Good Customer Service is Foreign to Jamaica!

This is my story - it's real!!!

Jamaicans cuss the politicians when things go wrong, but things go wrong because one or more public servants did not do what was right. 

One challenge with some people in the public sector is that many do not see themselves as servants of the people but as the people's masters. 

To give service to the best of our ability to others is tantamount to being slaves.

Now for the real story. I get reports from a government entity that uses the software MailChimp to send information to organizations. These reports stopped coming, so I called and made a report to the organization. After a few calls, I was told that I unsubscribed from the distribution list. I told the person who answered the phone I did not unsubscribe from the distribution list. 

I requested that I be reinstated. I was promptly told that I would need to get a new email address. I told the staff member I did not need to do that. The staff member advised me that that is how the system works.

I responded that MailChimp is used internationally and was not made to work that way. My offer to guide them on how it could be done was unwelcome. I called a few more times and was given the same answer. I called once and gave my name, but the staff member rudely interrupted me and told me to listen. I replied, "I was the one who called.  Good customer service should tell you that since I called, you should listen to what I had to say". He eventually obliged. 

I told him that I made a video which gave instructions on how to deal with the challenge. This video was previously sent to another staff member. He asked me to send him the same video. He watched the video because, within a few minutes, I got a link from him which allowed me to re-subscribe. I started getting the reports this afternoon. 

It no easy fi deal wid wi Jumaikan people. Wi no know bout good customer service. We need to stop mek people eena di public and di private sector tek wi fi idiat!

Note: I sent the following email to the department and copied the head. 

"The problem has been resolved. If only someone had listened to me in the first instance. I would have started getting the local weather forecast two weeks ago. I got my local weather forecast from you at 1604 EST today, Friday, December 7, 2023.

Please do not allow anyone else to go through what I went through. It took numerous phone calls to people in your organization to resolve the matter. I had to create a short video to show how to deal with the challenge. Staff members kept arguing and insisting I needed to register a new email address. Staff members were even concerned with other issues which had nothing to do with the challenge I was having.

It is clear to me that the staff needs to be exposed to training in customer service to equip them to give the best customer service to your stakeholders. You might even win the Customer Service Award one day!

Thanks to those staff members who displayed excellent customer service during the past most challenging two weeks dealing with a government entity.

Always remember that as a government worker, you are the servant of the people. Give your best as you serve in the nation's interest."

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