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Monday October 12, 2009

Is the Govt delivery system faster than the private sector?

MONDAY STARTERS
By SOO EWE JIN


TAN Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon revealed last week that 40% of the 11,000 complaints received monthly by the Public Complaints Bureau, ministries and government agencies was through e-mail and SMS.

And he rightfully surmised that the response time must also be shorter.

“People can now make complaints instantaneously. This means the time to react, respond and find solutions must also be shorter because clients’ expectations have increased,” he said.

It would be interesting to know how many people bothered to write in to express their appreciation because the delivery system in many government agencies has improved tremendously over the years.

For example, there are currently four passports in my house that have recently expired but I am not the least anxious about renewing them because the procedure is so fast and simple these days.

My friend in the printing business laments that clients are now taking forever to make payment, citing the economic situation as an excuse.

In contrast, the Government, having put the payment system into place, is now an efficient paymaster.

I am sure if there is a minister designated to monitor complaints about private hospitals, banks, car companies, housing developers, telcos, etc, the numbers would tell an interesting story.

When we talk about the delivery system and efficient service, we do not seem to hold the private sector as accountable.

Many of us like to say that we are taxpayers so we deserve nothing but the best service from our Government.

But we barely raise a whimper when the car salesman fails to deliver on time or when the credit card company imposes a penalty charge just because our payment reaches them one day late.

Well, some of us do, but seriously, how many of us believe that a complaint to a private company’s helpline – by phone, email or SMS – will be attended to promptly, if at all?

Actually, I am not the complaining type, preferring to dish out bouquets instead of brickbats.

Even then, I find that because people generally don’t care to respond, many of my compliments also go to waste.

Let’s face it. How many of you believe that an email sent to a generic address like info@website, enquiry@website or feedback@website will be attended to promptly? Or, for that matter, an SMS to a generic SMS service number?

Dr Koh said the people expect “firm, fair, friendly and fast service” from the Government. Are we not entitled to the same standards from private concerns as well?

Here’s an interesting story to share.

Sometime in June, I ordered a DVD and 2 CDs from Amazon UK.

The package did not arrive within 8 to 10 days as it usually does and I lodged an online report.

I was told to wait for another week and if the package did not arrive, they would send me a replacement, at no extra cost. And so they did.

Last Tuesday, the long-lost package arrived, after being lost for nearly four months.

I reported to Amazon and within the hour, they replied to say it would be too cumbersome and expensive for me to send back the package. I offered to pay but they told me to keep the goods as a token of their appreciation.

That being the case, I told them I would sell off the DVD and CDs and donate the sum to charity. They responded immediately and said thanks.

Koh is right to say that if people still care enough to complain, we must act fast enough to show that we are serious in attending to what they have to say.

If I did not have confidence in the Amazon customer service department, I probably would not have bothered to even tell them that the missing package had arrived.

A good system will always encourage people to do right and be right.

A compromised system is what leads to people taking short cuts and offering bribes. Think about that.

Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin is happy to give the proceeds to a bunch of dedicated teachers serving in a centre for children with learning disabilities, to have a special lunch.

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