Acknowledging exceptional service

Editor, Through your paper, I would like to share my experience of exemplary customer service.  Early Wednesday afternoon, I was working on some documentation at Bank of Kigali Remera’s branch and witnessed a bank employee deal with a situation that would have gone bad had it not been for her customer care skills.

Friday, March 30, 2012
Customer service in local banks has improved. The New Times / File

Editor,Through your paper, I would like to share my experience of exemplary customer service.  Early Wednesday afternoon, I was working on some documentation at Bank of Kigali Remera’s branch and witnessed a bank employee deal with a situation that would have gone bad had it not been for her customer care skills. The bank was practically congested when a man walked in, obviously impatient with the pace of service. Other clients looked on to see if he would get service as he shoved his paper work toward the bank staff. If you are waiting in a queue, the last thing you would want is someone jumping the line yet you got there before them.Anyhow, the bank staff, who I could only identify as Assumpta, stopped what she was doing, and calmly requested the gentleman to hold on for his turn to be served. The way she asked him to be patient was so different from how most bank employees normally treat customer – because they normally shout at or rudely talk to such impatient clients.What Assumpta did may seem small, but it means a lot.We do understand that when banks are extremely busy the staff get stressed and are easily irritable, but one sign of customer care skills is the ability to keep your cool and wear a smile even when dealing with difficult customers.As the new nationwide customer care campaign gains momentum, I believe sharing cases of exceptional service will help give a clear picture of what good customer care means.