BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MBABANE – From vegetable combos to mobile phones and labour disputes.
No consumer related topics were left uncovered in this year’s Celebrate Service Webinar. The webinar was hosted by the Eswatini Competition Commission to commemorate Customer Service Week under the theme of ‘‘Navigating Emerging Consumer Complaints in the New Normal’.
The webinar was hosted at the Hilton Garden Inn with the help of the Ombudsman of Financial Services Eswatini.
Muzi Dlamini, CEO of Eswatini Competition Commission, opened the session by thanking all the stakeholders, and highlighting that Customer Service Week is a time to appreciate customers as well as the people who service them on a daily basis.
“The Customer Service Week offers the Commission and its partners an opportunity to provide our stakeholders with an update on some of the measures that have been taken to ensure customer satisfaction by the respective institutions who are participating in this webinar today,” said Dlamini.
“The webinar also provides a platform to engage and educate consumers, businesses and other related stakeholders on consumer rights. The Commission as well as the Ombudsman of Financial Services together with our partner organisations in the commitment to continuously improve alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and in celebration of Customer Service Week, have once again joined efforts to host this second webinar panel discussion,” added Dlamini.
Dlamini also added that all the organisations which were represented at the webinar discussion were at the forefront of customer service, as well as dispute resolutions. The Eswatini Competition Commission provides the space for customers who have been treated unfairly.
Speaking on customer complaints and dispute resolution, Ombudsman of Financial Services Eswatini remarked that the day is important in reminding everyone that customers deserve high standards.
“To echo Dlamini’s words, as we are all here, we have customers in one way or another. What we do should be well received by people. It is very important to fully respect these customers,” sad the Ombudsman.
The New Normal in Work and Schools
The panelists discussed on the topic of ‘Navigating Emerging Consumer Complaints in the New Normal’, before engaging with questions from the participants. Speaking during the panel discussions, Manager of Consumer Protection at Eswatini Competition Commission Linda Dlamini noted Eswatini was experiencing a lot of pressures based on global development trends additional to the unprecedented demands of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a result, businesses and consumers alike are now living in a challenging and transformative climate. It has indeed affected all sectors of economic activity in the Kingdom of Eswatini and across the world. The industrialised world and developing countries have been equally affected – in particular, the way we study and work,” said Dlamini.
He noted the customer and service provider relationship between schools and learners’ parents were particularly challenged in the new normal. He mentioned that schools pressured, if not compelled, parents to purchase mobile communication devices for their students to enhance learning. He mentioned that one issue there was when schools signed exclusive deals to procure devices from specific suppliers without consulting with the parent if they can afford it.
During the panel discussion, Dlamini also noted that there has been a significant increase in e-commerce. He mentioned that the issue with this was the increase in digital scammers, which forced a lot of businesses to fortify their online customer engagement and transaction channels.
Dlamini concluded his presentation by emphasizing that the Eswatini Competitions Commission is always positioning itself to ensure that there is fairness in the country’s economy. He revealed that the Board of the ECC has recently approved a strategy which seeks to decentralise the commission’s services from urban areas.
In the plethora of topics which were touched upon, Raymond Masimula, who is a Case Manager at the Central Bank of Eswatini, focused on customer satisfaction and dispute resolution when it comes to financial services. He revealed that the CBE has a memorandum of understanding with the Ombudsman of Financial Services, which helps them deal with non-bank related financial disputes.
Other organisations which were represented at the webinar include the Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration Commission (CMAC), Eswatini Standards Authority (SWASA), the Institute of Research Management and Development (IRDM), and the Eswatini Financial Services Regulatory Authority (EFSRA).
Customer Service Week is celebrated annually during the first full week in October when customer-oriented organizations and institutions around the world recognize the importance of customer service excellence to their organizations.
The full webinar is accessible on the Eswatini Competition Commission’s official Facebook and YouTube channels.
