THE jubilant arrival of our heroic high-jumper Levern Spencer, should serve as a solid reminder to us all of what can be achieved with dedication and hard work, despite the odds. It is truly fitting that Levern won the gold medal for the high jump at the XXI Commonwealth Games held on the Gold Coast in Australia. She has leaped into the record books, and has taken Saint Lucia along with her. She has taken her game up a notch, and deserves the congratulations and thanks of us all.
There are several lessons that we can, and indeed, should learn from her experience and her journey thus far. For example, the dedication of an individual, out of the spotlight or the public eye, transcends the apparently low levels of acceptance, support and sponsorship.
From an ICT perspective, there are several things that we could easily do to take things up a notch, in our own use of technology to simplify processes, and to speed up operations. The following list may seem obvious:
1) Reduce the time that the public spends waiting in queues;
2) Adopt a capture once approach when designing data entry forms;
3) Develop internal processes to handle work for the customer;
4) Use a transactional model for responding to requests.
Simply put, you should build systems, and store relevant information, to value the time that your customer spends actively waiting for you to execute work. The notion of a queue extends to finding a handy parking spot near your premises. If multiple forms should be filled, you already know several details, so simplify what is being asked for. Your customers will tell you what irks them repeatedly, if you just listen!
As a customer, you probably don’t mind returning one day or one week later for a finished item. The several queues and separate processes which make life easier for the administration, instead of the customer, shows a toxic disdain for customer service that should not be tolerated. It is time to take things up a notch, when easily available computers can help you make a vast difference.
To share your views, contact the author at: www.datashore.net or via The VOICE.
About the Author
Dr.Lyndell St. Ville is an ICT Consultant offering expertise in systems design and analysis.