The Christian Business Network, previously known as the Christian Business Breakfast, recently held its first informative session following its name change.

Held on October 9 at New Life Church, the event brought together numerous business leaders who witnessed the launch of a new era for the organisation.

Louis Maré from the network explained that the name change brings many developments and improvements, as they plan to place a greater emphasis on sharing information and uplifting one another as Christian business people.

“We don’t want to make breakfast the main focus anymore; we want to make knowledge-sharing the main priority,” said Maré. “We want people to leave having learned something new. ”

The event featured keynote speaker Monica João, who presented on customer service under the theme ‘Every Interaction Counts’.

João said customer service is not just what people do for customers, but also how they communicate, collaborate, and make people feel, both inside and outside the business.

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“People may forget exactly what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel,” she said.

She identified internal customers as colleagues who rely on one’s work to do theirs, and external customers as those outside the business.

She encouraged respect for people’s time, clear communication, and taking responsibility for commitments made.

The speaker also introduced the five Cs of communication: clear, concise, courteous, complete, and correct, and stressed the importance of listening to understand, rather than just to respond.

On the topic of attitude and body language, Joao warned against closed signals like crossed arms and eye rolling, and encouraged an open posture, eye contact, and a calm tone when engaging with customers.

“Remember, body language should always be considered in context. Culture, personality, and disability can all affect how people communicate,” she said.

Joao also touched on telephone etiquette, noting, “Your voice is your handshake.”

She urged business representatives to answer promptly, greet professionally, and confirm next steps. She also advised replacing ‘I don’t know’ with ‘Let me find out for you’.

The speaker closed by reminding attendees that “customers experience our company through us.” Therefore, staff must always behave professionally before a customer requests it and make sure to listen attentively before responding.

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— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) October 14, 2026

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