Don't keep telling us what to do
Jun 12 2009 by Bill Midgley, The Journal
A RECENT addition to the many signs that seem to adorn public offices or in those organisations that are no more than privatised monopolies is the ‘instruction’ not to use mobile phones while being attended to by staff.
Although I accept that talking to someone on a mobile while attempting to listen to information is hardly the best of manners, the whole process seems to be no more than the further downgrading of service from a quasi public sector organisation.
It is not all that long ago that service levels in the public sector seemed to improve, but first-hand experience and certainly anecdotal evidence is that it has now deteriorated rapidly, particularly in areas of business advice and for those seeking help with their unemployment benefits.
While in the latter area in particular there has been an undoubted increase in the need for help, it serves little purpose if the public are at the wrong end of poor service, arrogance and downright rudeness.
The private sector has to ensure that it keeps its customers on side, never more important than at present, frustrating and annoying as individuals can be from time to time.
Good training in how to handle people will ensure that the vast majority of customers can be dealt with satisfactorily, even the most truculent, but that also requires a positive attitude of mind, something which now seems so sadly lacking in many of our public officers.
It may be that there is a complacency in the public sector regarding unemployment, particular as we have seen a marked reluctance on the part of Government to cut public spending, something which will eventually be inevitable if the economy is ever to recover – if not carried by a government of any political persuasion then by the IMF who will inevitably step in as happened 30 years ago.
Such cuts will impact severely on the public sector so today’s complacency about job security is likely to be extremely shortlived.
A degree of tolerance on both sides of any counter is what we should be looking for, not yet more instructions to the customer on what they can and cannot do.
The difficulties that we are experiencing will impact on all of us to the extent that we may all require help, and perhaps sympathy, before we start to see a return to more favourable economic times.
