[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) hosted a Customer Service Seminar on Tuesday, October 15, at the Pegasus Hotel which targeted the private sector and other interested stakeholders.
Senior Vice President of the GCCI, Mr. Lance Hinds in his opening remarks said the Chamber believes that customer service is probably one of the most critical, cross cutting issues affecting the local sales and services sector.
He further noted that every day the business environment is changing and evolving.
“There are more products, more options in terms of price, wider choices. The services sector has been expanding significantly in recent years. This means increased competition for the customer’s attention and their spending power. Rest assured we are quickly getting to a stage, if we are there already, where the difference, success and survival of our businesses will be driven primarily by the level of care, attention and technical support we provide to our customers.”
Mr. Hinds alluded that the private sector has to develop structured approaches to address weaknesses and challenges in this critical component of business.
Ms. Joycelyn Williams, International Development Consultant, JTW & Associates Management Institute Inc., delivered a presentation targeting “The Imperative of Customer Service Improvement in Guyana’s Growing Services Sector,” alluding to the transformation of Guyana’s economy from one that focused on goods to one where services are now firmly in ascendancy.
Additionally, Mr. Rawle Dundas, Director of Professional Development Enterprise, targeted The Customer Experience, a presentation that sought to clearly distinguish between provision of ordinary customer service and exceptional customer service, the “WOW Factor,” as he puts it.
Mr. Dundas challenged businesses to build customer relationships as opposed to one time transactions.
Furthermore, Mr. Komal Singh, Director of Gaico Contruction Inc, presented on the “Relationship between the Internal and External Customer,” an arrangement which seeks to ensure that employees of a company are appropriately treated and incentivized so that they can then be motivated to provide excellent customer service to the public.
Mr. David Falconer, Manager, Creditinfo Guyana Inc. raised awareness on the establishment of the Credit Bureau in Guyana and the benefits of a credit report in allowing more informed decisions to be made by relevant stakeholders.
He also advised that customers are entitled to a free credit report once every twelve months.
The seminar was chaired by Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, Chairman, Roop Group Inc., who shared the notion of the speakers that there is definitely a need for improvement in Guyana’s service sector with regards to the treatment of customers.
