The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) will on March 26, launch a national Customer Care Campaign “Na Yombi” at Serena Hotel, Kigali to sensitise the public on the importance of good customer care to the country.
A communiqué this reporter has seen says the campaign is part of the continued effort to promote and support the private sector, especially the private sector in order for the country to achieve accelerated socio-economic development.
“The objective of the new campaign is to influence behavioral change both in public and private sectors and create channels through which we can initiate public dialogue in order to create awareness about the reality of customer service in Rwanda and how it impacts on economic growth,” reads the communiqué from RDB.
The campaign comes at the time when there is concern that customer care is lacking in the services sector. Particularly, the hospitality industry is greatly affected by the poor customer care despite the factor that it is the leading foreign exchange earner for the country.
Rwanda wants to gain a competitive edge in the region’s tourism industry through the campaign to boost customer care. According to RDB, tourism receipts increased by 25% in 2011, from $200M to $252M as the investments in the sector in 2011 amounted to $117M compared to $106M in 2010.
Early this year, RDB together with representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Private Sector Federation, hospitality associations as well as the quality standards taskforce within the Tourism Unit met to identify ways of improving customer care in the hotels and restaurants.
Speaking to the press then, Rica Rwigamba, the Head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB, said it was agreed that the association of hoteliers embarks on an urgent programme to ascertain the standards and quality of services delivered by hotels and other hospitality facilities.
Last year the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR) released a report calling for the urgent solutions to the problem that could even push back foreign earnings but employment as well.
The report shows that 25% of tourists experienced bad customer experience during their stay in Rwanda.
“Rwandan customer service is seen as the worst in the East African region, which comprises of Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. Poor customer service and its impact on the Rwandan economy,” said Gloria Lwakabamba the lead researcher.
To boost Government efforts, high institutions of learning like Rwanda Tourism University College now offer courses hospitality where the issues of customer care are empahsised. But it is hoped the upcoming nationwide campaign will deliver positive results and grow the sector further.
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