I first met the cheerful and caring Christian Bangumukunzi back in 2019 when he was still working at King Faisal Hospital. He was wearing a light and navy blue attire, just like the rest of the customer care assistants who were in service. Something about him, however, made him stand out from the rest. Much as he was attending to patients, he was doing more than that—he was serving from the heart. With a smile and absolute fortitude, Bangumukunzi would tenderly approach anyone who seemed in need of care and assistance, and would swiftly guide them to where they were supposed to be. Some may say, this is how customer care should be. And whereas this is true, it is not always the case, unfortunately. In this field, qualifications might matter, but it takes character to offer the right customer care. Bangumukunzi has both. He loves what he does and does it committedly. This is what sets him apart. ‘A calling’ Attending to different people can be exhausting. Well, not for Bangumukunzi, because people are his passion. Caring and ensuring they are well tended to is what comforts him. What gives him energy for his job is the ability to appreciate life and recognise that all people need each other in one way or another. “I live for others and believe there is a reason for every person I meet. I also strive to do what is right and lead with love; being happy and cheerful is my nature, and giving a helping hand to others is my hobby as well,” he says. He currently works with a government agency, but with his four-year experience, Bangumukunzi says customer care is a journey that has come with challenges and lessons. “It is not always smooth to work in such an industry simply because you come face-to-face with reality; every day at our workplaces we meet different people with different characters; meek and rude ones, straightforward, etc.,” he says. “It is very tiring yet the sweetest place to be when you are at peace with your customers. All in all, we need to lend them an ear and listen to their inquiries and then try our best to solve them in all our capacities and knowledge.” Among lessons learnt, he says to have understood the value of team spirit and how critical it is to plan and keep time. “I learnt to listen carefully to the needs of customers and know what to do in order to satisfy their needs. Being very patient and passionate is also very crucial in order to do your job with all your heart,” he reveals. Challenges in the industry From his perspective, customer care in Rwanda is still lacking. There is need for businesses to know what their customers need and learn how to handle them wisely. The highest rate of customer complaints rotates around banks, hospitals and local government services mostly, he says. “Taking an example of the latter; sometime back in his speech, His Excellency talked about this during Umwiherero (National Leadership Retreat) where he wondered how some leaders take the whole day in meetings, yet people who seek their services have to wait for hours and at the end of the day go back home without access to these services. “Another example is at the district level, getting a land title certificate after buying land is so challenging, yet the law indicates how it should not exceed a month. We always say that ‘the customer is king,’ but I doubt we know the meaning of that saying,” he says. He also observes that lack of skills and competence is one of the issues affecting this industry, noting that some people find themselves in this field when they lack ability. “For instance, how can someone who is very shy work in a department that requires them to meet a lot of people. That is so challenging indeed. How can someone who lacks humility, or is not attentive or kind, work in such a field?” He questions. Another challenge he points to is sometimes domineering supervisors who ill-treat their staff. This, he says, demotivates workers to do their jobs excellently. “The staff can for instance have no say in decision-making, this is discouraging. If you want to retain your customers, you need to motivate your staff first because these are the channels through which the retention of the existing customers and the recruitment of new ones will be possible. Once your staff is happy, get ready to receive tremendous results,” Bangumukunzi says. Again, some companies/institutions are very busy to the extent that they do not have time to train their staff so as to work hard but also smarter. A good employer always thinks the best for his/her staff so that they can be sure of what they do and enjoy it, he counsels. “Last but not the least is the culture of the country in which we work from. This cannot be left behind because it matters as well. “Some countries have people who socialise easily and other countries are not like that. That sharpness also affects the growth of the business,” he says. Bangumukunzi, hence, recommends mending present errors as well as learning from other countries and applying their strategies to ensure success for the customer care industry.
