Great service in government is a science

We hear a lot about great customer service and how important it is becoming again, especially in today’s economy. Last week I attended the San Diego Business Journal’s annual conference on economic trends. One of the speakers stated in no uncertain terms that a key driver of the economic recovery will be the customer experience. The companies that “get it” will thrive while others will continue their downward spirals.

We know that customer service in government is critical too, but not always for the same reasons. Some of what we are here to do (protect the environment, public health, and safety) is enforcement or regulatory in nature, and are not always looking for repeat customers. Then again, some of us are – consider parks, recreation, libraries, and educational programs to name a few. We want people to come back!

Think of great service as a three-legged bar stool. If any of the legs are wobbly or broken, the customer (who’s sitting on top) will fall off. That’s not good service, and could result in law suits, lots of upset people, and bad media. The three legs are:

1. Being Nice – how courteous and professional are you? Do you practice proper etiquette? Are you respectful? This is 100% in your control and you’re your ability to interact positively with other people. This is tricky, however, because “everyone’s a snowflake” and people have different definitions of what is appropriate.
2. Being Prompt – good service is fast service. Who goes to the grocery store and gets on the longest line on purpose? Government processes are cumbersome. Many poor service issues actually relate to cycle times. If you fix processes, you will have a great impact on service quality.
3. Being Knowledgeable – much of government learning is “on the job.” Think about your job – you probably learned most of it – how to get things done – when you got the job. Often times learning in government is “tribal” meaning word of mouth passed down through the generations. If you have a good mentor, great. If you don’t, too bad for you. This is why if you ask 3 different people standing behind a counter the same question you may get three different answers. This is compounded by the simple fact that most of our work is not black and white, yes or no, but in the gray areas requiring experience and judgment.

Great service in government is much deeper than simply teaching people to smile. Great service in government is a science and there is a definitive methodology and approach for putting systems in place to drive the customer experience.

Wendi Brick