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This follows a new trend in which companies on the continent and globally are increasingly taking on a regional focus.
The DPM was speaking during the Government, Local Authorities and Business Customer Service Conference in Harare last week.
“Companies with a regional vision and strategy will be better competitive because the future of the African state is moving towards greater regional and continental integration.
“This allows them to have regional attractiveness and competitiveness. Companies should take advantage of regional communities such as the Southern African Development Community, Common Market for Eastern and Southern African and Ecowas,” he said.
DPM Mutambara cited examples of countries in Southern Africa that succeeded in adopting a regional focus, namely SABMiller, HSBC, EcoBank, Standard Bank, Econet Wireless and MTN.
“Beating competition within the confines of the existing industry is not the way to create profitable growth,” he said.
Customer satisfaction and loyalty are largely seen as essential for survival and growth of businesses, hence adopting a regional focus can help a business’ long-term viability and sustainability.
The Government, Local Authorities and Business Customer Service Conference ran under the theme “Bridging the Gap: Proven Commercial Practices for Helping
Organisations to Deliver Services Better, Faster, and at Lower Cost”.
Participants discussed topical issues of service delivery such as focus on streamlining service delivery, improving customer service.
The aim was to establish a profound knowledge of proven strategies that can potentially change the future of customer care service delivery in the country.
The DPM also urged Zimbabwean firms to harness new information communication technologies to improve customer service delivery in line with Government’s goal of enhancing the competitiveness of the local services sector.
He said this should also apply to Government departments and local authorities.
“Consumer services industry is fast emerging as the future of global business. For Africa, the consumer-facing industries will account for at least half of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product.
“This, therefore, means we need to leverage on ICTs in order to improve on the competitiveness of the local products,” DPM Mutambara said.
Customer management expert Mr Doug Leather said there was need for Zimbabwe to develop a “National Customer Service Framework”, which would act as a guide to the operations of the service sector.
“There is need for the country to adopt a holistic approach to customer management and come up with a framework which guides the operations of those involved in the consumer facing industries,” he said.
The service sector is increasingly becoming a significant contributor to the country’s economic growth as sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and mining continue to face capitalisation constraints.
The conference, which was the first of its kind, saw participants discussing Government and business organisations’ global competitiveness.
It laid emphasis on strategic approaches and forward-thinking ideas to ensure consistency in responsive customer service delivery.
Online Reporter