If you take a poll most people would say that service in the public sector is bad and service in the private sector is ah......better? But is this still true? Many private sector companies have been chopping staff, slashing training budgets and hiring the cheapest contract staff they can get. You can feel the result - their mouths are moving and saying the right things but they're in a hurry, and frankly they really don't care whether you do business with the company or not - they just want you to move along so they can deal with the next customer. The company is counting the customers that they serve, and they are counting the hours till the end of their shift.
The public sector on the other hand has been slowly but steadily making strides to improve service. Many of the agencies have moved their services online, extended their opening hours and added customer service representatives to walk the floor. No one likes to go to the tax office or to get their car passed but let's be honest - its not the nightmare that it once was. I know - I was in the tax office last week on the last day of the month and I braced myself to spend the afternoon. Believe me I was ready - I had my book, my water, my snacks, but In fact I was in and out in half an hour - long lines but they moved and not a hitch. The last time I went to get my car passed they actually opened early to accommodate the waiting crowd. Of course the agencies are not perfect, and there are a lot of horror stories, but they are getting better.
Private sector companies have pockets of excellence of course but many of them are unapologetically giving us less service as they try to minimize on service costs. For some reason we give them a pass that we don't give to the public sector. If you don't believe me count the number of times that people call talk shows or write letters to the editor complaining about government agencies, and compare that to the complaints about the private sector. Great inequality - but then listen to people complain when they're in line at the bank or waiting in a restaurant - they are not happy!! Its a pity that we aren't more public with our unhappiness about the private sector because that's where we have the leverage.The next time the lines are too long or the phone service is too customer unfriendly, complain to the company. If they don't fix it - find another company. They'll soon get the message or go out of business. Sorry - you still have to go to the tax office and the registrar general to get your permits and documents but the next time you get better than expected service at a government agency, thank them and tell them to keep it up. They'll get the message too.
