Some Barbadian private sector companies and Government departments are infamous for their customer service.
So much so, that one is often surprised when a service provider seems genuinely interested in offering assistance or wishes you a good day after concluding business.
Indeed, last year a politeness test conducted by the National Initiative for Service Excellence (NISE) found that Barbadians fell down badly on giving good service, with customers being thanked for their purchases only 57 per cent of the time.
The results of the recently released NISE Customer Satisfaction Index would be been of surprise to few.
Credit unions got the thumbs-up for their reliability and customer satisfaction but commercial banks and insurance companies did not quite make the grade. The credit unions scored 82 out of 100, while insurance companies scored 75 – the passing mark – and commercial banks scored last with 71.
Of the seven Government agencies measured, only one, the Barbados Postal Service, got a passing grade. They scored 80 out of 100 while the other departments all scored below 75. The often criticized Barbados Licensing Authority ranked least in customer satisfaction with a score of 58.
The other scores were the Sanitation Service Authority 73, Queen Elizabeth Hospital 69, the National Insurance Scheme Department 66, the Immigration Department 64 and the Transport Board 62.
The scores reflected the daily experience of those seeking to do business in Barbados.
An imperative
One would recall that NISE was officially launched in 2004 with the signing of the NISE Declaration. Representatives of Government, the private sector and the trade union movement signed on behalf of their various agencies.
On that occasion, then Prime Minister Owen Arthur announced that service excellence was no longer a desirable option but an imperative for Barbados.
Some seven years later, one would be hard-pressed to find a Barbadian who does not know of the NISE initiative. In addition to executing public education programmes, the not-for-profit body conducts an annual orientation-to-work programme which targets school-leavers between the age of 15 and 21.
Its aim is to equip them for the transition from the school environment to the realities of the world of work.
Since only a limited number of young people can be reached this way, NISE has prepared a detailed book, Off to a Good Start – Your Guide to the World of Work, intended for use in all secondary institutions in the island.
In 2008 NISE announced the Live Excellence project – a $6 million project to make Barbados a nicer place to live, work and do business. NISE chief executive officer Kim Tudor said it would cost roughly $2 million per year and would focus on changing behaviours, attitudes, morals and the outlook on life of Barbadians.
According to the July 24, 2008 DAILY NATION she conceded that while some successes had been recorded under NISE in the previous two-and-a-half years, much still needed to be done about the factors impeding service excellence. She logged “lack of mutual respect” and “lack of creativity and innovation” among those negative factors.
The NISE programme will promote courtesy, honesty, creativity, responsibility and compassion among the virtues the Barbadian society needs to practise.
But another three dozen values, including patriotism, professionalism, kindness and honour, have been identified by focus groups, Tudor said.
At the time, the late Prime Minister David Thompson pledged Government’s support for the project, pointing out that its emphasis on service excellence was in line with the administration’s philosophy. He underscored the importance of building values across all areas, including within the professions.
Thompson noted the high negative rating which the public gave certain groups, including politicians, in statistics made available by NISE, and said this might partly be blamed on how they treated their clients.
In some cases, this was marked by a degree of arrogance and insensitivity, he charged.
Sir Roy Trotman, head of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados, stressed the need to promote good service among young people.
“Service excellence has to start in the womb, if that is possible,” he said. “It certainly has to begin at home with the young child and it has to go through the school and we have to remember things like ‘Good morning’ and ‘Thank you’ and ‘How may I help you?’”
Sir Roy called for Barbadians to bring the values that were once considered important to them back into their lives, work and family circles.
Corrective measures
In the March 24, 2009 DAILY NATION, it was reported that Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) management was taking steps to address poor quality customer service among the retail sector there.
“For many [visitors], we are the first and last experience [in Barbados] and we affect the number of hotel rooms filled and tourism in general, so we must all sing from the same hymnal. [The airport] cannot be seen as simply a place to work,” said GAIA corporate communications specialist Keith Goddard.
Director of human resources Yvette Browne said GAIA’s number one concern was addressing helpfulness and courtesy of staff, particularly among the concessionaires, but added that it was the responsibility of the entire airport to deal with the issue.
President John White of the Airlines Association of Barbados said he was not surprised at the report, as customer service in Barbados was generally poor.
“This does not mean we have to accept it. We have to double our efforts to be the leader in customer service and I pledge our assistance to GAIA in funding any future operations of this nature,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the March 14, 2008 WEEKEND NATION, then human resources manager of the Central Bank of Barbados and president of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation, Dr Hensley Sobers, said providing superior service is not an option.
He noted that excellent service is not a slogan or campaign and should not be treated as such.
“Superior service is the key to business-related oriented profit in an increasingly service-oriented and competitive place. It is essential to survival in the 21st century.
“Excellent service is not a slogan, so let’s stop using NISE as a slogan or a campaign or mere advertisement; it is not. It is a real-life situation,” he said.
