisfaction surveys are also conducted to track the progress at national level.

"Rwanda Development Board has put in place a hotline to receive and handle private sector related complaints on the quality of service. Regulatory bodies are mandated to license and ensure quality services in their sectors that is, a sanction is given depending on the wrongdoing.”

Rights of the consumer

Citizens’ awareness on rights to demand quality services is increasing, 65 per cent of the customers asked in the research indicated that they speak to a supervisor on receiving a bad service. However, only 5 per cent have made a formal complaint.

However, the consumer has a right to information on services, including the price of a service or product, quality, and time taken to be served.

It is the client’s right to get timely services, the consumer has the right also to demand better services and the service provider has an obligation to deliver quality services, respect the clients and give clarifications to the clients.

While a lot is being done to fix the customer service delivery, it is when business see drops in revenue or public service providers risk losing their jobs that significant change will come through.

Clients, too, have to play their part by officially lodging complaints of bad service experiences.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw