I was having my breakfast
at MacDonald’s near my office the other day
when something caught my eye. I saw a stack of pink
cards at the far end of the counter. These were
GEMS Cards for customers to write compliments to
the staff who meet excellent service standards.
Initially, I could not quite remember what GEMS
stood for. Then I recalled the advertisements I
frequently saw on television repeating the tagline
“Go the Extra Mile for Service”.
Service excellence is not new to the Public Service.
In fact, since the launch of PS21 in 1995, delighting
customers with C.A.R.E. (Courtesy, Accessibility,
Responsiveness, Effectiveness) has been the main
theme driving many of the PS21 initiatives. Over
the past 10 years, we have seen much improvement
in the way the Public Service serves our customers.
Many countries have found it useful to benchmark
themselves against us.
The journey of service excellence is an ongoing
one. The Singapore 2006 events are an opportunity
to showcase the abilities of Singapore’s Public
Service. To deliver the Singapore 2006 events well,
we need to work across agency boundaries and keep
in mind
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Go-the-Extra-Mile
for Service (GEMS) is a national movement
that encourages everyone to take the
initiative to improve service levels.
GEMS Cards can be picked up from the
counters of participating companies.
Customers just need to fill in simple
details and give the cards to the
staff in appreciation for their good
service rendered. |
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the whole-of-government perspectives. In this fast
changing and complex world, the ability to deliver
as “Many Agencies, One Government” is
the hallmark of service excellence and the distinctive
feature of a first-class Public Service.
So take time to ask yourself: What have I done today
that contributes towards a networked government?
In what ways can I work with other agencies to provide
enhanced service to my customers?
When more and more officers start thinking as “One
Government”, the Public Service will achieve
much more than what it can as individual agencies.
Calis Chuan Editor, Challenge |
