Banque Populaire du Rwanda Plc (BPR) on Wednesday treated its clients to a light moment of merrymaking as it celebrated the Customer Service Week.

The annual Customer Service Week is celebrated in the first week of October, and this year it is being marked under the theme: The power of service.

BPR took its celebrations to Kayonza District in the Eastern region, Rubavu District in the Northern region, Huye District in the Southern region and at Onomo Hotel for the Kigali City region.

Speaking at the Silent Hill Hotel in Kayonza district where 50 representatives of BPR customers in the eastern region gathered with BPR officials, Maurice K Toroitich, the Bank’s Managing Director, said that they have chosen to celebrate the week with their customers because without them there is no meaning to the services they give.

They found it a fitting moment for them to have a conversation with their customers in their most comfortable place which is where they operate their businesses from.

"We received a lot of positive feedback about the things that we do and we will continue to do and improve them, but we also received a lot of suggestions and comments about some of the things that our customers believe we can do better,” he said. "That is very important for us because it is only until we do those things – our customers will feel that what we are doing for them will make them winners. That is why they are part of what we do and that’s what this week is about. It’s about celebrating the heroes in service and for us, our customers are our heroes.”

Toroitich urged BPR customers to challenge the bank to improve even on things they think have been done well since he believes that there is always room for improvement.

In February 2021, KCB Group acquired a majority stake in BPR.

Explaining this to BPR customers, Toroitich said that the merger is expected to enable them to benefit from KCB’s progress in digital capability, transactional banking solutions, trade finance expertise and international banking.

Alphonsine Murekatete, Director of Lycée du Lac Muhazi, a client of BPR said during the event that they got to know about the new products offered by the Bank.

"When they approach us, we pose our questions to the leaders who can reply to us directly. This makes clients work with the bank happily. They also listened to our suggestions and gave them a good line,” he said.

The Bank is reviewing some of its processes that will see the decentralization of some of its services that were previously handled by its Kigali-based headquarters to be handled at the branch level, making it even easier for their customers to access banking services closer to them.

Fabien Ayimana, who represented AGRICOM Company from Gicumbi which also works with BPR said that the event was very important because they shared their ideas to BPR leaders and got instant feedback.