FREE COPY May 1 - 15, 2018 PP 14252/10/2012(031136) 30 SEN FOR DELIVERY TO YOUR DOORSTEP – ISSUE ASK YOUR NEWSVENDOR 280 100,000 print readers Bimonthly 1,193,525 online hits (Mar) – verifiable Customer Service in the Public Sector By A. Jeyaraj, Joshua Jacob and Khaleeja Suhaimi n Issue 277 of Ipoh Echo we discussed customer service in retail and F&B outlets. In this issue we are discussing customer service in the public sector. The government as well as most businesses provide Iservices to the public. This is a wide sector and we will concentrate on government departments and businesses where the majority of the people go to get things done. Continued on page 2 An Enchanting e all long for a peaceful vacation in Resorta blissful environment away from the hustle and bustle of the city. W Located about 12km from Tanjung Tualang is Perak Agrotourism Resort (PATRO) owned and managed by the Perak State Agricultural Development Corporation. The resort was officiated by His Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah on May 14, 2016. It has since turned into a dream stay for many guests. According to resort manager Zul Jazmi Bahari, PATRO is the latest tourist attraction “There are 8000 mango trees of the Chukanan variety. The fruits can be plucked that incorporates both elements of tourism and enjoyed by visitors themselves. Other attractions include a herbal garden, chilli and agriculture. fertigation (the act of injecting fertilisers, soil amendments and other water-soluble “This is the ultimate agro tourism products into an irrigation system) farm, stingless honey bees and salted-eggs destination. Its sprawling 270 hectares site processing, to name a few,” said Zul. encompasses orchards, livestock and a The design of guest accommodations, in the form of villas and traditional man-made lake. Both land and water based houses (Rumah Kutai), will satisfy visitors’ expectations, as the concept portrays the activities are available,” he remarked. traditional culture and elements of Perak. Those who come in groups can spend the night at Tube Camp, overlooking the tranquil man-made lake which was once a mining pool. Among visitors’ favourite activities include cycling, all-terrain vehicle rides, paintball, kayaking and canoeing against the backdrop of a serene environment. While savouring the scrumptious Udang Galah Rendang Pedas with aromatic rice, Cucur Udang and Serai Lemon Pudina to quench your thirst, don’t miss the merging of colourful hues, as the sun dips into the horizon. It is a sight to behold. For reservations call: 05 360 0471 / 05 360 0449 / 019-8509493 (Husna). Visit their Facebook page at Perak Agrotourism Resort. Email : patroresort.2016@gmail. com. GPS Coordinates : 4.254 895, 101.042783 by Rosli Mansor Ahd. Razali by Rosli Mansor 2 May 1 - 15, 2018 IPOH ECHO Your Voice In The Community Good customer service means helping customers efficiently resolve problems in a timely and friendly manner. t is essential to be able to handle issues for customers and do one’s best to ensure they ETS ticketing counter at Ipoh Railway Station are satisfied. Providing good service is one of the most important things that can set a The inter-city Electric Train Service (ETS) provided by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad Ibusiness apart from the others of its kind. However, when we’re dealing with government (KTMB) is a service that is often used by citizens. Many residents from Ipoh use the ETS to departments where there is no competition and hence not enough emphasis is placed on travel to cities like Butterworth or Kuala Lumpur as it is time-saving and comfortable. customer service we often encounter rude or lackadaisical service. Here we shall endeavour The ticketing counters at the Ipoh Railway Station however, are not efficient. It is not to look at some of these. unusual for customers to wait up to 40 minutes to buy a ticket and Road Transport and Immigration Departments then be told that the tickets are sold The two government departments where most people go to are the Road Transport and out. However, many have utilised Immigration Departments. The quality of customer service in government departments has the e-ticketing service provided by come a long way. In the past, staff manning the front desk used to keep poker faced and filled KTMB which enables customers with arrogance earning them the sobriquet of “Little Napoleons”. to purchase tickets online either Things have changed now through their website, or through and most of the front desk staff are their app which can be downloaded. friendly and can speak English. Charlie Ooi, who regularly They try to be helpful. There are a uses the ETS to visit friends and number of counters open and no family, says he prefers the ETS necessity to wait long. Most of over other modes of transport the counters display a sign saying because it is quicker and safer. senyum or smile. Government “I buy my tickets through rules are rigid and the staff have no their app. This way, I get to avoid authority to bypass them and they queuing up to buy my tickets. It can be quite frustrating as the app is not very consistent. have to follow the rules. This may Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” he said expressing his dissatisfaction. cause some arguments. In Urban Transformation Centre (UTC), the government departments are open up to 10pm daily and Police this is very convenient for the public. The police are part of law enforcement and play an important role in upholding the quality For 23-year-old Constance Chi, the services provided in UTC are very efficient and of life in communities. Everyday, citizens go to police stations to make reports on accidents, meets her expectations. loss of items, thefts, complaints or to pay “I was going to renew my passport at UTC the other day and I was most impressed as summonses. they were quick with what they do. I only had to wait the exact length of time they told me to. It is therefore important that the police The staff were friendly too, better than the ones in Jelapang that I have experienced,” she said. maintain quality and efficiency in their “Their service is good but I still find some of the staff lacking in friendliness. Some are services. Unfortunately, there is a negative friendly without a doubt but others talk to me as if it wasn’t their job,” said Fatwa En Nadia perception of the police amongst the public. who was there to redo her lost identity card (IC). Many feel that their officers are not polite or efficient when carrying out their duties. Ipoh City Council (MBI) A resident from Ipoh who wishes to MBI carries out most of our daily needs like collecting garbage, grass cutting and drain remain anonymous spoke to Ipoh Echo cleaning. It is the place we go to complain about stray dogs and cattle, dilapidated houses about her experience with the police. After and many more. Complaints can be made online by e-Aduan MBI and also by telephone. receiving a phone call scam, she went to You can call the general number 05 208 3333 and ask the operator to connect you to the the police station to make a report. department you want. The people who attend the calls are courteous. “I told them what happened and Many people go to MBI office personally to make complaints or enquire about provided them with all the details, their services. The staff at the Information Counter are courteous, helpful and issue a including the phone number and time the complaint report, but whether action is taken is another matter. They direct customers call was made. To my horror, the officer to the right department to get their problems solved. There is also a One-Stop-Counter in charge dismissed it saying that it’s a common occurrence and that there was nothing to report. Another officer then said that it was mainly for businesses. The counter staff do their part of the job. pointless making a report as they wouldn't take any action,” she said. Every first Tuesday of the month, MBI holds a session for the public to issue Upon telling the officers that she would report the both of them, only then did they decide complaints. The session takes place from 9am till 12pm on the second floor of UTC. A to issue her report. long table will be set up, with respective staffs of each department concerned to listen to “How are you supposed to protect the citizens when you say you’re not going to do the complaints accordingly and work out an appropriate solution. anything about it? How are we supposed to trust you? It’s your duty and you should carry it “Most of the issues raised are regarding the drainage system and illegal garbage out well,” she explained lividly. dumps. The public needs to understand that there are two types of actions; technical and non-technical. Technical refers to actions that need approval or paperwork. This may Clinics take up to seven days or more. Non-technical refers to immediate actions, where we can Some of us may have regular visits to clinics, whether to check on blood tests or to collect assign our workers to collect rubbish or clean a certain area as soon as possible,” said medicines and to check up on physical health. Here are some of the services provided in Mohd Syahril Zakaria, under the Corporate and Public Relations Department. respective clinics. Our reporter, A. Jeyaraj, goes to the Buntong Clinic twice a month to collect his Pos Malaysia medicine and sees the doctor once every three or four months.