Money saving culture is one of those tasks that are often easier said than done. The general rule is for one to decide how much to save, where, and how to make sure it stays there.

But this is not all. There are ways one can employ to set realistic goals, keep spending in check and get paid first.

Set savings goals: If you want to buy anything, find out how much it costs and determine how much of a down payment you will need. For short-term goals, this is easy, but for long-term goals such as retirement, you will need to do a lot more planning.

Remember, money invested while you are young will have more time to compound. Start now! If you receive unexpected cash, put all or most of it into your savings.

Kill-off debts: Simply calculate how much you spend on paying debts each month and you will know that eliminating debts is the fastest way to free-up money. Once money is freed from debt payment, it can easily be re-purposed to savings.

Establish a timeframe: Set a particular date for accomplishing shorter-term goals, and make sure they are attainable within that period.

Figure out how much you will have to save weekly, monthly and the annual savings. For most saving goals, it is advisable to save the same amount each period.

Keep a record of your expenses: As you gain control over how much you spend, take a critical look at your expenses. Write down everything on which you spend your money for a couple weeks or a month.

Be as detailed as possible, including small purchases. Keep a small notebook with you at all times where once in a while, you can record your expenses.

Trim your expenses: Depending on how much you need to save, you may need to make some difficult decisions. Think about your priorities, and cut out all you can live without. Calculate how much these will save you per year, and you will be much more motivated to pinch pennies.

Reassess your savings goals: Subtract your expenses especially the ones you can not live without from your take-home income (this is minus taxes). The difference will show if it matches with your savings goals.

If  you can not fit all your savings goals into your budget, take a look at what you are saving for and cut the less important things or adjust the timeframe.

Make a budget and stick to it: Write down a budget estimating how much you can spend on any given item each month. This is especially important for expenses which tend to fluctuate, or which you know are particularly hard to control.

Stop using ATM cards: Pay for purchases in cash. It is easier to overspend when you use an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Card because you may never know how much is on the account.

If you have cash, you can see your supply running low. Remember the ATM card is not inherently evil; it is all about self control. Once used responsibly, you can benefit a lot from it.

Use a jar for your coins: Coins may look insignificant but when accumulated over time they can help you save. Savings should be your priority, so deposit your savings to the bank account as soon as you get paid.

You can set up an automatic transfer from your salary account to your savings account. You can also have investments for retirement taken directly out of your pay, and the taxes may be deferred with this option.

How to achieve greater customer care

The fastest way to achieve greater customer care and loyalty is by improving the quality of service you deliver to them.

What is happening in today’s economic era is that many business people invest more money to bring in the best products, create great store displays, and the best computer systems to manage inventory and process orders. But they invest little time and money into customer care.

Whether you are a manager, an employee or business owner, good handling of customers could help to grow your customer base; it is an essential factor in determining buyer’s behaviours towards your business.

Livingstone Buyinza, a tax officer in Rwanda Revenue Authority motor vehicle department, says that keeping connected with your customer is vital in developing your business. This helps to establish rapport between the business owner, your company and the customer.

"A close relationship with your customer impacts a lot on the growth of the company or business,” Buyinza said.

As an officer who handles different people, Buyinza gives ways of how best to give utmost care that leaves customers contented.

Know them by their names and let them know you. This shows that you are interested in them and what they want. Listen and respond appropriately after they are done with the talking and then have a genuine conversation with them.

"Often, people know what they want but they may not be sure of how to get it, that is where you come-in to help,” he said. Ask pertinent questions and always pay attention to their answers, you will discover a lot about them.

"The guidelines you give should be in relation to what they want, which keeps customers in business,” Buyinza said. He further suggests planning a follow-up by asking for customers’ contacts, this helps to increase a close seller-buyer relationship. Never forget to thank customers.

"Quite often people say ‘Thank you for doing business with us’ out of habit but this should not be the case,” he said.
He strongly advised that when you thank your customers, be real about it, make it genuine and thank them in multiple ways, not just once.

Make sure they know what you mean and that you are grateful being in business with them. As managers and business owners coaching your employees to understand and work through these steps regularly could help you achieve customer loyalty and retention strong base.

Once the above is put into practise, there will be a dramatic achievement in the level of customer service.

Contact: pauluskayiggwa@yahoo.com