"Earlier this year, the Corporation resolved to outsource its maintenance services and establish a customer call centre (in order) to improve customer service within the Corporation," Motswaiso said.

"Maintenance of our properties around the country is now undertaken by private companies. Maintenance reports and queries are now channelled through our call centre."
The BHC also wanted to expose its functional departments to customers to help them understand their respective roles as well as promote and project the friendly and homely nature of the BHC and its employees.

Motswaiso asserted that the theme of the event was about reaffirming the BHC's commitment to improving service in all aspects of its business.

"It also challenges us, as the Corporation, to provide quality service to our customers and stakeholders at all times," he said. "Good customer service is no longer enough, it has to be superior and beyond expectations."

To that end, the BHC has established a Customer Care Division for all customer- related matters and the management of the call centre, as well as for ensuring that customers are assisted satisfactorily.

"We do however appreciate that there are incidences where customers cannot be attended to as promptly as possible," Motswaiso continued, "in part due to the fact that we have experienced some teething problems in the implementation of some of the initiatives that I have just mentioned."

The Corporation is currently developing a customer care strategy, which will assist it in identifying customer needs, develop the right products and services, measure customer service on a regular basis, develop internal systems, as well as help identify training gaps within staff.

"By adopting new values of excellence, innovation, teamwork, transparency and social responsibility, we had the needs of our customers at the back of our minds, and we wanted to inculcate a culture of customer focus in the BHC family," Motswaiso added.