The Service Magazine

About The ServiceMag
The Service Magazine, also known as ServiceMag is a business magazine that started three years ago with a focus on customer service in Rwanda. Today (January 2013), it has grown beyond its first mandate of educating and sensitizing service providers on customer service to become a fully fledged business magazine. The ServiceMag has become the most sought after magazine both in public and private organizations in Rwanda.
Maintaining a high quality both in print, content and design, it has attracted a great readership from all across the East African Community (EAC) region and further afield. It is for this reason that The ServiceMag will soon go regional with a target of educating young entrepreneurs and SMEs on sustaining and growing their businesses.
Background: Customer Service and SMEs in East Africa
SMEs are important to all economies in the world, but especially to EAC markets. In most EAC countries, SMEs are operating in the service, trade, agri-business and manufacturing sectors. While some are dynamic, innovative, and growth-oriented, many lack professional knowledge on issues that can help them boost and sustain their business. They are limited in management capability and cannot always afford support services such as finances, legal, customer service, Marketing, Human Resources trainings.
Rwanda has a well documented history which it moves away from every day. Its economy is significantly supported by external donor funding and while it has little to offer in terms of high value commodity exports, it aspires to be the IT hub of the region and maximise on tourism. Critical to success is customer service which is strongly supported by the Government of Rwanda (Rwanda Development Board-RDB) in their Na Yombi campaign.
President Paul Kagame signalled his belief that this is a serious problem that urgently needs to be addressed. In his remarks at the reception of the diplomatic corps, on 23rd January 2009, he said:
“Customer service remains highly problematic in private, public and civil society domains, something that is most certainly going to preoccupy us in the coming days, months and years. We can no longer accept a culture of mediocrity either from Rwandan business and government institutions that give poor services, or Rwandan customers who quietly accept substandard ‘customer care’, if I can call it that.”
Vision 2020 says If customer service were to improve significantly, it could increase the Rwandan Gross Domestic Profit (GDP), by as much as $40 million a year by 2012.
Objectives of The ServiceMag
*Developing SMEs is a priority in all the EAC countries. A research authority has shown that the region’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could increase tremendously if SMES are given the right tools to sustain their businesses. This is a fact but unfortunately, many young entrepreneurs and SMEs cannot afford to offer the necessary business training to their staff;
*If SMEs could improve on their systems, offer competitive products and services, treat their employees better etc.., they will see a real positive impact on their bottom line. Professional management trainings are therefore a requisite for small business owners;
*It is for all the above reasons that SMEs and young entrepreneurs need to be sensitized because a change of attitude goes with a lot of education. It is with the above in mind that The ServiceMag was founded in Rwanda but with time, the magazine needs to expand to the rest of the EAC countries.
Why SMEs and Entrepreneurs?
The role of the ServiceMag is to promote the development of SMEs in the East African Community by maximizing the opportunities through educational hand-on articles. If SMEs are given the right tools to manage their businesses properly, they would:
*Become the engines of growth in our countries;
*Become essential elements for competitive and efficient markets;
*Create a platform for the promotion of the regional integration agenda;
*Promote best practices among SMEs in the East African Community ;
*Achieve long-term and sustainable business growth;
*Contribute to poverty reduction as they provide employment.
Through business support and educational articles, The ServiceMag will build a pool of East African entrepreneurs who will foster greater business innovation and development thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the East African region as a whole.

Why Go East African?
*The East African Community (EAC) comprises five East African countries; Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The EAC is a potential precursor to the establishment of the East African Federation, a proposed federation of its five members into a single state. In 2010, the EAC launched its own common market for goods, labour and capital within the region, with the goal of a common currency by 2012 and full political federation in 2015;
*The East African region covers an area of 1.8 million square kilometers with a combined population of about 132 million (July 2009 est.) and has significant natural resources;
*The most prevalent languages of East Africa are Swahili, English, Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, although French is also common in Burundi and Rwanda;
*The EAC is becoming one country. Companies like KCB, Equity and Nakumatt are already established in all the countries and the magazine will serve as an integration tool. Readers can use lessons from the different countries to educate the fellow members etc.
Why Promote Good Business Practice in East Africa?
TSM ultimately aims to contribute to educating and sensitizing business owners, especially young entrepreneurs and SMEs to be more competitive by offering good customer service.
Human capital is an essential part in growing one’s business. Education plays an important role in the progress of an individual’s mind, country and in the case of East Africa, the region as a whole. Offering educational articles will reduce ignorance among business owners.
Description of the Magazine
*The Service Magazine is educational and of inspirational nature;
*It aims at impacting SMES with resourceful articles that will help them become more professional;
*It is a 15.000 copy print and online free, quarterly magazine;
*It seeks to build employees’ skills and competencies especially those in the service industry;
*The articles are very practical and the resources focus on Attitudes, Behavior and Skills;
*The current magazine is in English with specific features in French and Kinyarwanda but as we expand to region, we will focus on English, French and Kiswahili;
*It is a fun, colorful and a valuable resource for any person and organization willing to establish international standards especially in dealing with customers and employees.
Target Market
Our readers are SMEs, managers; business owners; CEO’s; Business Executives, Sales and Marketing Managers, Human Resources Managers and everyone in the private and public sectors. They range from the taxi driver, to waiters, hospital , bank, and government ministries staff.
Distribution of the Magazine
Currently, the magazine is distributed in all leading hotels; small shop owners, restaurants, banks; public institutions, Embassies; travel agencies, airlines, and in Kigali and upcountry in Rwanda. But with an EAC magazine, we will cover all the 5 EAC countries.
The ServiceMag is also on a dynamic website (www.theservicemag.com)and readers may read the magazine online. This attracts a growing audience.
Our Team
The ServiceMag team of contributors; writers, photographers, cartoonists, designers, art directors & editors are drawn from different nationalities. This makes the magazine a very open and international one. The quality of the content and the visual part of the design are our strongest points. We also have more than 70 contributors of 15 different nationalities. Writing, photography, lay out are of international standards. Paper and print quality is never compromised.
:Publisher - Sandra Idossou
:Managing Editor - Mimi Franck
:English Editors - David Kezio Musoke; Aryantungyisa Otiti
:Kinyarwanda Editor - Gaspard Habarurema
:French Editor - Diana Ramarohetra
:Marketing Consultants - Bea Umwiza; Eva Gera
:Marketing Assistant - Carmen Akineza
:ServiceMag Online Editor - Simon Corden
:Photographers - Timothy Kisambira
:Cartoonist - Ndarama Assoumani
Magazine Topics
*Customer Service
*Sales & Marketing
*Human Resources
*Legal Advice
*Profiles/Interviews
*Women Entrepreneurs
*Where We Have Been
*Travel Reviews
*Have Your Say
*Book Reviews
*Tax Issues
*For You Manager
*Your Well-being Matters
*At Your Service

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