Has Service Delivery Improved in Rwanda?

The last issue of this year ServiceMag was out last week on Thursday. But before then, a quick survey was conducted in order to see if there is any impact on service delivery since the publication started. The survey started with a poll on “Has Service Delivery Improved in Rwanda?” 45 percent of voters said YES whereas 33 percent said NO and 22 percent were not sure. We also received many comments on what should be done in order to see a real visible improvement. I found some of these comments very thought-provoking andhave decided to share with you few. 1. Service Improvement needs humility Odette works in a ministry and says “let’s face it..we are a very proud people. Service needs people who are humble. If the service provider sees it diminishing for instance to greet a customer, to say please, I’m sorry etc; how can service improve in Rwanda? 2.Service Improvement needs everyone’s involvement Janvier is a pharmacist and says “there is no doubt that this magazine is a very interesting and very educative one. I am always looking forward for having one. I think in order to really have an impact on service delivery in Rwanda; everyone should have a copy of it; especially people in public institutions. Go to any district office or hospital and you will see that this is still a lot they need to know.” 3. Service Improvement needs more commitment from Government institutions “The issue of service delivery is a serious one in all sectors of business and I’m surprised that government institutions are not really doing much. Everyone talks about it but no one really does anything tangible to change this. Sitting there and complaining will not improve customer service. Real actions need to be taken. How many companies take time to train their staff for instance? Thank God The ServiceMag fills this gap but this is not sufficient yet. Public institutions should embark on a serious battle against poor service delivery” says Maggie an employee in telecom. 4. Service improvement needs that people know exactly what is “good service ” Well; I must admit that service is improving a bit; at least comparing to what it used to be before. Personally, I don’t think people give poor service because they want to. But it is rather because they do not know exactly what “good service” is. They have been doing certain things certain ways for years and no one ever told them that was a wrong habit. What I love about your magazine is that it does not only say what is bad but it also gives examples of good service delivery. This actually helps service providers to picture how they are expected to behave. I wish this magazine could become a monthly one offered to all in this industry” says Dieudonné, a hotel manager. 5. Service Improvement needs a collective change of mindset and attitude “Changing mindset is not an easy thing. It doesn’t just happen like that. Educating people through your magazine is a good action but something else needs to be done in the grassroots level. In all the small communities, debates on customer service should be done “ Desire ; teacher What of you? What do you think needs to be done in order to see a real change in service delivery? Write to me on sidossou@theservicemag.comand for the coming weeks, I will be publishing your suggestions. Let’s all remember that we are all collectively responsible for service improvement in Rwanda. The author is a trainer and the publisher of The ServiceMag