LA SORAS FORME SES CADRES EN SERVICE CLIENTELE

LA SORAS FORME SES CADRES EN SERVICE CLIENTELE

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Du 11 au 12 Mai 2011, la Soras a offert une formation « Relation Clientèle » à dix de ses cadres. Consciente que la concurrence devient de plus en plus rude et que le client est le centre même de leurs activités, l’objectif de cette formation était de mieux équiper les managers de la Soras, des techniques nécessaires pour rendre un service professionnel et dynamique au client.

L’innovation, ici, était de commencer cette série de formation par les cadres car, comme Le dit l’Administrateur Directeur Général, Mr Marc Rugenera: «Le bon example en matière de customer care doit venir d’en haut».

A l’issue de la formation, les participants ont exprimé toute leur satisfaction par rapport à la méthodologique pratique et ludique de cette formation.

Cette formation a été dispensée par une équipe dirigée par Sandra Idossou du Cabinet SHEI & ENZ. Le Directeur Commercial de la société, Mr Benjamin Mbundi a aussi invité les participants à mettre en application tout ce qu’ils ont appris afin que le changement dans les comportements soit visible par les clients.

Un bon exemple à suivre. Avis aux entreprises !

Time is a Precious Commodity

Time is a Precious Commodity for all

By Sandra Idossou

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that time is always ripe to do right” says Nelson Mandela. The first time I read this inspirational quote was last year on the South African Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai. Since then, every time I see people wasting their time and energy on nonproductive and unnecessary things, this sentence just bumps back into my mind.

I am sure just like me; you have often seen people who do not value this precious commodity called “Time”. You probably also know many who keep postponing to the next day things or actions they could take today. Many of us do not simply realize that just like many other commodities offered to us, we can make poor use of the Time.

I have come to realize how time can fly away so quickly. I still remember (as if it was yesterday) the first day I arrived in Rwanda. I remember vividly the day I registered my first company. I also remember my first training session, my first article in the New Times, my first meeting with the International Women Association, my first painting exhibition etc..I still can’t realize how time in Rwanda has just fled so quickly.

Today, at certain times; I wish I had more time to do all the things I would love to do. I sincerely wish I had more than 24H in a day. I read this morning on a friend’s facebook page and found it extremely thought-provoking. Amin said this “If it wasn’t for dreams, sleeping would be a waste of time but somehow the journey continues so I give it few hours every now and then”.

It is true that in order to function properly, our body needs some sleep…but really, do we necessary need to sleep for 8 hours every day? Our great continent needs its children to wake up early and work. There are some African countries where people still go home for their lunch break, take a nap, a shower and resume work after 3PM...Africa is still a virgin continent on so many aspects that needs its children/youth to take full advantage of the great possibilities when the sun is up.

Every day is an opportunity for us to do something good in our own little way. No matter how small our contribution is, we all need to use Time wisely so as to be real partners of the development happening on this continent.

“Time is free, but it is priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back” says Harvey Mackay, an American author and inspirational speaker.

How I wish African especially the youth, would understand that time lost cannot be redeemed. How I wish Africans, when late for meetings or assignments, would no more give the shabby excuse of “this is African time”. How I wish Africans could understand that time is money and that we should use it wisely. How I wish Africans would understand that each individual has a responsibility in changing things.

Each single day should be used wisely…every day is a new day with new opportunities. To help organize properly our days, weeks, months, years; it might probably help some people to make a "to-do" list or put in writing their personal plans for their lives. And this is another issue where we need to work on….Write…writing helps us to become committed.

Making a to-do list can be a very good and productive habit. But of course, the most important aspect here is to keep them and stick by the outlined goals. And for this, we need to learn how to manage our time, how to be organized and how to be disciplined.

Time is a precious commodity and any minute we waste implies a loss of productivity and money. Let’s plan better our days and lives. It’s time we understand that personal growth and even business development worldwide require that we turn up on time or complete tasks at previously-designated time. Being late is not a norm and should not be accepted.

Time is a precious commodity for all of us. Let’s decide to use every single day as if it was the last given to us to do something good and beneficial for ourselves, our families, our nations and our continent.

sidossou@theservicemag.com

Congs to some Rwndair Cargo Staff

http://newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14578&article=39596

Monday, March 28, 2011

FRONT PAGE » Letters » Rwandair Cargo Staff doing a great job

Rwandair Cargo Staff doing a great job

Editor,

I wish to share other readers an interesting experience I had this month with two Rwandair employees, working at the airport.

The first encounter was with a lady at the sales office/customer care desk inside the airport.

I went there with a specific request because someone at the Entebbe Airport had to send me an urgent CD but didn’t have money on him.

The evening flight was leaving Entebbe at 10.30Pm and going back to Kampala to get money would have been impossible.

So, I went to the airport in Kigali to ask if I could pay the $20 fee for this courier service from Entebbe. The lady simply said no.

I calmly explained to her again the exceptional request and the collect charges but all I could read from her face is “who is this lady asking me such a complicated thing?”
She asked me to go and inquire from the cargo people. At the cargo office, nobody was in but thank God, there was a telephone number written on the door.

Though the man was on the tarmac of the airport, he took time to listen and to offer a solution. The only issue here was that, he could not receive cash.

He asked me to go and pay the Ten Thousand francs in one of the banks at the airport. Unfortunately, all the banks had closed this Sunday evening. I called again the cargo man. He accepted to do an exception to the rule.

He called his colleague in Entebbe and asked him to send the CD on that evening flight.

I was given the CD after giving the bank slip, I felt like screaming and letting everyone know how exceptional some service people are in Rwanda.

Well, rules are very important for every business but in order to offer consistent good customer service, it is important that service providers adopt creative thinking as in most cases; they are able to find alternative solutions to their customers.

sidossou@theservicemag.com

What do I do when my colleague has a terrible Bad Odour?

Help, my Colleague has a terrible Body Odor

By Sandra Idossou

Jennifer shares her office with three other colleagues. John sits just next to her. For some time now, going to the office has become an ordeal for Jennifer who seems not to know how to handle the delicate situation she is facing. The truth is that John has a very strong body odor and this is affecting all the other colleagues as well. What makes this story more pathetic is the fact that both Jennifer and John deal every day with customers.

Matt also told me about this restaurant he loves going to but has decided to stop patronizing it because of a particular waiter who simply “stinks”. Apparently, the waiter’s bad body odor can knock down a camel. He wonders how such a person could be kept as a waiter.

Well, situations such as the above are very common yet very complicated to deal with. Body Odor sometimes simply called (B.O.) is the smell of bacteria growing on the body where the bacteria rapidly multiply in the presence of sweat. Sweat itself is virtually odorless but it is the rapid multiplication of bacteria in the presence of sweat that eventually causes the unpleasant smell.

As this is a very delicate issue, let’s assume you are the” John” here. Maybe your bad odor is creating discomfort among your friends or colleagues. It is for this reason that we all need to adopt personal hygienic standards. Have a bath at least once a day with warm water. It’s said that warm water helps kill off bacteria present on the skin. You may as well consider bathing more often than once a day with good antiseptic, anti-bacterial soaps.

Then you should also invest in strong antiperspirants deodorants. Some good home remedies for bad odor from the armpit are, lemon, white vinegar baking soda etc.

Body odor can also be influenced by diet, lifestyle, gender, genetics, health and medication. Most body odor occurs in our feet, groin, armpits, genitals, belly button, hair, ears etc. Spicy foods with curry, garlic, pepper have the potential to make some people's sweat more pungent. Some experts even believe a diet high in red meat may also raise the risk of developing more rapid body odor.

Another solution to bad odor is paying attention to your clothing. Use natural fibers that can allow your skin to breathe and evaporate better your sweat. Change your shirts, undergarments and socks every day.

Bad odor is a challenge especially when you are at the receiving end. How then do you inform a friend, a colleague, a relative that his/her BO is a problem affecting you? Very few would be ready to talk about this issue, especially in our society here where most people do not say exactly what they think or feel.

Believe me, the best way to solve this is to be honest and tell the person directly as sometimes, the person concerned isn’t even aware of his/her problem. Calling the person aside and telling him/her in a nice way is probably the best way in helping the person find a solution.

When we are not bold enough to challenge people right in front of them, we can use this other way by sending anonymous messages. I am not personally in favor of this method as nothing is better than being honest with people we live or work with.

Then lastly, if the problem still persists, report the situation to the supervisors if the problem is with a colleague. Even if being the boss doesn't make it any easier to confront employees with such delicate situations, it is the manager’s duty to make sure that all employees have comfortable, inspiring and appropriate working environment.

In conclusion, bad odor issues are sensitive but need to be dealt with seriously and tactfully as these can ruin relationships and reputation.

The author is the Publisher of The ServiceMag

Contact; sidossou@theservicemag.com