Kevin Ang
National Environment Agency

A little kindness can go a long way. In fact, in the case of Quality Service Manager Kevin Ang, it went all the way up to a Member of Parliament and Chief Executive Officer of the National Environment Agency (NEA)!

Kevin receives an average of four written compliments a month. Most of these are short thank-you notes and emails. But on 22 September 2004, he received a long email from a grateful customer.

The email was even copied to the Chief Executive Officer of NEA, Brigadier-General Lam Joon Khoi, and Member of Parliament for East Coast Group Representation Constituency, Mr Lee Yock Suan.

Wrote the customer, Ms Tang: "It was most inspiring to see you, a member of the NEA. take on an encouragingly responsive, pro-business and entre-preneurial quality in your service towards your customers."

A story of excellent, personalised service delivery

Some time in mid-2004, Ms Tang wrote to the NEA's Hawkers Department requesting to rent a stall in Holland Market. She wanted to sell homemade pastries.

However, her application was rejected as the rental of the vacant stalls in Holland Market was frozen. The NEA had earmarked the market for development in the near future.

Unhappy with the reply, she made at least three attempts to appeal for a re-evaluation but was unsuccessful.

When Kevin took over her case in August 2004, he immediately called her and arranged to meet up at the café in his office building.

"Usually a phone call would suffice. However, I felt that it would be good to meet up with her in person so that she knows the NEA is seriously looking into her concerns," said Kevin.

"Even if the outcome did not turn out to be what she wanted, at least she would know that we put in effort to review her case. People tend to be more appreciative and understanding when you go the extra mile."

Kevin bought Ms Tang a cup of coffee and provided a listening ear while she poured out her heart. She told him she was hoping to start a new business and wanted to test her products by renting a hawker stall at Holland Market.

From Ms Tang's sharing, Kevin gained a better understanding of her needs. He clarified the NEA's stand and limitations and suggested alternatives such as renting a stall at another hawker centre.

At the end of the discussion, he assured her he would do what he could to help her. Ms Tang was appreciative of the time he had spent with her.

True to his promise, Kevin tried his best to help Ms Tang. Coincidentally, the Hawkers Department was launching a new scheme to let out some of the stalls in Holland Market on a short-term basis. This arrangement was perfect for her as well as the NEA.

Said Kevin: "The department wanted to let out the stalls on a short-term basis to optimise occupancy of the stalls. I saw it as an opportunity for her. It's a win-win situation - while NEA can maximise rental, she can get what she wants."

Before Ms Tang signed the six-month contract, Kevin advised her to keep operational costs low as the lease period may not be long enough for her to recover the set-up costs and there was no guarantee of a lease extension.

For the joy of helping others

Kevin was pleasantly surprised to receive Ms Tang's compliments. But even if he did not hear from her, simply being of help would have been his reward.

"It is always satisfying to know that what you have done has helped a person in some way or another," he said.

"So long as it is within my ability to help someone with a genuine concern, I would definitely put in the effort to do so."

— Contributed by Annie Then, NEA