# Name and Fame..



## thedaras (30 Mar 2010)

Why not post about the great people and experiences you have had with the public service.

Ill start by saying ;

The Tax office; I phoned ,and a very nice woman answered,she was so helpful and stayed on the phone as long as was necessary.

Ambulance men/women, have met quite a few and have never met an unkind one,really great people.


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## Caveat (31 Mar 2010)

thedaras said:


> The Tax office; I phoned ,and a very nice woman answered,she was so helpful and stayed on the phone as long as was necessary.


 
+1 This seems to be common from what I hear.

Library/museum staff are generally pretty good too IME.


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## Mpsox (31 Mar 2010)

I've found the Revenue pretty good to deal with and very helpful

Gardai were very helpful when a non-national lorry driver rammed the side of my car and forced me off the road a couple of years ago, likewise the ambulance men who carted my 7 months pregnant wife off to hospital afterwards (TG she and baby were fine)

+1 for library staff, and the staff in the National Library and the CRO are very helpful if you are doing the familiy tree stuff.

Most doctors and nurses are very helpful and obliging, in particular the consultant who came back in after his hours were finished when my wife was in labour (public patient) as he was concerned as to how it was all going.

I also deal with some in a quango in a professional as opposed to personal capacity and they are very good, knowledable and helpful in what they do


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## Caveat (31 Mar 2010)

Mpsox said:


> Most doctors and nurses are very helpful and obliging,


 
I agree - I should have said this too.


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## huskerdu (31 Mar 2010)

I have had to go to the offices of births, deaths and marraiges and I have a lot of admiration for the staff. Its a stuffy basement office, it was unpleasant enough for the hour we were there, must be hell, every single day, but the staff were really helapful and very nice to deal with. 

Always find the staff on the phone lines in revenue helpful and friendly.


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## elefantfresh (31 Mar 2010)

Revenue and (motor) Tax office very helpful.


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## thedaras (31 Mar 2010)

elefantfresh; I posted this topic to give voice to the good people/service in the public service.

Because the reality is that its the dossers and messers and jobworths and rude ones that get the most publicity, and in fairness to all of the great people who do  try to do a decent days work,it is extremly hard for them and must be very disheartening for them.

No offence meant to you, I dont mean to get at you at all.
So far the Tax office is coming up trumps..

Maybe you could start a thread with the opposite,ie;name and shame?


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## ney001 (31 Mar 2010)

thedaras said:


> The Tax office; I phoned ,and a very nice woman answered,she was so helpful and stayed on the phone as long as was necessary.
> .



Agree doctors/nurses etc etc all very good and indeed I have not had many major problems with public sector in general, but the above...... is that not just part of their job?? I wouldn't consider it a 'great experience' or her a 'great person' just for doing this?  Actually, the very fact that we consider this a great experience says a lot imo!


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## Pique318 (31 Mar 2010)

Thank you to the woman in the Dept Of Ag who sat with my mum for over an hour and a half and went through multiple forms and explained all the rules pertaining to them, and filled out the relevant sections for her accurately. 
I was stumped looking at the forms, and my mum may as well have been reading Greek.
So 'bravo' to the mystery woman.

Gardai have generally been grand whenever I'd had dealings with them (even when getting penalty points!)

Had a poor experience with a registrar in the Mater Private. Very patronising! The nurses on the other hand (Indian/Pakistani) were lovely and very considerate.


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## elefantfresh (31 Mar 2010)

Sorry thedaras - maybe a mod can edit that negative bit out. (ah, i was able to edit it myself)


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## truthseeker (31 Mar 2010)

Thumbs up to the lady in the motor tax office a few years back who gave me my pin number over the phone (which theyre not supposed to do) and said that as far as she was concerned if it made it easier for me to tax my car - then she was happy to do it.

Administration staff in hospitals who have always been very helpful about changing appointments or giving relevant information.

Doctors/nurses - especially in A&E.

One particular doctor in A&E in Tallaght who was so nice to me during a very stressful period and talked to me for a half hour or so about the stressful situation even though it wasnt the reason I was in A&E.

Local Authority - very very helpful on all matters I have ever phoned about.

Local TDs - always give a response to letters/emails/phonecalls in relation to issues in my area.


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## thedaras (31 Mar 2010)

ney001;
Yes you are right it is part of their job, but the reality is that many,many of us have so many bad experiences that it does stand out when we get a great service.

So the point is that we should acknowledge this ,as those who are doing their jobs must be very disheartened by some of their co workers who continue to drag the whole working environment down with consistent complaints/rudeness /dossing/internet surfing/making private phone calls etc .

So fair play to those who are strong enough to stand up and be counted and continue to give a great service.

It is very hard to go in and try to do a decent days work,when you are faced with this,plus the fact that most of the public have no time for them, how else can these good people get recognition?

For example;

You need to go into hospital, one nurse /doctor/cleaner/tealady is unbelievably great.And some are not.

Why not have a system in place where the public can give feedback on their stay and mention the people who were great,and in turn they can get the recognition they deserve.

There should be a way of keeping track of who is getting the best feedback and giving that person some recognition.

And also noting the ones who don't,and having sanctions in place to be implemented when there is a consistent number of bad ratings for that person.

I think,that they don't HAVE to do those things,even if it is their job,and this is the whole basis of what I'm saying, they don't HAVE to,,but they still do..


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## haminka1 (31 Mar 2010)

rotunda maternity - the whole staff were fantastic during my pregnancy and birth
paramedics from navan hospital were really great when i fell downstairs and badly sprained my ankle two weeks before birth and was going into shock due to pain
anne from general registration office for helping me sort out admin issues, she was very kind and helpful


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## Complainer (31 Mar 2010)

thedaras said:


> For example;
> 
> You need to go into hospital, one nurse /doctor/cleaner/tealady is unbelievably great.And some are not.
> 
> ...


The HSE do have a feedback system in place; see [broken link removed]

The problem with linking it to ratings (good or bad) is that it would be nearly impossible to police it - what is to stop me submitting false feedback, either positive or negative?


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## Purple (31 Mar 2010)

In My experience the Gardai have improved hugely in the last few years; much more courteous and professional than they used to be.

Revenue are, and always have been, very professional and efficient.

Some of the state bodies I deal with are also excellent.

You can add me to the list for a thumbs up for the motor tax office.

I’ve had very mixed experiences with doctors and nurses, some excellent some rude, some plain incompetent (and I’ve the scars to prove it!).  

I am a fan of sending letters of thanks after good experiences; people need positive feedback.


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## VOR (31 Mar 2010)

Nurses and doctors are a mixed bunch. But it appears that the pleasant staff go hand in hand with a well run hospital. The culture makes a big difference. My local general hospital was downgraded recently. I didn't have an issue with it as I have found the staff to be rude and unhelpful. I can't say enough good things about the staff in Beaumont or the Mater. 
I find the motor tax office to be very good.
Ditto for dealings with OPW. One girl in particular went out of her way for me a number of years ago.
Also, the local traffic section of the county council are always nice. I get a ticket approximately once every 2 months. The counter staff are always pleasant. They always call back when they say they will if the LASER machine is busy when I call.


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## Molly (31 Mar 2010)

I have had nothing but professional, caring and competent service from the medical staff I have dealt over the years in Our lady of Lourdes Hospital. I have had numerous dealings with A&E dept, Maternity ward and ambulance technician's ( is that the right term ?). 

Local tax office were more than helpful when I couldn't make head nor tail of recent form 12 I received, and Staff in local Social Welfare office were also more than helpful when I was on Illness benefit last yr.

Not wanting to get too negative, But I seem to always come across rude abrupt and threatening Gardai for some reason.


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## Caveat (31 Mar 2010)

I know this is supposed to be a positive thread but I'm astonished at posters' experiences with motor tax.

I find the online system prompt and efficient but the counter staff another story entirely.

Maybe I've been very, very unlucky.

Other than this, as a general observation it sems that those sections/depts that are more likely to be a vocation of sorts (e.g. arty, revenue, medical care) than a transient position, are more likely to have a positive disposition.


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## thedaras (31 Mar 2010)

Complainer said:


> The HSE do have a feedback system in place; see [broken link removed]
> 
> The problem with linking it to ratings (good or bad) is that it would be nearly impossible to police it - what is to stop me submitting false feedback, either positive or negative?



Yes I see they do indeed have a feedback system in place.

The problem is ,it doesn't matter ,As it makes no difference what feedback you give..if you know what I mean.

What I'm suggesting is that in each and every dept there is a feedback form,about how you were treated/level of service etc.BUT with real consequence's for the feedback.

So that say Paul in the tax office for example ,is constantly complained about,then Paul should be reprimanded. It should be noted that this is the situation with Paul when taking into account any future promotions/bonus etc

If for example Peter in the tax office always gets positive feedback,why not reward Peter?

I'm  suggesting  a system whereby a bonus would be given to the person with the best feedback as a reward/incentive.

Why should we we not reward Peter because of Paul?


How to police it?..maybe requires name and address of person who writes it?

What is different about the tax office?
How come they can provide an excellent level of service with great staff?
What is in place there ,that this is the case?
What can be learned from them?


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## Complainer (31 Mar 2010)

thedaras said:


> So that say Paul in the tax office for example ,is constantly complained about,then Paul should be reprimanded. It should be noted that this is the situation with Paul when taking into account any future promotions/bonus etc
> 
> If for example Peter in the tax office always gets positive feedback,why not reward Peter?
> 
> ...


Very difficult to police this. First of all, you need to be absolutely sure the the feedback does come from the customer, and only from the customer. Blank feedback forms suddenly become currency, if Peter can get his mates to fill in and send in a few forms to reward Peter and shaft Paul.

These kind of incentives also get people more focussed on the reward system than the service. On a package holiday a few years back, the reps had a lovely mural on the kids clubhouse window along the lines of 'When in the air, tick the excellent square'. They were obviously being bonused on the feedback from the customer service surveys given out on the return flight, so they were focused on encouraging customers to tick the excellent square (rather than focused on what service they need to provide to get the 'excellent' square). It's just a small example, but as soon as you build an incentive system like this, people play the system.


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## VOR (31 Mar 2010)

Complainer said:


> ...as soon as you build an incentive system like this, people play the system.



I agree about the tick box rubbish feedback forms. But you can use a comment box instead. 
And then if the system is to give good customer service then I say let them play away. As thedaras has said a system with a verifiable element is the way to go and it does work in many companies. 
You don't have to base the reward on the quantity of feedback forms for the employee. Base it on the quality.

Look at it based on objectives such as
- Was the service "above and beyond"?
- Did the employee act within the rules of the company?
- Did the employee overcome internal company procedural roadblocks to better serve the customer?
- Has the employee found a a better way for us to serve our customer?
- Can this  action be considered best practice?
- Can the action be replicated across the entire business?

If managers sat down once a month and looked at all the feedback I am sure they would learn three things:
Firstly, they would get a sense of who is going the extra mile. That person/persons should be rewarded.
Secondly, they would learn issues that frustrate the customer.
Finally, they would learn more about the mechanics of the operation and how to fix the glitches.

And before any one says you can't reward staff, you can! Tap that person on the shoulder at 3 o'clock some sunny Friday afternoon and let them go home early. Even those two hours makes a difference. And often the feeling of being appreciated lasts all weekend which is more than can be said for a couple of extra euro.


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## burger1979 (2 Apr 2010)

VOR said:


> And before any one says you can't reward staff, you can! Tap that person on the shoulder at 3 o'clock some sunny Friday afternoon and let them go home early. Even those two hours makes a difference. And often the feeling of being appreciated lasts all weekend which is more than can be said for a couple of extra euro.


 
my manager does this to me some times. if i have been in the weekend before and the job is ready for the friday morning and is all done and dusted he will let me go on the friday afternoon early. getting off those few hours earlier on a friday especially when its summer time to enjoy the long evenings and heading into a weekend is immeasurable in imo.


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## fobs (2 Apr 2010)

burger1979 said:


> my manager does this to me some times. if i have been in the weekend before and the job is ready for the friday morning and is all done and dusted he will let me go on the friday afternoon early. getting off those few hours earlier on a friday especially when its summer time to enjoy the long evenings and heading into a weekend is immeasurable in imo.


 
This is true but maybe harder to implement in the public service than in a private company. My boss would say to me i can leave early the odd day but this is not company policy as such. I will work evenings/late/weekends if needed and again do not getpaid for this. If this had to be formalised would be harder to do than the informal way it is at the moment. Feel if it was implemented in the public service it would have to be transparent and so harder to be done off the cuff.


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## burger1979 (2 Apr 2010)

True, it would be harder to implement in the public service. anyways any time i have had to deal with revenue then they have always been great, motor tax office in Clondalkin were very good. Also most of the docs and nurses when i have been in the hospital were very helpful and nice.


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## Pique318 (2 Apr 2010)

Except for today when I can't reach anyone in the PS.


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## Yorrick (2 Apr 2010)

The people in the Land Registry and Wills section are excellent. Also National Archives Bishop St. 
You will get great service in both the public and private sector. The problem with the public sector is at times there is no alternative e.g revenue, passport etc whereas with the private sector there is always another shop, plumber etc if you are not happy


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