These were just some of the complaints received by the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu). The unit, which comes under the Prime Minister’s Department, has so far received at least 692 e-mails from the public about improving the public service delivery system since it invited the public to do so on the 12 th of February 2007. Mampu initiated the move after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the formation of a 23-member Special Task Force to Facilitate Business, known in its Bahasa Malaysia acronym as Pemudah.

According to a Mampu official, 30% of the e-mails were complaints about the “human factor”, while the rest were suggestions for improvement and calls for public servants and police officers to be able to speak English.

While I strongly believe that Mampu will take note of the suggestions and try to improve the delivery system practised by the government, I couldn’t help but wonder: What exactly will Mampu do? Are they going to make service counter staff wear silly badges with a smiling face on them? Are they going to “force” them to speak English by fining them a certain amount of ringgit if they speak in Bahasa Malaysia to customers? Regardless of what they do, what I want to stress is that implementing new techniques or training will only work if the staff are also constantly reminded of the basics. Kudos to Mampu for taking the right initiative, but whatever step or decision they make to improve customer service has to be steeped in the basics of good customer service.

ATCEN has always prided itself in “Exceeding Customer Delight”, and I really believe that all that’s needed to improve the government’s counter staff services is to remind them of these 8 Basic Rules for Customer Service which ATCEN staff practise:

• Get call forwarding or an answering service. Hire staff if you need to. But make sure that someone is picking up the phone when someone calls your organization. When I call an organization, I expect to hear a human voice, not a pre-recorded step-by-step guide to doing things.
• Don’t make promises unless you will keep them. Trust is how you build a great relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you say, “You can collect your identity card by Tuesday”, make sure it is ready by Tuesday. Think before you give any promise – because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one.
• LISTEN. There is nothing more infuriating than telling someone what your problem is and then discovering that that person hasn’t been paying attention and needs to have it explained again, needs to refer you to someone else or totally cannot help you. Let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem, not saying “I don’t know”, “It’s not my responsibility” or “Next counter, please”.
• Deal with complaints, don’t ignore them. No one likes being criticised, and many of us get defensive, especially towards aggressive or rude customers. Give the complainant your full attention and help them because usually, they are just frustrated with the situation, not with you. It’s true that you can’t please everybody, but it’s your effort that counts.
• Do more. When you go out of your way to “Exceed Customer Delight”, who do you think the customer you helped will go to the next time he visits your organization? You, of course. Creating a lasting impression on your customer will result in him not only remembering and appreciating the service you gave, it will also bring in more customers to your organization and helps establish excellent rapport.
• For heads of departments, make sure your staff are properly trained. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, “I don’t know, but (the decision maker) will only be back at…”
• Whether it’s a coupon for a future discount, additional information on how to use the product, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. And remember it doesn’t have to be a huge gesture to be effective!

Of course, good basics are just the foundation for excellent customer service. Undeniably, training and proper management plays a massive role too. Here’s to the progress, development, and betterment of good customer service in Malaysia, especially for government counter services staff.