The 7 C's for Improving Technical Service Delivery to Microfinance Institutions
This Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network guide shares lessons on technical service delivery learned by members of the SEEP Technical Assistance Working Group and their MFI partners.The guide focuses on improving the process by which MFIs acquire technical services to expand their outreach and sustainability. Technical service, as used in the guide, refers to specialized expertise that is external to an MFI which is used either to help establish a new institution or enable an existing institution to achieve certain goals. Specific technical services for MFIs include assistance in governance, staff development, financial and non-financial products, systems, and funding. The guide presents seven principles (the 7 Cs) for implementing a client-driven process. They are:
- Client demand driven;
- Context;
- Clearly defined results;
- Checkability;
- Focus on Change;
- Cost effectiveness;
- Accountability.
The guide provides a detailed discussion of each principle, followed by case studies which illustrate how MFIs have applied the principle in practice. Most case studies illustrate several of the 7Cs simultaneously, although they have been selected to demonstrate specific principles.
