Africa-Press – Rwanda. It’s that time of the year again, balloons inflated, branded T-shirts ironed, hashtags pre-scheduled. “Happy Customer Service Week!” fills our timelines as companies pull out their best smiles for the camera. Teams take group photos, managers hand out cupcakes, and LinkedIn glows with posts about how customers are our heartbeat!
And yes, I post too. No judgment here.
But let’s be honest: once the cupcakes are eaten and the confetti settles, what really happens? Do we continue to live by the words we post? Or do we return quietly to business as usual; long queues, unanswered calls, and “please hold” loops that test even the most patient among us?
Customer Service Week has become a bit like an anniversary in a relationship. You dress up, say the right words, take each other out, maybe even buy roses. But the rest of the year, communication fades, small misunderstandings grow, and before long, both sides start feeling taken for granted.
This year’s theme: Mission Possible, sounds exciting. But what exactly is the mission? To celebrate, post, and perform for a week? Or to actually build a culture that makes great service possible every single day?
If you remember last year’s theme, Above and Beyond, ask yourself: did we truly go above and beyond, or just for that week? Because true customer experience isn’t a campaign, it’s a relationship. It requires work, understanding, and compromise. It needs daily effort, not annual gestures.
I’ll admit, I also take advantage of Customer Service Week. Some companies offer free consultations, and believe me, I’m the first to sign up! But here’s the funny thing: once the week is over, trying to reach some of those same companies becomes, well, Mission Impossible. Calls go unanswered, emails disappear into silence, and the warmth from the week before vanishes faster than a helium balloon.
That’s the irony of Customer Service Week. We meet customers where they are, listen better, respond faster — but often only because the cameras are rolling. What if we did all that without an audience?
Because when the campaign ends, the real test begins. Just like any long-term relationship, the excitement of early days must evolve into commitment. Great service is not about perfection; it’s about consistency. It’s about showing up even when it’s not easy, communicating openly, and fixing what’s broken instead of pretending everything’s fine.
Strong relationships, whether personal or professional thrive on regular check-ins, learning, and compromise. They require curiosity, humility, and the willingness to adapt. You learn what the other person values, what frustrates them, and what makes them feel seen. The same is true in business: when we listen to our customers, when we act on what we learn, when we make time to check in rather than only reach out when we need something, we build trust. And trust, like love, grows in small, consistent gestures not grand one-time performances.
Sometimes, like in any relationship, you need a counsellor and in business, that means trainers, coaches, and consultants who help you work through service challenges. For a company to celebrate 20 or 30 years of success, it takes work: learning your customers’ needs, listening with empathy, and showing you care even when no one’s watching.
So, here’s a thought: what if Customer Service Week was less about what we post and more about what we promise? What if we used this week to check the health of our service relationships to ask real questions like: Are we listening more than we talk? Do our customers feel heard or handled? Are we as committed on the quiet days as we are during celebrations?
Because here’s the truth: customers today have options. Even in smaller markets like Kigali, people are more vocal, more informed, and far less patient. They can switch brands with a single tap. Treating them as “by the way” clients simply because they don’t have many options is a dangerous mindset. The moment competition grows, those neglected customers will remember how you made them feel and they’ll walk.
So, yes, this week we’ll all post our banners, thank our customers, and smile for the world. But when the noise fades, the roses wilt, and the hashtags stop trending, what will remain? Will we still be the partner who listens, learns, and grows? Or will we slip back into old habits, waiting for the next anniversary to show we care?
Let’s treat Customer Service Week like a renewal of vows, not a public performance. Let’s keep the romance alive the consistent effort, the genuine curiosity, the daily check-ins that say, I’m still here, and I still care.
Customers don’t just remember the week you celebrated them; they remember how you treated them the other 51 weeks of the year.
This Customer Service Week, go ahead and celebrate, post, and toast. But when Monday comes and the decorations are packed away, remember, great service is not a one-week affair. It’s a lifelong relationship that takes work, patience, and heart, because in the end, it’s not the hashtags that build loyalty, it’s the habits.
Happy Customer Service Week!
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