Zim gears for Customer Services Week

National Customer Services Week.
The event will be held from October 1 to 5. Zimbabwe’s National Customer Services Week, which was inaugurated last year, is an offshoot of the International Customer Service Week.
Speaking on behalf of association, patron Mr Herbert Nkala, the organisation’s board member Mr Dave Emberton said they were expecting greater participation by companies from last year.
“Even though it was a new concept over 30 organisations participated in the 2011 Customer Service Week, however, we have no doubt that this year’s event will draw over 100 organisations from all economic sectors,” he said.
“The week will serve as a platform for business to appreciate loyal customers as well as developing and fostering a culture of service excellence within our country as a preferred global tourist destination.”
National Customer Service Week is an extension of the International Customer Service Week, which was initiated by the International Customer Service Association in 1988.
The event is normally celebrated within the first full week of October and has become a global week to celebrate and promote customer service excellence and to appreciate the role of customers in business growth and sustainability. In respect of the week, the organisers said the first three days would see organisations holding a diverse range of in-house programmes.
Day four is earmarked for the Customer Service Week Brand Expo and on day five there will be a customer service dinner and service excellence awards gala. Mr Emberton said this year’s event would be devoted to rewarding employees and corporates that have implemented effective customer service strategies.
“The awards will support and nurture a culture of service excellence in Zimbabwean companies and provide a dynamic opportunity to generate a stronger commitment to service excellence.”
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority head of public relations, events and protocol Mr Sugar Chagonda said his organisation was in support of the initiative, but urged the organisers to take a broader multi-sectoral approach.
“We are very much concerned with the issue of customer care in the country due to the interface nature of the tourism sector.
“But there is need for the customer service strategy to take a multi-sectoral approach, because, for example, when international tourists visit the country they tend to engage with a diversity of players from which they formulate a general perception of the country,” he said.
According to the McKinsey Global Institute, Africa’s population is set to rise by over 50 percent by 2030, with the continent’s top 18 cities to have a combined spending power of US$1,3 trillion, which highlights the growing need for sustainable competitive advantage.
Zimbabwe, however, continues to lag behind in terms of effective customer service strategies.
CCZ executive director Ms Rosemary Siyachitema said the country is very much in need of a Consumer Protection Law as local consumers presently have no effective form of recourse for mistreatment by these companies.