Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan

Tan Sri Mohd Sidek HassanKeeping the customer satisfied should be the most importantconsideration for any service provider – be it in the public or privatesector. A couple of days ago I received an e-mail from a service provider.They gave me three options to activate my service; do it via e-mail, SMSor by telephone.I chose to confirm by e-mail, as that would have been the most convenient givenmy job demands. Lo and behold, I get back an e-mail message asking me to confirmmy confirmation via, SMS and telephone.On another occasion, now as an internal customer, I was invited to a meeting viae-mail only to be told that I had to confirm my attendance in the attached form thatwas to be faxed back to the organisers. Whether an internal or external customer,I found the complete absurdity of bureaucracy in full action in both instances.Service must make senseCommon sense must always prevail inservice rendered to us common people. Itmust serve people of all walks of life, in allincome clusters from various histories andfamily backgrounds, and nationalities.Service must be time-sensitive and it mustbe agile to times as well. What may worktoday may no longer do so tomorrow aspriorities change, expectations grow withmaturing public and global demands.When we have peoplewith the right attitude andcharacter delivering service,their quest for success willbe driven by making life assimple and comfortable forcustomers.This holds true in any country, any serviceand no less any public service delivery. Ineach of our defined daily roles — be that of a hawker, a housewife, an unemployedor a student, a CEO or a public official like myself, we each look for one thing andone thing only when we seek a service.That when we turn up to a point of service, it is delivered as promised by theprovider with basic human courtesies extended.No amount of technology advancement can replace this elementary and essentialneed we all want from a service — public or private.I have received many complaints of public service delivery and its officials – noton lack of technology advancement and modernity – but mostly on the runarounds given to the public by our officials. Whilst we must work and hold to13