The only way for institutions to survive is to keep their customers happy, says Rwanda Development Bank Director General Théogène Turatsinze.

"To sell the bank product, we need to maintain the bank’s reputable position,” Turatsinze said to 60 of his employees during a customer care training session at Hotel Novotel by consulting firm Optimising Human Resource (Opty-RH) July 7-11.

Turatsinze said customer care is a problem in Rwanda because representatives are slow, don’t pay attention to their clients, have a lack of training in the customer care industry and do not have enough equipment to do their jobs properly.

Turatsinze stressed that customers should always be satisfied when leaving the bank, even when they receive bad news.

For example, he said, if a client comes to the bank to ask for a guaranteed loan but leaves without one, the client should still be happy because of the excellent service he or she received.

"We want to continue positioning the bank not only as long term investment, but also as the best institution which is client driven,” he said, adding it will involve a cultural shift over a long period.

K. Ezechiel Ouedraogo, Optimising Human Resource Deputy Manager, was one of the trainers who taught BRD department heads and customer service representatives how to be successful at customer care, for example, deciphering what customers expect and using the skills to exceed their expectations, even with difficult customers.

"Delivering a first class service is both practical and interactive,” Ouedraogo explained.

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