A real test of my patience ...

In my line of work, I have to deal with people (am referring to adults here) which I think is one of the hardest things I have to do. Some experiences are pleasant, others aren't so pleasant. And being in a supervisory position, I am responsible for the work done by the staff I am incharge of. When I get compliments from my 'customers' for the good work done by my staff, I make it a point to celebrate that with my staff cuz they have done good. When I get complaints for mistakes made by my staff, it's my job to handle the situation with my 'customers' and even take the blame if I have to for the mistake made. And afters, I will speak with my staff and explain to her the consequence of her mistake and how we both can learn from it and not repeat it. And we move on. Am sure many of you have been in similar shoes and we basically take

Why am I sharing this you may ask, well I had some bad experiences recently with people who are in the service industry, in the business with dealing with people yet do such a shoddy job at it.

I was recently at DBS Bank (Hougang Branch) and I approached the counter where a certain Ms K was on duty. I asked about opening a second savings account with DBS and how I could go about doing it. She replied that I can open two accounts for POSB. Hmm, for a moment, I thought I had stepped into the wrong bank and looked around and confirmed that I was in DBS bank. And I asked if I could do the same for DBS. And she said no. So I said thank you and turn to walk away. She then said, 'Ms, let me check again'. So I waited for her as she went into one of the cubicles. She came out a few seconds later to say that it's possible for me to open a second DBS savings account. JOY OH JOY! She learnt something new today too about the bank she is working in. So I said, 'Good, how can I go about it'. She pointed to about four ladies who were seated and said,'We're busy changing money for CNY so there's a long queue'. So I asked,'When can I open the savings account then?'. She replied,'Not over this period'. After taking another deep breath, I asked calmly,'Should I come back after CNY? Would that be a better time?'. She replied,'No, just not over this period of time. You can go to POSB, they open till 7pm'.

*sighs* If I wanted to open a second POSB account, I would have gone to POSB in the first place. Why not tell me to go to OCBC, Standard Chartered, UOB *sighs* She should have given me more useful information like how long I would have to wait if I wanted to open the account and let ME decide what I want to do then. And how long will the change of new money take? It's maximum $400 per person. I don't know the exact workings of a bank but won't the money be pre-packed and just need to ask how much the ladies want and quickly prepare it? I was at POSB recently and they had a separate line to deal with customers who wanted change new money (by cash or ATM card only) and they cleared the queue so quickly. YAY POSB!! And if POSB could think of ways of efficiently handle this, why can't DBS. And at POSB, they also had a counter to help customers and the lady they put there knew her stuff and could even direct a customer to the nearest DBS bank (customer was new to the area and was desperately looking for DBS bank).

Today, I accompanied my Dad to hospital T as he is going for a day surgery procedure to remove a cyst that has developed on his knee. We were at the pre-surgery consultation section and after quite a wait, when we asked when we will be registered, from the frantic behaviour and panic that was taking place behind the counter, we pieced it together that they had registered another patient wrongly and the patient had gone home with my Dad's admission form and appointment card.

They called our number to register us and pretended as if nothing happened. We were given a photocopied of the admission form and when asked for my Dad's Appointment Card, the Operations Manager, said she will give us a replacement card. No explanation. No apologies. Sweep everything under the carpet. Guess they thought we were dumb enough to let things go. But they thought wrong. To me it was a serious enough mistake and we deserved an explanation. Imagine if both my Dad and the other patient went for the wrong procedure. The other guy was due for a scope and end up having his knee cut up for a cyst that he didn't have. And when I pressed for an explanation, the lady Operations Manager actually raised her voice at me and I had to tell her that there was no need for her to raise her voice at me. Allo, you guys made the mistake, and you dare raise your voice at me when I asked for an explanation? And she expected me to just take her word that she will retrieve the documents? Who is she that I am suppose to trust her? No assurance given nope. At least tell me what's going to be done so that I know something is being done. After they tried to sweep things under the carpet before, I won't be surprise if my Dad turns up for his medical check-up before the Op and they feign ignorance to all this and push the blame to my Dad for not having the original Admission Form and Appointment Card, especially my Dad being an elderly and may be easier to bully!

We strive to be a country that provides excellent service, in all areas. But I think we still have a long way to go before achieving that. Our employers must ensure that our people, especially those that we put in the front line must be equipped with the skills and knowledge to do their job well. If we want to be a world class country with world class services, we jolly well start thinking and behaving like world class people! I do wonder if it's wishful thinking or can we actually be all that! I really don't know .....