A couple years ago I had the audacity to complain about a new e-mail feature in my Hotmail account. I admit, I was being a "difficult" customer. I could've figured it out myself, but I was in a hurry and I simply didn't like it (my Hotmail account has served me well for twenty years – why change it now?!) What I didn't expect was a personalized e-mail from a Microsoft representative with a long explanation of how to change the feature, including helpful screen-shots and even a few smiley faces. After I sent this person a thank you e-mail, she didn't hesitate to respond once more, wishing me a good day with another smiley face to boot.
Now, recognizing this person was likely on her first day of the job, or up for some kind of promotion, I still thought quietly to myself: If only government could be so helpful.
A politician I knew would often address a crowd by saying, "I'm from government. How can I help you?" This line was typically well-received by a crowd not used to such friendly greetings from government officials.
Government often takes a bad rap and I can understand why. To most people, government is a nebulous entity run by faceless bureaucrats sometimes thousands of miles away. That tends to breed distrust, a feeling that's only augmented when there's no "service with a smile," as we've become so accustomed to with private businesses.
As someone who's familiar with government (a little too familiar), I've been surprised at my own challenges in receiving a friendly government response. Not all the time, mind you – government representatives have been very helpful at times – but a few experiences in the last few years have made me reduce my five-star rating of government to four (gasp!).
The biggest problem I've encountered, other than the 60-minute long wait times, is being fed incorrect information. In one case, three different people in the same federal department gave me the wrong advice. This misinformation could have had serious implications for the person I was trying to help. As I was told by the fourth representative, if we were to proceed as previously advised, the person I was trying to help immigrate "would be breaking the law."
Fortunately, we were over-zealous in our double-checks and we finally got the correct information. A lone immigrant trying to work the maze of government policies, forms and misinformation would surely would have been lost – and likely back in their home country by now.
When I ran into a second immigration issue in another department, I tried to lodge my complaint with a manager. Instead of listening to my concern, however, I got a good dose of government stone-walling. Even showing a little contrition, to assure me this wouldn't happen again to other applicants, would've been welcome – but it didn't come.
I've heard troublesome stories from others in the last year, like a friend who recently applied for employment insurance at a federal office, thinking he would get more help than if he did it at home. When he arrived, he was directed to a computer and was told he would receive no assistance from the workers there.
These experiences wouldn't sound so terrible in a world where the private sector was just as unresponsive or unhelpful. And in some cases, they are (Air Canada, whether it still deserves the notoriety, always comes to mind). But with businesses, customers typically have the option to go elsewhere. And with social media and a multitude of platforms to complain on, companies typically trip over themselves to please their customers.
Government has a monopoly on many things: immigration, social services, most of healthcare and education. Monopolies are typically not in the business of pleasing their clientele, simply because they don't have to. There's only one choice when you have a medical emergency and that's your hospital's ER – you have no choice but to sit and wait.
Now I like government and I believe most governments are trying to improve. I'm a believer in the public sector providing services where the private sector can't provide the same services equitably or at all. But governments of all stripes must be able to guide their citizens down the rabbit hole of government processes – with a smile to boot.
Because at times it's no wonderland.
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