gilly@tstt.net.tt

Are you being served?

Good customer service is hard to find and this is a harsh reality that we are forced to accept. Standards are dropping nationwide and the benchmark for satisfactory service is being lowered on a daily basis.

At times, we are so desperate to get the required products or necessary information that we turn a blind eye and deaf ear to what is tantamount to customer abuse.

Just ask the foreigner who complained about being chastised when she simply asked an attendant for basic information. Talk to the average citizen who enters business premises expecting to be treated politely and instead is met with hostility.

Or walk into any store and be prepared to compete with a cellphone for the attention of the attendant. While TSTT and Digicel are engaged in battle, they have made cellular phones ridiculously affordable and easily accessible. But with hundreds of thousands of citizens owning cellphones, has there been an improvement in the delivery of service given by the once monopoly holder TSTT?

Clearly there is a total breakdown in the delivery of good service and the concern must be: how do we lift the bar so that customer service becomes a priority?

Over to Parliament

For the last year, parliamentarians have been accused of giving the worst service to the people. Allegations of impropriety and incompetence are rife and the legislative arm of the State is being held primarily accountable for all that is wrong in the country.

The sprinkling of members who are genuinely working to improve the image of politicians are slowly realising that their efforts, however commendable, are still insufficient to overcome the overall dim picture that parliamentarians are hopeless.

There are advertisements in the media reminding the 36 elected members of Parliament about their role to serve citizens—a role which has apparently been forgotten. Blame for the escalating crime rate has been placed squarely on their shoulders.

Little or no recognition is given to those members who either singularly or jointly have sought to make a difference. The sad part is that everyone is lumped together. This is unfair because innocent members are forced to accept liability for the negligent acts of this Government.

What a waste

A regime that squanders millions of dollars and lures people into a false sense of security that our economy can sustain the massive waste of state resources, could not reasonably believe that it is serving the people.

And those who encourage the obscene wastage of funds by this Government ought to be made to account, long before we pay the high economic price.

A parent or guardian who spares the rod to spoil the child is not serving the best interest of that child. In the same way, this Government that believes it can hoodwink people by allowing millions of dollars to flow freely throughout the country is setting the stage for an eventual financial disaster.

The social programmes established by this Government without the attendant checks and balances are nothing more than gravy trains that will one day run dry.

A dependency syndrome has been created and when our economy slides, as it must, there will be nowhere for the dependants to turn. The result would be a further increase in crime and lowering of the quality and standard of life for citizens.

We do not have to accept this kind of service from a government that is in a financial position to do and perform much better. But, if service is to be improved, then there must be a greater demand for change.

Feeling like a criminal

Many citizens often complain about the poor attitude of police officers, especially when reports or complaints are being lodged. There are some officers who forget the motto of our police force: to protect and serve. The word “serve” must not be treated lightly because it means, above all else, that the interests of justice and the provision of national security are of paramount importance.

It is acknowledged that many police officers are forced to work in deplorable conditions but that is no excuse for treating members of the public, many of whom are traumatised victims of crime, with little or no empathy.

It is time that police officers recognise that entering a police station as a law abiding citizen could be a very frightening and intimidating experience. It only makes matters worse when victims of crime who are seeking comfort and reassurance are treated in an aggressive manner by the officers that they encounter.

Thus some victims prefer not to make a report than to be faced with officers who treat them like a criminal. It is this kind of conduct that has added to the very poor public profile of police officers. It is not too late to change the situation.

No one is asking the officers to wear painted smiles or give false hope but certainly the least that can be done is the delivery of service accompanied with professionalism.

It is high time that individuals realise that once a job is accepted there is no excuse for poor performance. If one’s profession becomes unbearable or untenable then it may require a job change.

In the same way, if the majority of the population is of the view that this Government is not serving the people, then it must look for an alternative or call upon the Government to fulfill its mandate.

Always right

The principle that the customer is always right is of theoretical but not practical significance. There is an overwhelming number of consumers and an insufficient number of suppliers. As a result, many citizens are at the mercy and ransom of people who are supposed to be providing proper service.

For example, in the construction industry, which the Government constantly reminds us is booming, what measures have been implemented to ensure that hirers are not the subjects of shams and scams?

One would have thought that this administration would have used the opportunity to formulate some method whereby contractors would have to be registered and monitored.

In the same way that private tertiary level institutes have to be registered and accredited with the ministry and a local council in order to ensure quality control, a similar system must devised to ensure that contractors adhere to standards and provide high quality in their work.

Customer service is not likely to become better unless there is constant supervision and sanctions for those who deviate from the acceptable standards.

Perhaps the Government ought to organise a national referendum asking each citizen: are you being served?