27 Sep 2015

Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) has launched a customer service charter that aims at meeting customer needs through timely and efficient services.

Speaking at the launch and signing of the charter in Gaborone recently, BHC chief executive officer, Mr Reginald Motswaiso, said the charter would ensure consistent level of customer service across all departments.

“The charter reaffirms our promise to deal with queries and enquiries promptly and efficiently while demonstrating their commitment to offering the best service to customers.

It also serves as a social contract with our customers and the public at large,” he said. In the recent past, he said they undertook initiatives aimed at improving the quality of service.

“Some of you may recall that in 2010, the corporation established a customer care not for all customer related matters and ensuing that customers are assisted effectively and efficiently,” he added.

Improving customer service, he said, involved making a commitment to learning  customers’ needs and wants as well as identifying customer service delivery areas throughout the corporation’s value chain, developing and implementing customer friendly processes that met and exceeded customer expectations and developing and committing to well defined service delivery turnaround times.

“To complete the customer service value chain, we commit to regularly and on predefined dates, review and measure the corporation’s customer satisfaction index,” he said.

He also reaffirmed their employees’ commitment in considering customer service standards. “We therefore commit ourselves to service excellence, courtesy and consideration, openness and impartiality, continuous performance improvement, accessibility and proactive communication and consultation,” he added.

Speaking about the corporation’s customer expectations and organisational efficiency, consumer watchdog spokesperson, Ms Kate Harriman said their mission was to educate consumers on their rights and responsibilities.

Ms Harriman said recently, organisations had disempowered consumers and as such it was important for consumers to know their rights, hence the saying “knowledge is power.”

She defined customer service as a partnership between service providers because they both bore certain level of responsibility. “Today, launching of BHC customer care charter, the corporation is not just making free commitments, but 47 commitments to its customers about what they can expect.
I would like to congratulate BHC for empowering their customers with knowledge and giving them the power to better customer service,” she said. ENDS