Better customer service needed

No matter where you live, opening a bank account is an essential part of life but in our country do we have an efficient bank everyone can run to? Unsurprisingly, our long standing problem of inefficiency stems from the history of our country. After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the creation of good system of governance was prioritized. The government had to transform various institutions from poorly set up administrative units into more ones making sure that good customer services was provided . The first batch of transformation was the privatization of public institutions including most of the banks. The Government of Rwanda must have thought this would help in a number of things including solving the problem of poor service delivery but this has remained a continuous problem,This has made me ask myself a number of questions that remain unanswered: Why can’t bank managers put up a system that will always be admired by investors and any other client in general? Can’t our Central Bank make a follow up on the banks with sluggish services? This I mean the more time you spend at the bank seated, the less time you have to do productive work. What we need is to see whether the already established ones are meeting the requirements of modern banking system. I would like to give very good examples from my own experience and let me hope that banks will not think that am tarnishing them but rather, my aim is to find how we can produce a solution to this consistent problem of poor services. You go to the bank, fill the deposit forms or put your check on the counter and then go back and sit. You will think every one will be served in order, but only to find some one who comes after you is served first probably because that person is a relative, a friend or a famous businessman. As you wait there another person goes to the counter and shakes hands with the bank teller, they laugh and talk for a long time and service stops. The President has always reiterated that he is tired of reminding people what to do; a number of conferences have been held by Rwanda Development Board and more emphasis has been put on customer care services but to my surprise very few people are ready to change. I propose that there be a daily check up of these services not only in banks but also in other institutions. Banks should wake up and fulfill their obligations towards their clients. I also appeal to every citizen to come up and always challenge these vices that have become a normal practice. karuhangad@yahoo.com