Since 1991, it has been customary to celebrate Customer Service Week, which takes place in the first week of October worldwide. Customer Service Week is an annual international event devoted to recognising customer service’s importance and honouring people who serve and support customers with the highest degree of care and professionalism.

Each year, thousands of companies around the world celebrate Customer Service Week. They belong to various sectors, including finance, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing and retailing, hospitality, communication, education and government institutions.

This year, this event will be celebrated from October 3-7. The theme of the week is ‘Celebrate Service.” Rwanda has adopted this theme to re-emphasise the importance of excellent customer service and demonstrate that customer care is taken seriously worldwide.

For the 7th time, Rwanda is joining in this celebration to underscore the national commitment to upgrade the quality of customer care, a prerequisite in the service-oriented economy the government strives to promote. In 2012, RDB launched a nationwide customer care awareness campaign dubbed "nayombi: Akirana Urugwiro abakugana”, and the customer service week celebration started in the context of the campaign in 2016.

Importance of the International Customer service Week

During this week, the focus for public and private companies is to raise the level of customer service to world-class standards. Customer Service Week provides a unique opportunity for service providers and support professionals around the globe to join in a celebration of the important role that customer service plays in every organisation.

The theme of this year is well chosen: "Celebrate Service”. This goes beyond mere awareness, and it is an attitude of readiness conducive to excellence in the practice of customer service. Rwandans should always have at the top of their mind providing the best service they can.

The Customer Service week is a unique opportunity to examine the challenges in service delivery in Rwanda and the measures being undertaken to improve customer service in different sectors. The week should alert Rwandans that customer care is a global issue to be taken seriously if the country has to compete globally.

We have seen senior executives from Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Airport Company, RwandAir, and many private companies take a personal interest in customer service and participate actively in this year’s customer service week by providing service themselves.

In this regard, organisations in Rwanda want to underline their commitment to customer care to regional and international audiences to boost their reputation as a business-friendly destination.

Activities of the national customer week

As part of the customer service week, to create an environment that values quality services, stakeholders in the service industry will be proposing the following activities, among others;

• Internal organisational campaign and training in Dos & Don’ts in customer service, which they will share with service providers countrywide during the week

• CEOs/Owners of businesses delivering service in customer-facing areas

• Recognition and awards of the best customer care employees by different institutions

• Customers can also participate in the customer service week by nominating the best service providers in different institutions

The five core goals of Customer Service Week for public and private institutions are to:

• Boost morale, motivation and team spirit.

• Reward frontline staff for the important work they do all year long.

• Raise corporate awareness of the importance of customer service.

• Thank back-office departments for their support.

• Remind customers of the corporate commitment to customer satisfaction.

It’s up to all of us to solve the customer care issues in Rwanda.

The writer is a tourism and hospitality management practitioner with 14 years of experience in the service industry. He is also a former Customer care Manager at the Rwanda Development Board and led the national customer care project.

The views expressed in this article are of the writer.