Second Customer Service Awards opened

The second edition of the Customer Service Management Africa (CSMA) Awards and Conference was officially opened earlier this week by the Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration, Hon. Minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana and Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Dr. Becky Ndjoze-Ojo.

In her keynote address, Dr. Becky Ndjoze-Ojo focused on Vision 2030 objectives, particularly on creating highly productive human resources and institutions, and achieving efficient and effective delivery of customer-focused services which are competitive not only nationally, but also regionally and internationally.
She said,“It is critical that we align our human resources’ output to our national plans and the needs of our economic sectors.
This responsibility must lie with all the stakeholders within the Namibian education sector.”
The two day conference under the theme ‘Expecting Better: Delivering More’, which is organized by the Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business in partnership with Conference Link, reflects a growing movement on the continent that aims to bridge the gap between suppliers and consumers. Whereas organisations and producers should deliver more than average, customers also should learn to expect better from suppliers for there to be any meaningful change.
In this way the Customer Service Movement intends to make social change by transforming basic service delivery.
Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana named as an example, the turnaround strategy that was implemented at her Ministry over the past two years.
She said,“The turnaround strategy is working and has indeed yielded tangible results across our offices countrywide. We can now say with confidence that the strategy has turned our operations into greater efficiency at every level with faster turnaround times, more effective systems, shorter queues, efficient offices and improved customer service.”
Prof. Grafton Whyte of the Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business said, “We are pleased by the responsiveness of the public sector this year. Their support is essential in creating a catalyst for change.”