Service Expectation is a Right Not wishing to air a grievance, the unbecoming behaviour of a City of Windhoek municipal official spurs me to spotlight that a service which is paid for is not a privilege but a right. Employees of an entity that provides a paid-for service, be it a public or private institution, should know, and if they don’t, must be taught that payment by clients fund their monthly remuneration. In turn, the public must never hold back when it comes to reporting bad behaviour. To elaborate on the specific incident: The municipal official, an electricity meter reader, arrived at the office to perform his monthly duty. After announcing his arrival at the premises’ security entrance, he grew dissatisfied with the time it took for the receptionist to provide him access, and consequently behaved in a loud and threatening manner. When the unbecoming behaviour was drawn to his attention, he continued with the unprofessional conduct and, to add fuel to the fire, refused to provide his name and instead stormed off the premises. Service doesn’t end when an income-generating transaction begins, like reading an electricity meter to bill for the month’s consumption; rather, that’s when it starts. Paying customers, like our enterprise which diligently pays for our monthly municipal services, expect complaints to be taken seriously and demand remedial action. This might seem like an isolated case, but it is not, and it is merely used to spotlight poor behaviour by officials when interacting with the public, their ‘customers’. It happens far too often. Look at some of those SMS text messages published daily in the ‘What You’re Saying’ section of The Namibian. Most of the complaints are directed at ministries and municipalities, public sector institutions and state-owned enterprises. Private sector entities also come in for their fair share of bashing, with most complaints being about suboptimal service. When it comes to service deficiency by staff members at a municipality or a public sector entity, unfortunately, there is not much one can do, as complaints to senior officials are usually met with a shrug of the shoulders. The idea seems to be that you have no choice; you either use the service they provide, regardless of how it’s delivered, or you go without it. For most entities in the private sector the story differs as owners and managers do take note of such complaints published in newspapers. If they don’t, that then explains why one restaurant is constantly well-patronised, while a competitor across the road or around the corner struggles for survival. Mobile communication firms, banks, hotels, supermarkets and retailers in general are subjected to similar treatment – people do have a choice and will take their business elsewhere. Bad situations could easily be avoided if those in positions of authority make a concerted effort to train and retrain staff at all levels. Seemingly, many civil servants do not view those they are paid to serve, or who pay for a service, as customers. Yet the Namibian Institute of Public Administration and Management was specifically created to train public officials to provide service excellence. Unlike an enterprise, with the help of taxpayers, lack of service in the public sector never results in bankruptcy. – Danny Meyer is reachable at danny@smecompete.com The post Service Expectation is a Right appeared first on The Namibian.

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