Why governments must see citizens as valued customers

Many Americans distrust government at all levels; their disapproval ratings of the Congress and the Supreme Court are at record highs. Part of this is simply “distance.” A Congress and Senate with only 535 members cannot keep in touch with a population of over 345 million and vice versa.

At Al Gore’s National Performance Review in the 1990s we learned that for many Americans their negative views about the efficiency and effectiveness of government stemmed from the hours they’d had to spend at their local DMV offices, getting their drivers licenses renewed, obtaining titles and license plates, etc. The DMV was “government” to them.

For example, at the offices of the Maryland Vehicle Administration (or MVA), there are dozens of chairs and only a handful of service desks. And seldom are the service desks all staffed. You are told “Take a number and we’ll call it when it’s your turn.” A wait of several hours is often followed by just several minutes at a desk while your photo is taken and a new license is printed out.                  

While more staffing and increasing online services would be helpful, the number of people in line will always vary by day of week and month and time of day, as well as by the differing issues brought to the desks.                  

As I waited over three hours one morning in January 2019, I thought about the MVA’s lack of concern for our time and comfort. There were no vending machines, no magazines to read, nothing. The chairs were all in straight lines, so group conversation was impossible as well.                  

As lunchtime approached, I began to wonder if there was someplace quite nearby where I could get something to eat and not lose my place in line. And then it struck me – there was a very large parking lot outside the office, and even a few food trucks there would alleviate hunger, obviate boredom, and encourage conversation!                  

Several days later I wrote letters to Maryland’s governor, his secretary of transportation, and the head of the MVA, suggesting they allow some food trucks to park at each MVA office and also provide outdoor speakers relaying ticket numbers when called.                  

Several weeks later I got only one response, a letter stating that coffee is available in each office upon request. That was it. 

I was then reminded of an article, Managing Government, Governing Management (Harvard Business Review, May-June 1996) by Henry Mintzberg that elaborates and distinguishes the roles of customer, client, citizen, and subject. Private sector efforts to attract, please, and maintain relations with customers are quite obvious and very well known.  

And I was struck by how little, and how seldom, government agencies consider how best to treat citizens while they are, in effect, customers. And how this might affect the widespread dissatisfaction citizens have with our government.

If they don’t care, we don’t care.

(Image credit: Unsplash)