Arusha — Nomad was the first local enterprise to win a top international service award this year. Seven more local service companies received international service awards recently. It is an opportunity for residents of Arusha to refer to the successes at their doorsteps to improve their own customer service practices.

The Indaba awarded the Nomad a top prize for its proficiency in providing services. Indaba is a South African International Trade Fair and Nomad is a local tourism company.

On a similar note, the Guardian recently published a report that seven local hotels and resorts in Tanzania are among the top 20 luxury facilities in Africa and Middle East. The Guardian named the facilities as Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater lodge, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge and Zanzibar Serena Inn. Readers of the Travel + Leisure Magazine selected the winning lodges and resorts. The Magazine conducts the competition under its "World's Best Awards' Programme. The Magazine has wide circulation internationally.

Residents of Arusha can note that all the winning enterprises except Zanzibar Serena Inn are in Arusha or neigbouring regions. Therefore, the residents can easily visit the lodges to learn a thing or two as regards hospitality and customer service at its best.

Residents of Arusha can choose to visit the nearby Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge for convenience. First, visitors can note that it is possible to invest on the environment rather than structures and compete effectively against the best in the service industry. It means that it is not always necessary to invest heavily on physical structures like concrete buildings in order to operate service businesses successfully.

Second, visitors will appreciate that management of Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge values the environment. The management has set up an environmental department and has employed qualified personnel from universities and other colleges to manage environment-related activities at the lodge.

Meanwhile, management of the lodge has resisted introduction of foreign or rather exotic plants in the area. Exotic plants can become invasive and replace unique indigenous plants in the area that are in danger of extinction.

Management has constructed a plant that removes salts. The water is used to irrigate the vegetable garden for the lodge. Salty water destroys productivity of the soil if used for irrigation. Salty water inhibits growth of plants which are not adapted to salty conditions.

Workers at the vegetable garden practice organic farming. They do not use chemicals to fertilize or to spray vegetables. Instead, they use cow or compost manure as fertilizer. They use extracts from medicinal plants as insecticides or insect repellants. The gardeners use mostly extracts from a tree called Neem or Muarobaini in Kiswahili as an insecticide. There are many plants in Tanzania that can be used as insect repellents.

Visitors can observe a waste processing center behind the Lodge premises. The center comprises a sorting and packing section where waste is separated into various categories depending on the physical and chemical characteristics of the waste. Waste is categorized as organic, paper and metal. Waste is also categorized as glass or plastics. The waste is then packed in bags for processing.

Organic waste is processed and used as compost manure for a garden at the lodge. Paper is burnt in a special facility called incinerator. The incinerator does not emit gases that destroy the environment.

Metal, glass, used batteries and plastics are transported to Arusha dumpsite for proper processing. Management of the lodge uses other methods to process waste such as used oils and sewage. Management prohibits burying of waste in the ground.

By the way one of the criteria for selecting the winners was location to reflect aesthetics or view of the site where the facility is located. So, many of the service champions in Arusha City would score less in view of such criterion. But there are actually enterprises in town which can win service prizes in their own categories.

The Restaurant at the Arusha Naaz Hotel is an example of a customer service champion in the City. Another enterprise is the Africafe. Both eating places are tidy and their product standards are high. In addition, the taste and sizes of the products like chapatti, samosas, kabab and masala tea at Naaz are standardized. Products are even more standardized at the Africafe.

Waiters and waitresses at both eating places are alert to provide services as soon as a customer enters the premises. It is self service at the Naaz. But the attendants can also provide to clients who prefer to be served.

Attendants prepare clients' bills timely and clean the tables soon after clients leave.

Bites are packed quickly and proficiently at Naaz as take away for customers. More importantly, both Naaz and Africafe use recyclable and eco-friendly materials like paper rather than plastic bags to wrap bites.

Proficient customer service is an essential aspect of business in all enterprises. Residents of Arusha now have the luxury to witness the art of service providing at their doorsteps in Arusha, at Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, Naaz and Africafe restaurants.