Civil service launches new campaign for better service

Civil service launches new campaign for better service
By SARBAN SINGH
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

SEREMBAN: Flash that smile more often.This is the directive to civil servants to smile to show their commitment to provide “service beyond the people’s expectations”.

It particularly applies to those manning counters and providing frontline services.
Those serving at the country’s main entry points, including airports and seaports, should also be more courteous as this would also enhance the country’s image as a business-friendly destination.

Malaysia Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu) director-general Datuk Mohamad Zabidi Zainal said although the authorities had launched a similar campaign in 2005, the impact was not thoroughly felt.

“Service with a smile should be a culture among civil servants. This is important as we want the people, who are our customers, to be happy when they leave a government department or agency,” he said in a recent circular.

To achieve this, the Government had last month launched a pilot project at the Immigration, Road Transport and National Registration departments and the Inland Revenue Board and the Employees Provident Fund to provide service with a smile.
Mohamad Zabidi said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan had also stressed on this during several meetings with senior government officials.
He said department heads should also provide necessary training to subordinates on ways to be courteous to the customer.

“Department heads can also have their own campaigns and slogans to motivate their subordinates on this. They should also appoint employees who are role models to encourage others to serve with a smile,” he said.

Cuepacs president Datuk Omar Osman said previous campaigns by the Government to encourage public sector employees to provide service with a smile were not very successful as there were no follow-up programmes.

He said it was important for the authorities to have comprehensive guidelines to ensure objectives were met, adding that the “service with a smile” rule should be included in all courses for government employees.

Omar said civil servants should be regularly reminded of the requirement to smile, particularly during monthly assemblies. 0 ulasan

Let’s root for a better civil service

Wednesday February 9, 2011

Let’s root for a better civil service

MAMPU director-general Datuk Mohamad Zabidi Zainal’s effort to revive the service with a smile campaign (“It’s time to smile again” – The Star, Feb 7) is both timely and urgent.

This is considering the fact that the service quality of the Malaysian civil service has plummetted in recent years.
Many loathe to enter a government department because of the way they are treated by the administrative and counter staff, with the possible exception of the Immigration Department.

Counter service staff and administrative staff should first of all realise why they are placed at the forefront of the department they are working in.
Today, the counter staff act more like they are the lord rather than the servant.
How that has come about is anybody’s guess, but the fact remains that they are civil servants placed to facilitate and provide good and proper service.
I truly hope that the effort to revive the “service with a smile” campaign will succeed.

The reason the Immigration Department has become an exception to the plummeting quality is that there is committment by the higher ups to monitor, polish and train the staff.

The other departments, too, should act likewise to arrest the decline of quality in their service.

I would like to suggest that all departments have a systematic and fool-proof procedure to evaluate public satisfaction. A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) like number of happy customers per month will indicate the level of satisfaction.

I have always spontaneously responded to good service by vocalising my appreciation on the spot and following that up with a short letter of appreciation.

I have always hoped that each time I walk out of a government department, I would have a smile on my face for having been properly treated and greatly helped.
Let that happen, please, for the sake of a more civil society in Malaysia.

TENG,
Batu Pahat. 0 ulasan