PROBLEMS ARE OPPORTUNITIES..

SERVICE STORY: MY LIC DAYS

BY PG.POOCHERY

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This is CA Banch office of LIC. There were really good workers among the staff members. They were a helpless lot and often therefore did not speak out anything. Usually they kept quiet. In fact, they were on a platform waiting for the next available train to move out of the branch centre. That was once the pitiable condition of this branch office.

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Customers had real problems in this branch centre. They were not attended with proper care. They were required to visit the branch centre again and again. Inspite of these visits, there were no solutions. And naturally customer complaints increased to such proportions that an alarming situation was slowly developing at this centre.

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To begin with, therefore, customers were carefully dealt with. A register with a page allotted to every customer was introduced. What the customers were representing was noted on a particular page.

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Thus pages continued to be allotted to each customer. Within months it was found that there were customer complaints running to a couple of hundreds. Complaints continued to pour. When all the pages of a register were filled with complaints, an index to find out the customer's page was prepared.

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Slowly customers noted that their complaints were not getting solved but there was a system in the branch centre to note down their complaints.

And when a customer visited the centre again, the register was taken out and progress of work noted in the register was explained to him. All incoming official letters were carefully scanned through and the information was carefully noted on relevant pages. Instead of saying that something would be done, customers noted that there was a sincere attempt to do something to solve their problems. And they received correct details of what was being done.

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Time required for sittings with the customers could be shortened. There was no narration of the grievances again and again. Everything was noted down in the registers.

Since details were available in the registers, there was need only for noting what was required to be done. And so understanding with the customers improved. They realized that their complaints were carefully noted and when they visited the branch centre, at least they received a responsible reply.

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Side by side the erring lot among staff members were dealt with. No privileges were allowed to anybody. Some transparency in the working was brought out. In a particular case, severe punishments were awarded. An increment in the regular time scale of an employee was stopped for misbehaviour.

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Situation slowly changed. Discipline returned to the branch centre after many years. Managers and staff members had better understanding now.

Day after day, a sense of confidence was developing. In the ears there were murmurs: when there are problems there are solutions too.

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A great management pundit said: "Problems are opportunities!"

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