Bloggers

What REALLY pisses me off: Dealing with Government Departments

Mar 16, 2017

Centrelink; Department of Housing; Public Hospitals; MyGov……….to name a few, even transcend dealing with Telco companies and the banks in terms of customer service and efficiency! Whilst typing this I’ve been listening to some string quartet droning on for the last 30 minutes whilst waiting for a ‘real person’ from Centrelink to talk to me! That was after dealing with the ‘button brigade’ and that irritating woman who tells you which button to push.

Well, after 50 minutes, I’ve given up. Impatient you might think but prior to spending almost an hour online to get the right document, sent in the correct format from Centrelink, I’d spent 45 minutes trying to get some sense out of the Department of Housing – it’s never their fault!

My point is – the taxpayer contributes a fortune to the operation of these departments, particularly in wages, computer systems, keeping the public informed…..and they are bloody useless! They couldn’t organise themselves to get out of a wet paper bag! If you are lucky to actually speak to someone, the majority spend their time ‘forwarding’ you to yet another section. Their on-line computer service – MyGov.com.au – is an exercise in futility even for the most technologically savvy!

Whilst we continue to be referred to as a ‘drain on society’, we are their biggest ‘customers’. We are people in our more ‘mature’ years who have spent most of our lives working hard to support our families, paying our taxes on whatever income we could. Many have neither the knowledge or capacity to handle the ‘on-line’ route and the rest of us are left to listen to Mozart or some other ancient composer!

Whether you are a government department, a corporate entity or a small business, there are three main keys to success – know your product; employ the best staff and, most importantly, provide consistent, efficient customer service!