MBABANE – Eswatini is set to introduce a National Customer Service Index to measure service delivery standards and help businesses identify areas requiring improvement.
Dr Oliver Museka announced the planned introduction of the index during the 11th Customer Experience Awards held November 6, 2026 at Happy Valley in Ezulwini, where he outlined efforts to strengthen customer experience and service delivery across the country.
The index will be built using data gathered through the customer experience awards research process, adding to existing initiatives aimed at improving customer service standards.
Museka said the Customer Experience Awards had grown over the past 11 years from a recognition event into a broader initiative comprising the National Customer Service Week, an annual customer experience conference, professional training and certification.
The proposed index is expected to provide another platform for assessing how organisations serve their customers and identifying areas where improvements are needed.
The awards process involves public nominations, followed by independent research to assess the nominated organisations. Four finalists are selected in each category, with nominees receiving reports highlighting their strengths and areas requiring improvement.
Museka acknowledged the contribution of research partner Applied Research Solutions, which handled the verification of nominations, data cleaning and preparation of detailed reports used in determining the winners.
Students from the Institute of Development Management (IDM) also supported the research through mystery-shopping data collection conducted across the country.
He said customer experience should not be regarded as a luxury but as an economic driver, particularly because services account for more than half of the country’s national output.
According to Museka, businesses that provide good customer experiences stand a better chance of retaining customers, securing repeat business and attracting referrals.
He also linked improved service delivery to business growth, job protection, investor confidence and tourism.
The announcement comes as businesses are being encouraged to move beyond traditional customer service approaches and make customer experience part of their overall organisational strategies.
During the customer experience conference, Dr Museka and other speakers highlighted the importance of anticipating customer needs, identifying potential service failures and addressing recurring complaints.
Another presentation emphasised that customer experience should not be left to frontline employees alone, but should involve everyone in an organisation, from leadership to support staff.
The argument was that internal systems, management decisions and employee experiences ultimately influence the service customers receive.
Museka also acknowledged the participation of regional customer experience practitioners from countries including Zambia and South Africa, saying partnerships across the continent were important in raising service standards.
He invited customer experience practitioners and organisations to join the Customer Experience Professionals (ECxP), participate in training programmes and enter future awards.
The 11th Customer Experience Awards marked the culmination of the annual customer service activities held under the theme of going the extra mile.
