THE AVERAGE Ghanaian government worker gets a bad rap when it comes to customer service, sometimes justifiably so. Would you say that’s true?
I have worked all my life in the private sector, except for the last 29 months. And having now worked in the public sector, do I think it’s true that customer service in the public sector sucks? Since I am now a public sector worker? Well….
Yes, the attitude to customer service in government organisations is questionable. And there are so many factors that I believe play into this attitude, none of which I can prove. (Salary, training, culture, attitude, attitude, attitude, attitude). However, I have always been a firm believer that good customer service should be non-negotiable, should come naturally wherever you work, and should start from home. Don’t ask me to explain that. There’s almost enough material in that for a whole separate post.
So I was blown away towards the end of 2021 when a government worker in Ghana gave me service that I can only dream about. It was a brief encounter early on a Thursday morning in December, and I feel the need to share it with you. I mention the month because, as you well know, this country grinds to a halt over the ‘Christmas & New Year period’, which can last anywhere from a few days to a month. Nobody in the public sector is at their best over this period.
I arrived at a post office to conduct some business. I was there ahead of their opening time because I left home way too early to avoid traffic. The time was 7:10am when I parked my car. I got out of the vehicle to check the opening time written at the entrance, and it was 8am. I settled down back in the car, and started some social media (the addictive kind).
Then I heard a female voice. “Hello Sir, good morning. Can I help you?” A lady, freshly made up, beautifully turned out, heels, and a smile. Yes, I said, and told her what I was coming to do. She offered to take my cash, carry out my payment, and hold on to my receipt till I could come back. Because 8am is still 45 minutes away you see.
No thanks, I said. My next appointment is at 8:30am, and it’s just down the road, so I’ll wait.
She smiled again and said OK. She went back inside. About 5 minutes later I saw her come outside again, look around, and move back and forth. She called out to someone inside, asking for the location of a particular post box. A male voice directed her, and when she found the box I heard her say that the customer was coming by later and she wanted to be ready to show him the box.
So she had taken the time to find out what I was doing there that early, offer me a way out, and she was preparing for another customer who was not there yet. Ei. A Ghanaian government worker?
I whiled the time away on my phone and reading a novel (Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi, not an easy read according to subject matter, but sensitively and engagingly written). At 8am exactly, the entrance door was pushed aside, and the post office was open for business. A Ghanaian government institution?
I walk in and the lady is the only one there. She smiles (a very easy and pleasant smile as I was discovering), and asks me to take a seat because the lady handling postal services hasn’t arrived yet. I sit and wait for a couple of minutes, then I hear the lady on her mobile phone. My Ga is not the best (I only know the insults), but I gathered she was asking the other lady where she was because there was a customer waiting to be served. A Ghanaian government worker?
After some back and forth (in Ga) the lady says, “Excuse me sir”, and I walk up to her counter. She then proceeds to serve me quickly and efficiently, obviously following instructions from the absent lady. She makes change for me from her own purse, and wishes me a ‘Happy New Year’ with a lovely smile. And not the kind of Ghanaian smile or manner that says, “Where is my Christmas tip??” By the by, I noticed that she had changed into flat shoes behind the counter, decent flat shoes…not the more common slippers. A Ghanaian government worker?
As I walked out to my car, I felt dazed by what had just happened. What could have been an interaction at a government organisation, fraught with hostility, negativity, frowns, and inefficiency, was instead a memorable start to a Thursday in December. I had been served with the minimum of fuss, obtained what I came for, and ushered on my way with goodwill. I was dying to chat with the lady to find out more about her, but she was already dealing with the next customer. I was almost jealous that she was smiling at him.
There’s hope for customer service in this country, I guess, even in the public sector. Even at the Post Office. Now, if only I could find another reason to go back there. I don’t remember how to post a letter, or anything else really….and I need a name for that wonderful woman. A Ghanaian government worker.
(RamiTalks 2022)
BY Rami Baitie