KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

http://newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14214&article=3148&week=13

CUSTOMER CARE: Knowledge is PowerBy Sandra idossou

“Knowledge is power” was originally said by Francis Bacon, an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist and an author.

This quote implies that with knowledge or education one’s potential or abilities in life will certainly increase. This quote has always taught me that knowledge is the only way to upgrade one’s performance.

I have always known the power of reading and its implication on one’s knowledge. Reading opens up one’s mind and horizons. Reading is the surest way of getting more knowledge on things I do not know. Have you heard of this proverb which says that you should “Beware of the man of one book?”

It is possible that in the quote above, Bacon was paraphrasing Proverbs 24:5: “A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength.”

As a trainer; I know the power of knowledge. I often see the excitement on the faces of participants after attending training sessions. They get rejuvenated, they seem new, they understand better what is expected of them and above all they feel empowered.

Definitely customer service still remains a big challenge in Rwanda both in the public and private institutions. According to a research body here in Rwanda, the country’s GDP could increase to $40 million by 2012 if service delivery is improved.

This is a fact. If service providers improve on their systems and their ways of treating customers, they will see a real positive impact on their business.

Service is all about dealing with customers. It boils down to the attitude of the staff. We all know that the state of professionalism of people in the service industry here is just undergoing development and the skills gap in the country is so high.

But should we just sit and complain about the lack of skills of service people? Should we comfort ourselves into thinking that good service is not possible in Rwanda?

Are we just waiting for a miracle to happen? Should we continue thinking that service improvement is a sole responsibility of government?

Good service delivery is achievable here too. Simply put, we can reach the level of service we are expecting if we help service providers by educating and sensitizing them on its importance for their businesses.

In order to participate in giving the necessary knowledge to service people here, an educative magazine, “The Service Mag” has just been launched. It published in English with some articles in French and Kinyarwanda.

It’s simple, colorful and also has an interactive website. It’s been done by a team of people from 11 different countries.
Because of wanting to encourage reading, the magazines are given freely to people - at least for the first editions. The magazines are free because they have actually been sponsored by local companies in Rwanda.
Educating service people is part of our social corporate responsibilities as companies. Changing mindset and attitude is a collective responsibility.

Just check on www.theservicemag.com and get yourself updated on what is expected on you as a service provider. Learn ways of improving your services. Learn how to “wow” your customers. Learn how to satisfy your customers and grow your business.

This is probably time to call on for more sponsorships of the magazine from all organizations both private and public. In the future; the magazine plans to become bi-monthly, circulating 8,000 copies with many more educational articles.

Let’s not just sit and complain. Let’s take actions now. Let’s all sustain the project of educating both service providers and customers.

Erasmus, a Dutch Renaissance humanist and a famous theologian says that “The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth”. If we want service delivery to change in Rwanda; we need to educate the youth now.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy also says that “In a time of turbulence and change, it is more true than ever that knowledge is power”. In today’s economic turbulence; this is the right time to educate service people.

The Motto of The Service Mag is “Knowledge Is Power”. So let’s all be part of the education process and get the people of this country soar through customer service, as they have done elsewhere.

The author is a customer service consultant working in Rwanda

sandra.idossou@sheiconsulting.com

The Launching of the Service Mag

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The Service Mag

387 people from all sectors of business attended the Launch Ceremony of the Service Mag at the Serena Hotel on Thursday March 25th.

The objective of this free quarterly magazine is to educate and sensitize service people both from the public and provate institutions.

The magazine is in simple English with specific articles in French and Kinyarwanda.

The 48-page-magazine was made possible by the contribution of people from 11 different nationalities and by the kind sponsorship of 15 companies:

Diamond

Caisse Sociale du Rwanda

Ecobank

Platinum

BCR

Inyange Industries

Bralirwa

Sulfo

Serena Hotels

Rwandair

Shei & Enz Consulting

Gold

Fina Bank

BRD

DHL

Kenya Airways

Bronze

Tele10

Ocir Cafe

The ceremony was graced by Clare Akamnazi; the Deputy CEO of the Rwanda Development Board in Charge of Business Operations. and Services.

After the unveiling; guests were offered free copies of the Magazine.

The event was a very funny and humoristic evening with the sketches of Herve and Lilian who were the MC's.

Let's Embrace "The Service Mag"

http://newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14207&article=3102&week=12

CUSTOMER CARE: Let’s all embrace “The Service Magazine”

By Sandra idossou

It is not news that customer service is still a challenge both in private and public institutions. Many service providers have still not been able to find the exact way of improving their services to customers. As customers, we are still waiting for the time where the service people will respect us and give us the services they have promised. As a trainer, I believe that people behave the way they do because they have not be taught. Many still do not understand the importance of a customer to their businesses. Others still think that the customer has no option and will continue to patronize their services. If we want service delivery to improve, we need more than just talk and debate. We need to take concrete actions that will help people providers. Even though there have been a number of initiatives here and there, the service gap is still high, which means that there is need to do more. Many people still do not have access to either trainings or the customer care handbooks. It is for this reason that with the sponsorships of fifteen companies in Rwanda, a free quarterly magazine titled “The Service Mag” will be launched at the end of the month. Creating and maintaining a positive attitude is the most efficient and low-cost investment one can make in order to change their life. A positive attitude is a habit and must be learned through repetition and conscious effort on your part. A positive attitude is not dependent upon your genetic composition. It depends upon your decision to face your world with enthusiasm and to create a positive environment Sir Francis Bacon, an English author, courtier and philosopher is famous for his famous quote “Knowledge Is Power” Actually, attitude is the driving force in our life and without the right attitude, our llives become directionless. The starting point is to believe that you can change. If you don’t believe it, then you won’t do it. I’m not asking you to think it’s going to be easy or an overnight thing. The hardest clients that I have to deal with are ones that lack commitment and/or belief because most of my time is spent working on those issues and they are seldom the ones that prompted the contact. The magazine will be largely distributed among all service providers in Rwanda from taxi driver, down to waiters, to hospitals, to ministries and to all service outlets. The main objective of the magazine is to sensitize everyone on service and offer basic education on what needs to be done. We are all collectively responsible for the service image of Rwanda and we just can’t sit and wait for a miracle to happen. The well designed and very attractive magazine will be printed in 5000 copies and distributed throughout the country. It will also be published on an interactive website. Segments such as the Human Resources, Hospitality, Quality, Sales, Marketing, Taxes, Communication, Attitudes, Motivation, Lifestyle, Tourism, Hygiene, Personal Development, Branding, Grooming and many more topics will be tacled. The 48-pages magazine will be written in simple English with some articles in Kinyarwanda and French to be able to attract the diverse readership. As the magazine will be free to readers, it will therefore need the contribution of many corporate and private organizations. The publication cist for the first edition was borne by the kind sponsorship of fifteen companies. We are hereby kindly requesting your partnership to make this magazine a successful one for the benefit of business owners, for people in the service industry but generally for Rwanda as a whole. We would like to invite business owners to be part of this magazine. We will appreciate their sponsorships so as to offer this magazine free to everyone in the service industry. Also, we would like to welcome your customer service experiences with our readers. And lastly, do write to us and give us your feedback after reading this first edition that will be launched on March 25, 2010. sandra.idossou@sheiconsulting.com

Building a Strong Relationship with Customers

http://newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14200&article=3052&week=11

CUSTOMER CARE: Building a relationship can attract more clientele

By Sandra idossou

I am writing this article from Nairobi where I traveled to carry out a print job for the Service Magazine that is soon to be launched. Before arriving here, I had in my possession three different price quotations with approximately the same rates except for one which was slightly higher than the other. I arrived at the airport at about 6 am and I was welcomed by Jane, one of the company’s marketing staff. She had a big smile which gave me less reason to worry about the odd hour of the day. When we arrived at the premises of her place of work, she gave me a tour of the factory and introduced me to almost everyone. Jane helped me go to the bank, organize my other appointments, found people to help me and offered to drive me back to the hotel. She almost became part of our team. The company Jane represents deals with bigger contracts than my small order. The Director said something very interesting about their concept of customer service. “Customer service is all about relationships, it’s not about the money. If our customers have good relationships with us, we are sure that we will have good businesses in the future with them.” Customer service is really not about prices. This company was actually the one with the higher prices but we decided to work with them because of the trust we had in them. A company’s rates or prices might be higher but if customers see the value of an offer, they will have no reservation in buying your services. Companies should not fool themselves into thinking that all that customers look for are low prices . It is no secret that a strong relationship with a customer is the key element in the success of a company. Below are some key actions that will create that stronger relationship with your customers. Care about your customers Care is an important element in creating good relationships with your customers. You need to care about the needs of your customers, what they like, who they are etc. If you do not care, a customer can tell. Care also implies empathy. Dr Maya Angelou said that, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Show care and you can be sure that your customers will not forget that. Go the extra mile Be helpful even if there’s no immediate profit in it. Whatever the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. Your customers might not say so to you, but people always notice when you make an extra effort. To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money and that is sincerity and integrity says Douglas Adams. Build trust Trust will be one of the strongest things you can do in order to build a better relationship with your customer. The reason is that people will buy from someone they trust. When you trust someone, you know you are getting a good product, at a good price, and that they care enough to help if there were problems. Listen If you listen to your customer, you w ill build a stronger an d better relationship. Anyone can talk but it takes a wise person to listen. Take time to listen and understand. Do not jump into conclusions or assumptions. Every customer is different and so are his/her needs. Customer service is all about relationships. You need to take time to create emotional relationships with your customers. In my case, will you be surprised if I say that I’ll definitely recommend Jane’s company to anyone who wants professional and quality printing in Nairobi? And this is exactly what good relationships with your customers can do, free advertisement for you and your company. The author is a customer service consultant working in Rwanda. www.sheiconsulting.com

WHO IS YOUR BOSS?

CUSTOMER CARE: Who is your boss?

By Sandra idossou

Sam Walton, an American great entrepreneur and the founder of the Wal-Mart stores in USA once said “There is only one boss.The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else”. I would like to share this quote with all the service people today. For me, this quote should be a pre requisite known to every contact person both in the private and public sectors. Many at times; we tend to forget the importance of Costumers. We see them as a “burden”, an “extra job” or even an “interruption” in our work. We also see them as small, unimportant, ugly, unattractive and insignificant. But the truth here is that whether that costumer is a driver, a director, a cleaner etc…, he/she is still important to our businesses. You are in that business of yours because that “small and unattractive” costumer has decided to patronize your shop. This Customer is actually the one who pays your salaries. You owe him/her your lifestyle, our car everything you are able to buy. When you enter some shops in town; the look you are given as a customer simply says “why did you come here?” or “Why didn’t you go and bother the people in the next shop?” Your boss may be that manager who pays your salary but what you need to know is that your salary does not come from your manager’s pockets. It comes from the CUSTOMER. The person you consider your boss and to whom you give the most of respect is just handling the money the “real boss” leaves behind for you. He is also paid by the customer. The costumer is actually the one who signs your paycheck and who ultimately is your boss. Some time ago, I was sitting in front of a service person when his immediate manager called him. He simply left without uttering a word of apology and I had to wait there for more than 15mn has his comment when he came back? “That was the boss who called me; he doesn’t like to be kept on hold”. I have often seen service people neglecting customers in front of them and showing more respect and care to their supervisors and managers. We also see lots of discrimination in the way customers are treated. Many customers are given value depending on their dress code, their statutes, the big cars they drive. Many are belittle because of their physical appearance. Have you already experienced the discrimination made towards you because you were black, small, thin etc. This is what happened to some friends who went two weeks ago to the Akagera Motors in town to inquire about their new cars. The sales agent just looked down on them and asked them if they think you could buy a car there? He even went to the extent of asking them to go and look for the small second-hand Toyotas in town. If you are a manager, take some time and ask your employees who pays their salaries? Well, you are likely to get answers like “the company, the manager, the accounts department etc. But how many of your employees will realize that, it is the “Customer who pays their Salary! If you are a service person, remember that if you do not show care and attention to the customers who patronize your products and services; they will simply go elsewhere to spend their money. Your costumers are the ones who decide whether your business is going to succeed or fail. In your next interaction with customers, think of them as “the boss.” You don’t have to call them that, but it will help put your relationship in perspective and will help foster a better customer-focused attitude The author is a costumer service consultant working in Rwanda. sandra.idossou@sheiconsulting.com

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