to serve better

Back where I was just a scholar on my first year of bachelor's degree, one of the concentrations on my major is public service. It was crucial to study the emergence, progression and “illness” associated with it. Why it was crucial? Well, most of us believe that public services are one of the basic needs for human being. It is composed of rights and obligations that relating to the relationship between human as a citizens and government as a provider. And hence there is paradox because of those relationship. How and why? Let's start the engine! 

After approximately twenty years of education since primary education until at least master's degree and experiencing twenty years more in life, I concluded based on my lack of understanding, there are several major purposes why people live: to live, learn, survive, and develop. All of which require skill to socialize and serve. Socialize, since it is our basic character of human beings. You may have read about the theory that explain human are social creatures because they have tendencies to live and interact in groups. Some of the reasons why humans are called social beings that are: the need to interact, subject to social norms, dependence of social environment, and group formation. Thus, this social nature is an integral part of human existence. Now you remember it right? Further, we can read books like Ilmu Sosial dan Budaya Dasar by Herimanto Winarno and by Aep Saepulloh- Rusdiana with the same title. Due to this context, there is a need to be served and to serve. This is the starting point of so-called SERVICE. As a citizen, efforts to fulfill these needs require and are provided by the government, especially things related to basic rights such as identity, primary needs, employment and others as a citizen. This is the milestone point of public service; you recognize it through the slogan of excellence service. Have we achieved it or even surpassed it? Are you ready to reflect and introspect it? 

Public services are essentials to functioning the societies, ensuring the well-being and securitize citizens. The encompasses various sector such as healthcare, education, transportation, law enforcement and even residence and citizenship identity. The emergence, development and full realization of public services has been shaped by historical, economic and political factors. Understanding this evolution help us to improving service delivery and achieving a more effective governance structure.  

The concept of public services dates to ancient civilizations where ruler provided basic services like road, water supply and military protection. In medieval Europe, Church played a significant role in education and healthcare. The formalization of public service began during Industrial Revolution when rapid urbanization and economic expansion necessitated organized system for sanitizing, policing and public welfare. Looking for more reference? Explore it on work of public administration from theorist such as Paul Starr’s The Social Transformation of American Medicine or Richard A. Musgrave’s The Theory of Public Finance. With the rise of welfare state in 20th century, government took a greater responsibility for public service provision, driven by social reforms and economic policy aimed at reducing inequality. Event such as the introduction of universal healthcare system and public education reform significantly contributed to modern public service structures. The development of public services has been influenced by key factors like technology, economic policies, globalization, citizen participation and shift of governance models in reaction to changes. The next development level of public services influenced by conditions like the era of Neo liberalism and public sector reform that challenged and criticized the expanding of welfare state e.g. efficiency concern, fiscal pressure, privatization, deregulation and market-based approaches. Later: the contemporary landscape consists of hybrid models and New Challenges that highlight emerging challenges such as globalization, technology advancement, climate change and increasing social complexity.  

For sum, there are several theories in public administration suggest that the effectiveness of public services depends on continues adaptation, assessment, and restructuring that emphasized review and reflection, evolution and experimentation, sustainability, and user centric approach. Those theories are: 

To maximize the efficiency and reach of public services, several measures must be undertaken such as: policies reform, investment in technology, making public-private collaboration, decentralization, capacity building, create and maintain sustainability initiatives, and for wise reason rely on data driven decision making.  

The emergence and development of public services has been driven by societal needs, economic policies, and technology advancements. Realizing the full potential of public services requires strategic reforms, digitalization, and participatory governance. By embracing modernization and sustainability, government can ensure that public services remain effective, accessible, and resilient facing future challenges. Theoretically? How's in real situations? Where’s the paradox? 

For those who lived in Indonesia. Have you experienced visiting banks such as Mandiri, BSI, BCA, and others? This isn’t sponsored. Who am i anyway? Its a complimentary having such a best excellent service, the layout, employee performance and conduct, moreover customer centered services. You may be familiar with trending topics few years ago, stated that the best, friendly dan excellent service security force is those who work in BCA. What's the connection? Even the state-owned or non-state-owned enterprise has found the key to survive and growth, their SERVICES. When I was at collage, lecturer always indoctrinate that service is the key, to serve better is a strategy, a good servant is an asset, and sadly bureaucracy is the worst servant. I don’t know since when bad service by the bureaucracy seems to be a dogma and justification that it is natural. Perhaps this is the legacy of colonialism. That those who need those services it must adjust, and that the provider can act and willingly according to their will. After all, they are the drafters of their own service policies. It used to be back then, how is it now? 

As a human being, it is natural that we always want to be well served. The private sector has long been aware of and gaining momentum to change its strategy to focus on services, and state-owned enterprise sector has followed. Both are aware that a profit-oriented business is a business that must also be customer-oriented. Satisfied customers increasing profit potential, so they must be customer-centered based business strategy. In the government sector, this is inevitable. Even though it has been improved, there are still basic homework, norms and ethics of the servant itself. Being kind is to your boss and colleagues, while serving is boring. This must be fixed. What is the best strategy for it? This requires a structured, interconnected strategy that involves a wide range of assets and resources. 

Every organization, at least in simply consists of three elements: mechanisms, means of infrastructure and resources. A mechanism is a set of rules and guidelines for how an organization works, in this case how services are distributed. Infrastructure facilities as well as weapons for troops in war. With the development of technology, infrastructure must also follow and adapt to win the war, win the hearts of customers. Last but in my opinion, the most important, resource, in this case are human resource, the service provider. Service providers must be equipped with a set of awareness and norms on how to provide the best service. Customer-centered work must be embedded as a guideline to serve the best, not just better. In a simple word, “Serve as you like/want to be served”.  This is not a one-sided assessment and generalizes the overall services provided by one or more agencies. In more subtle terms, the government public service sector is a golden niche that can be scaled up on a larger scale and have a more significant impact on both the government itself and customers. In the government sector, by providing services at the highest quality as done by the private sector and state-owned enterprises, it automatically provides the highest trust and assessment by the people who use the service. Automatically, it boosts the aspect to increase the implementation of bureaucratic reform. In the end, this collapses one of the bureaucratic pathologies, especially the service sector. On the other hand, the best service experienced by the community will increase trust, bring them closer to meeting other needs provided by the government to increase awareness of compliance. In the private sector, loyal customers are an asset. In the government sector, community compliance is a mission to support the realization of the vision. To achieve this condition, a multi-sector strategy is needed. In this article, I will only present a few subjective suggestions that can be taken into consideration. The rest, we can discuss further. 

First, however, society like us, needs to work to earn income to support their lives. In this case, providing a little time to take care of matters related to the government sometimes requires sacrifice. For example, when we need to be in contact with government services, we need to take leave if it is on weekdays, which may have an impact on reducing leave allocations or even reducing income. Trivial but impactful. Some government agencies realize, by providing services on holidays, and even in strategic locations such as malls and some other hangout places with their pop-up booth, making them getting closer to customers. Finally, customers do not need permission on weekdays, they just need to go to the mall on holidays as if they were playing. Thats relieving for customers. But some others have stopped the service. Even though they have set up their services in strategic places, they closed the service on holidays, where they previously opened the service. Hopefully this is just a temporary change. It is a common dream, at least as my dream if the service can even be presented on Sundays. It may be excessive, but it is necessary to realize that not all workers are off on Saturday, at least they need to work first in the morning before at the afternoon gets a day off. How to make it happen? This requires mutual understanding and agreement, one of which is to reset the work schedule. If previously the work schedule was all standardized, then at least for units that provide direct service to the community or the front office adjust the work schedule so that they can provide services on holidays, especially Sundays. There’s no need to have to be as heavy as providing Sunday services all day, maybe half a day is enough, also on Saturday. In return, those who serve on a holiday are given a 2-day holiday on the next business day. Second, to compensate for those strategy before, a slight adjustment is needed in the news of additional income for the frontliners. The sacrifices of these frontliners must be rewarded by restructuring the formula for providing additional income. I know this will be a little heavy, if it cannot be called complicated, there is also a need for regulatory restructuring to make it happen. However, if it is possible to assume that this can be realized, then a fairer proportion will be realized if these front liners get a slightly larger additional income. If previously the income structure was given equally in an equal position, then in the future it’ll be based on the proportion of the number of services provided or successfully completed. The more services that are successfully provided or completed, the higher the additional income. This has consequences, the service provider will do the best and maximum to achieve the maximum additional income. Last, at least at this article, frontliner or service provider. Service providers need to be equipped with personality skills, such as the slogan of the three ‘S or even five in Indonesian Language: Senyum, Salam, Sapa, Sopan, Santun (smile, greetings, politeness and manners). This has been running in the private sector and state-owned enterprises, and some even maintain this achievement by providing continuous training every period, at least once a semester. Of course this is an expensive investment. However, as with business advice, it is hoped that an expensive investment will provide a more significant return so that it seems as if the investment does not seem too much of a choke. It is important to build high principles and service personalities for frontliners.  

Enough for now. To close this chapter, like a principle that looks naïve, I also try to implement and improve myself to make it happen. It can be said that I am stuck with the principles that I hold fast to. But back to the simple saying, “Serve as you want to be served. Let's serve better!