I have always wondered why the death rate from diseases in most developing countries is so high. For example, in 2003 alone, more than 1,000... »
Embassy Staff and Customer Service
A friend of mine was asking me how I managed to get my new passport in such a short time. She begun by telling me that she called the embassy and it looks like she was not going to get hers back on time for her to travel. I explained to her that I called the embassy and resolved that the best thing to do was to send the passport directly to someone in back home, which was way much faster. As the conversation progressed we somehow ended up talking more about the lack of customer service that we both received from the embassy. Below is a conversation I had with the Embassy.
Customer (after 5 rings): Good morning, I am calling to find out what I need to do to get a new passport. The passport I have will be expiring in 3 months?
Embassy: You will need to fill an application form.
Customer: How do I get the forms, can I download them online?
Embassy: No we do not have forms online. Go online to the website and get the email address to send us an email with your name, home address, telephone number, and email address. Then we will send you the forms.
Customer: Since I have you on the phone can I just give you my home address now?
Embassy: No, the procedure is for you to send us an email with your home address.
Customer: Okay, how long will it take to get the passport back?
Embassy: It may take 6 months to a year.
Customer (Frustrated thats too long): I am planning on traveling to another country in 4 months, what will I use then?
Embassy: Send us the email first, we will send you the application and then we can talk about your travel plans later.
Customer (Frustrated): I need to make my travel arrangements now, how can I make plans without me knowing what documents I will use to travel. Why should I have to send you my application, in order for you to just tell me what I will use while my passport is expired.
Embassy (Even more frustrated than customer): Madam, I am giving you advice. Let me advise you to send us the email with your details and then we will advise you on what you need to do to travel.
Customer (confused with lack of customer service and the confusing process): Thank you! Good bye.
I feel the need to highlight some customer service tips that may have helped this conversation run smoother than it did.
Have some enthusiasm for your job
From the moment the embassy answered, I could tell that the person who answered was not happy answering the phone. There was lack of enthusiasm in the voice. It felt like I had called at the wrong hour, it was definitely not knock off time. Experts recommend that just simply having a smile on the phone the voice changes.
Know who your customers are
I believe that the embassy does not see that the citizens abroad are its customers. The purpose of the embassy is to help citizens who are abroad. Treating everyone as your customer not only better serves others, it improves your own reputation.
Give the customer a solution
The purpose of my calling was to get a solution, yet I feel like I should never have called. I am not sure why I had to email when the opportunity for someone to avoid wasting time checking email was right in front of them. I am not sure why my question could not be answered when the opportunity to answer was right there, rather I was told to call back later to get an answer to my second question. Customer service dictates that when customers complain to you, it is your responsibility to find a solution.
Stroke the customers ego
I am very cordial most times, and somehow I expect the same treatment from others. Even if I was not the best customer, I still expected some kind of respect. There is a better way of telling someone something by using proper language, not, “madam, let me advise you” Good customer service is about stroking the customer’s ego.
I hope these tips make a difference to someone at the embassy.
4 Responses to “Embassy Staff and Customer Service”
Links
Totally agree we need to improve on our customer service!
I was actually told when I started calling asking for when I could get my passport that it was PEAK time for them and I was wasting their time keeping them on the phone. Peak time meaning they had lots of people applying for visas to go to Zambia. I had to ask any questions by email. This was after they had a few weeks earlier asked to send a self addressed paid for envelope with my old passport etc. I was very disappointed. Once I emailed the hon. Mbikusita lewanika, she was too busy like the rest to reply. I got my passport after about 6 months last october or september and yes guess what - it is not the new passport that we are all required to obtain -its less than a year old.
It is really a shame when you hear such stories. There is a need for the government to explain the purpose for the embassies. Basically what they said is foreigners applying for visas are more important than the citizens. Yet the majority of foreigners who travel to Zambia, travel because they met a Zambian who highlighted to them the beauty of Zambia. We are all representatives for our country. It is a pity that most of us, the one place we feel that our voices will be heard and our message taken back home is the embassy, yet simple questions regarding passports end up requiring so much energy. Also if they decide they are going to focus on emails and internet to communicate, they need make sure they highlight this on the embassy website.
It seems this passport problem is everywhere. i applied for the new passport at the High Commission in Pretoria on 30 January and during the end of February, my old passport was stolen together with my handbag. Living in Cape Town, I called the embassy to help speed up the process as my passport had gone missing and my visa for living in SA was in the stolen passport. The response I got was always a sorry and the only solution they could offer me was a travel document. Trying to explain to them that a travel document couldn’t be used for my workpermit here was like trying to hit the nail on the head and missing all the time. It is such a frustrating process and unfortunately one that we have to keep up with. It has been 5mths since the application and I still don’t have my passport and the best the embassy staff can do is to tell me to ask someone in Zambia to follow up for me so that the process can be quicker. Now we all know that someone following up from Zambia is not just a matter of following up but really a matter of oiling peoples palms and that in simplest terms is what is known as corruption. I wonder if my passport will come and I shudder to think of what I need to do to finally get if the proper procedures do not work. Why can’t embassies have passport printing machines like other country embassies; surley that is more effecient and legitimises the reason why we have embassies in foriegn countries?