The government is planning to launch another nationwide campaign to promote customer care and service delivery. It will be the second time in three years the country will have embarked on a major sensitization programme designed to give Rwanda a competitive edge in service delivery.

Poor customer service has been an issue for long. From urban areas to the remotest parts, citizens continue to complain about poor customer service.

Nonetheless, to understand the magnitude of the problem and the progress made, one needs to look back in mid and late 1990s when shops would shut down as soon as it clocked noon - lunchtime.

Today, while only a handful of stores and boutiques are making good use of the 24/7 business policy, many businesses have improved their customer service, albeit sluggishly.

Improving customer care should not be something complicated. Something as small as wearing a smile while providing a service or timely communication in case of delays in service delivery can make a huge difference.

In the public sector, service delivery has greatly improved, mainly as a result of strict leadership and close supervision.

The battle against poor customer service cannot be won without the participation of everyone, including the clients, service providers and business owners. A culture of poor customer service affects everyone because even those who give a poor service will be on the receiving end at one point.

Financially, poor customer service drives away clients. At the macro level, a study conducted about three years ago by the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research, indicated that Rwanda was losing as much as US$40 million annually to poor customer care. This is a cost you just can't keep incurring.