The government has embarked on a service delivery campaign dubbed "Nk’uwikorera” in a bid to sensitise members of the private sector to adjust and improve their customer care services.

The objective of the campaign, that kicked off last month is to improve service delivery and ultimately strengthen the performance of the sector.

The private sector plays a pivotal role in the economic development of the country. A flourishing private sector means that more taxes will be paid and more jobs created. This in turn will build a vibrant economy capable of achieving the country’s national development objectives.

However, without efficient service delivery, the private sector cannot play this role. The private sector should prioritise service delivery as a critical aspect in achieving the sector’s goals in development.

Poor service delivery is still a challenge especially in the hospitality sector. Yet, the level of service delivery in the sector can make or break the growth of the private sector.

The ongoing sensitisation campaign is a step in the right direction and all private sector players should be a part of this campaign. Customer care is critical in every business especially in the hospitality sector which largely feeds the tourism industry.

Tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner and heavily relies on the hospitality sector. If the projected revenues from tourism are to be achieved, the hospitality sector must provide the best customer care expected of Rwanda. Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has projected that the tourism sector will fetch about $444 million (about Rwf370 billion) in 2017, up from $404 million last year.

The increase in revenue is largely expected to come from tourism promotion efforts as well as the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events and Exhibitions (MICE) strategy.

It is important that businesses always act on feedback from customers and regularly carry out customer satisfaction surveys to establish what services customers expect.

However, it will take collective efforts of the policy makers, private sector players and the consumers to fully address the challenge of poor service delivery. Everyone has a role to play in pushing service delivery to the expected standards.