Why do we accept government incompetence, decade after decade?
I recently visited a new car dealership, something that millions of people in the United States do every month. Several weeks later I visited the State of Florida Department of Motor Vehicles for a little license renewal. Contrasting the quality of these experiences says a lot about us as individuals, our conditioned acceptance of inadequacy and our limited appreciation for quality service.
I did some research online and identified the model and accessories I wanted in a new vehicle. I visited the nearest dealer store of my choice of model. I parked in the customer’s spot, right in front of the dealership’s door. I visited on a weekend night. Upon entering, I saw a beautifully displayed assortment of a wide range of body styles. My target model was displayed prominently.
A pleasant and knowledgeable salesperson came over and we discussed my needs. He answered all of my questions and handled various concerns. I was offered a leisurely test drive. My wife and I put the test car through its paces and were more than satisfied with the car’s performance, handling, and comfort. We go back and discuss the price and terms with our salesperson. Within minutes of agreeing on the details of the transaction, we were completing the paperwork; a large number of forms (most of them government related) and financial applications.
We were offered coffee, soft drinks, water and snacks while we waited for the Finance Manager to complete the transaction. In the meantime, we noticed that at least 6 other sellers were also involved in various stages of the transactions. The place was busy, productive, well organized and prosperous.
The sale was soon consumed, the seller handed us the keys and the car which he detailed. We had arrived at the store around 7:00 p.m. and were leaving with a new car, a major purchase, at 8:35 p.m.
Now for the opposite end of the service experience spectrum: the DMV. DMV hours are classic 1950s banker hours, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Upon entering, you take a number and sit until called. I picked up a book to read, luckily. An open office was visible containing a sea of Steel Case desks. The desks were occupied by a lethargic team of seemingly disinterested bureaucrats. There was no way to quantify productivity because nothing seemed to happen.
There were no concessions in sight. I had arrived around 9:30 and there was a significant line in front of me. I moved in long-term with John Grisham. As he frequently checked the monitor to note the progress toward the call to my number, I noted to my amazement that very few of the 12 customer service windows were continuously open.
At 11:40 AM, my number was finally called. Fortunately, I had learned from previous DMV experience in multiple states to bring all the records, including lots of cash. Cashing a check can be troublesome and credit cards are not accepted. Many people before me were turned away, very upset that they didn’t have their full complement of documents.
I finally conducted my business with a faceless and uncaring paper salesman. He had burned through half my day spending several hundred dollars with the state on license fees. When I left the office, I surprisingly realized that he was not upset, disappointed, but surprised. I had just encountered a government bureaucracy. They had taken my money and given me a driver’s license. It was a cold, ruthless, slow and necessary transaction. I did not expect more or less.
Equally surprising was my lack of appreciation for my new car-buying experience. An astonishingly complex transaction had been handled with professional diligence. My finances had been thoroughly scrutinized; Financing requested and confirmed in minutes. They provided me with amenities, the opportunity to shop at my convenience at night, and a motivated and knowledgeable salesperson interested in securing my business by meeting my needs. I expected to experience all of these elements when buying a new car. I wasn’t particularly grateful.
Private companies are successful in providing quality goods and services at the best possible price. The Surly service surely exists, but not in many successful stores. We live in a service economy; We take good service for granted and when we experience poor service, we are almost always surprised. It seems to be an aberration. Business requires happy customers.
The government, on the other hand, does not require happy and satisfied customers. The mob is a captive audience. The government employee, except military, firefighters, and police officers, does not face public opprobrium or particularly high performance expectations. Well paid, armed with attractive benefits and without exaggerated performance goals, the bureaucrat lives in a cocoon of security. Not much is expected and not much is given beyond the minimum.
Consider a visit to the post office and a similar trip to FedEx. The comparison of this service experience should be an embarrassment for the government. FedEx’s flexibility and service business model is a crushing indictment of loss-making, customer-unfriendly post office policies and staff.
I’m a marketing consultant by trade. If he were hired by the government (and that would never happen), he would never allow the public to see the inner workings of any government office. Such scrutiny would be evidence of reprehensible waste, indifference and duplication. USA Today reported that the average government worker is paid more than $25,000 (salary and benefits) than a private sector worker with similar duties. This is an outrage, and yet we have many people and politicians who strongly believe that we need more government. No more bureaucrats are needed. We need to introduce incentives and entrepreneurial ideas and creativity into every layer of our bloated government.
After Hurricane Katrina, all levels of government were exposed as incompetent. To this day, the performance of government at all levels, state, local, and federal, has been dismal. And yet, very little publicity has been directed at private-sector companies like Fluor, WalMart, Home Depot, Lowes, FedEx, and Valero that have performed heroically almost since the storm passed. They are not gambling with other people’s money. They have every incentive to produce positive results. Unfortunately, the government does not face the same performance pressure.
It’s time we wait for a contact with the IRS, Census Bureau, DMV or local county court to approximate a visit to Best Buy or Auto Nation. It’s also time we appreciate the incredible level of service we take for granted every day. I don’t expect a free latte when I visit Uncle Sam, I expect prompt service, a smile, and a thank you. After all, we are the paymasters of the bureaucratic class. They work for us. Public service employment should be a privilege that demands the highest levels of performance and zero tolerance for slackers or those with attitude problems.
Each bureaucrat must be assigned a workload that results in the taxpayer receiving a full complement of benefits.
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