Customer Service and Government Agencies

Hmmm, most people including me probably have low expectations when it comes to thinking of government agencies providing customer service. And a bit of fear probably comes to mind when thinking of having to straighten out a problem relating to a government agency.

Last week while checking online for some information on the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists website, I happened to click on the online roster for Licensed Professional Geologists. And what did I see that threw me into a mild panic attack? Well it's really about what I didn't see that threw me into a mild panic attack....my name or my license number. I didn't see either hence the panic. I renewed my license online last year and received a confirmation and what have you. This being a government agency though, all I could imagine was that my renewal was lost somehow and the Board was going to say that I have been practicing without a license these last several months and that there was going to be hell to pay! Yep, government agency snafu and worst case scenario just seem to go together in my brain!! I imagined all kinds of irritating and frustrating conversations in my future to get this little snafu worked out.

I immediately wrote a letter explaining what I discovered, attached all my documentation, and requested respectfully that the Board check into the matter as soon as possible. And I faxed the letter instead of mailing it. I decided that I would give them a week to respond in some way and I imagined that their response was somehow going to conclude that the licensing error was my fault. It's funny how a normally optimistic person such as myself can turn into the biggest pessimist on earth when dealing with a government entity!

A miracle happened! The next morning, less than 24 hours later, the Director of Licensing called and left me a message telling me that she received my letter and that she would investigate the matter right away and get back to me. And to top it off, her voice sounded both friendly and helpful. I was very pleased with this message, but I kept my hopefulness in check. I still feared a painful resolution to my inquiry. And although she said that she was going to investigate it right away...well what does right away mean in government time anyway? I always figured that in government time, right away means whenever they damn well feel like getting to it!! Still I felt some of my usual optimism creep into my mind. I kept it reined in though to lessen any potential future disappointment.

And then another miracle happened the same day while I was out on my late afternoon hike! The Director called a second time at the end of the work day to tell me what the problem was and that she fixed it. And she apologized to me. There was no problem with my license at all. She explained that for some reason my name and license number wasn't posted to the roster. The roster is important though because other state agencies and the general public can check it to verify your credentials. She was very professional, friendly, and apologetic. I was so pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Who woulda thunk it?! I called her back and left her a message thanking her for being so quick and helpful. And I followed up online with a customer survey and letter.

That's what I get for pre-judging, but I'm not complaining! So this got me to thinking. If we don't receive good customer service or there is some other type of problem, most of us including me have no problem whatsoever lodging a complaint. But what if a business or a government entity provides really good service? How often do we let them know that we appreciate the good service? Now I'm not talking about thanking someone for what they are expected and should do in the first place. I'm referring to those that go above and beyond the call of duty. I think that the Director calling me the day after I sent my letter and twice in one day to keep me informed of the progress of her investigation went above and beyond. I only expected to receive an impersonal letter one or two weeks after sending my initial inquiry. And I expected a poor outcome to boot.

I know that when I go above and beyond what's expected in my own work that I appreciate it when my client lets me know that he appreciated my extra effort. It makes me more likely to go out of my way for that client the next time.

So I'm going to try and be mindful from now on especially if it's a government agency providing the exceptional customer service! I will not only let the person responsible for the extra special service know, but I think I need to start letting their bosses know either personally or by correspondence. Who knows what might happen if we all start to do this? The tide may slowly change and the general quality of customer service which has diminished over the years may actually start to improve for the better. It sure couldn't hurt to compliment someone when warranted...at the very least you may make someone's day...and in my mind that's worth the effort right there!