The Appalling Customer Service at Ghana High Commission-UK

...Government Must Intervene
Our Foreign Missions serve as gateway to Ghana. Therefore respect for "first impression" must be carefully considered. Government is therefore advised not to hesitate on this revelation for customers' complaints have existed for long.

The building that houses the Ghana High Commission was acquired over these periods; President Nkrumah-6years, Afrifa/Ankrah­3years, Prime Minister Busia-21/3years, Head of State Acheampong-6 years, Head of State Akuffo-1year, Chairman Rawlings-3months, President Limann-21/3 years, Chairman Rawlings-11 years, President Rawlings-8 years and President Kufuor-7 years plus.

The situation has become critical that government should respond immediately to bring comfort and confidence to the numerous customers who use the services. This is important to be done to erase the negative impression created about the High Commission over the years, due to poor services.

It is about time the success Ghana has achieved over the last seven years was equally measured against the performances of our Foreign Missions in various countries.

Government has few months left to come to an end. Any development policies should therefore transcend all areas, both at home and abroad. This can only be achieved by reviewing foreign policies, particularly, Ghana High Commission Office at the Highgate Hill in the United Kingdom.

CUSTOMER SERVICE PRACTICE

Customer service practice, a current global marketing strategy is a new concept in Ghana. Apart from newt of the concept, certain Ghanaian lifestyles are also in conflict with it. Often people in various positions consider "mere popular acclamation" as skills to take up responsibilities.

They do not recognise the concept of "position and responsibility". Majority rush to accept positions but either consciously or ignorantly avoid the "attached responsibilities".

This goes to confirm an apparent Ghanaian perception that anybody with a degree can be a skilful manager or politician. Interestingly, also, the Ghanaian wishes to see Ghana miraculously developed to match the western standard.

However, the aspiration is without due regard for the necessary "change" required on some of the cultural practices and lifestyles. Undoubtedly, without the needed review, Ghana may not attain the level we expect it to be.

As a result, it is advisable that politicians, opinion leaders, managers, organisations, institutions, authorities, environmentalists, shareholders, stakeholders etc, adopt these change approach to enhance effective performance to enable Ghana reach the standard expected.

Readers may consider why Foreign Mission Offices in Ghana, particularly the British High Commission and the US Embassy, within a five year period, have embarked on effective and constant refurbishment. Obviously, they have not done so to show their wealth, but rather an adopted strategy to match up modem type customer service requirement.

PHILIP KOTLER

Quoting Philip Kotler, one of the world's leading authorities in marketing from his renowned book; Marketing Management, he indicates:

"In -building customer value, satisfaction and loyalty, managers who believe the customer is the company's only true "profit centre" consider the traditional organisation pyramid (hierarchy) with the president at the top, Management in the middle and Front-Line People and Customers at the bottom, describing this as obsolete. Successful Marketing Companies invert the pyramid (hierarchical structure) placing Customers on top, with Front-Line People next to meet, serve and satisfy Customers. Next are Middle Managers whose job is to support the front-line people so they can serve customers well. The base is top Management, whose job is to hire and support good middle managers" (2006; Page 140)

Good customer service practice requires periodic change strategies. Unfortunately, this strategy is not recognised as important as a result impeding our development. The Ghanaian negative attitude towards this change has equally affected the Ghana High Commission's performances in the United Kingdom.

A musician in Ghana once said, "send the sheep overseas, it will still come back to bleat". The Ghana High Commission in the United Kingdom is not just to receive awards from the UK Government and the Queen.

The UK authorities may not hear or share customers' sentiments about the poor customer service performance the High Commission offers.

GHC'S FAILURE

The GHC is also not only to receive Ghana Government and the entourage, but additionally to serve Ghanaians and other people who visit the Office to transact business properly, efficiently and in a professional manner, irrespective of circumstances.

Unfortunately, the GHC-UK has woefully failed in this duty for the inability to rise up to the challenges of the modern time customer service requirements.

It may interest readers to learn that customer service concern is woefully non existent at the HC. Customers are served in a building which looks 400 years old without having experienced any refurbishment since. Obviously, the building was designed for a housing accommodation, which makes it absolutely unsuitable for an office of this nature. Therefore, continuous rendering modern time customer service in this old fashioned building clearly describes the HC as without vision.

The building, which is difficult to locate, is situated at 104 Highgate Hill in London. It has two outmoded iron gates with two smaller in-built ones on each half.

From outside the gate, one sees every activity in the fore-court. Untypical of the West, the gates open into the fore-court which is without a roof Instantly, there is obvious flout in the Health and Safety Regulations, regarding the number of cars parked inside without due considerations for any fire outbreak. I will reserve comments on security situations but with a caution to act immediately to address the issue since the matter is not something to compromise with, at all.

On entering the building is a window which requires an immediate renovation attention. The office that sells passport application forms. Surprisingly, there are no sales of application forms when it is raining, as there is no protection against rain. Staff working in this office conspicuously looks timid, showing signs of unhappiness, in spite of the beautiful dress code which does not reflect the obsolete nature of building. The roofless forecourt extends to an unutilised long veranda. On the left end of this veranda is the entrance to the offices. Access into the offices is always met with great inconvenience as a result of crowd. Having struggled to enter the first room, a receptionist is located at the right hand corner of this unsuitable small room evidently originally designed as a patio.

THE GHC'S RECEPTIONIST

The receptionist obviously has no office to operate in. There is no available computer facility to either enhance her performance or facilitate good customer service. The real confusion starts from this miniature reception where a slim-looking girl, apparently without the requisite skills to handle the embarrass situation of the office, fumbles with customers.

The receptionist's performance is unprofessional and incompetent, which lacks proper administrative skills. The situation not only compromises good customer service but equally undermines security requirement especially, identity fraud. There is no confidentiality as documents under investigation by the receptionist are irresponsibly exposed to on looking customers.

On the wall, adjacent to the receptionist's desk are three different colour-code tickets machines struggling to stick onto the wall. Customers have to struggle to gain access as a result of other miserably looking customers.

Really, customer service at the HC is appalling, always unprofessional inconvenient and chaotic. Customers' complaints have been spreading throughout UK and among Ghanaians and others. From this chaotic reception, customers inconveniently form two queues on both walls in a short corridor that leads into a second room. The queue on the right ends in this room with roughly 20 seating arrangement.

The left queue goes further towards where three electronic devises calling customers in turns according to their ticket colour code are installed. The wall holding the three devises also needs maintenance attention which confirms the irresponsible customer service practices everywhere in the building.

From this inconvenient small sitting room are three separate lined up service-windows on the right. Each window occupies one staff who responds to one of the three different functions. The staff: especially who served me, appeared moody possibly advertising the plight of the work environment. Opposite to these offices is a toilet which also provides passage for the offices upstairs.

More so, none of the offices has a computer facility, not even a dysfunctional one. Inside the offices look disorganised. One wonders why an office such as the described still uses a hand-written service despite the available modem electronic gadgets in UK.

Does it mean staffs are computer illiterate? Another remarkable situation is the absence of a photo copy machine. Customers are always told to make photo copies of their documents elsewhere. In 2007 some concern Ghanaians offered to provide the HC with a photo copier but the gesture was rejected.

Astonishingly, the HC's Public Relations Officer (PRO) came on air-(Peace FM/Ghana today online), to defend the rejection with funny excuses. This encouraged a listener to describe the Mission as the most mismanaged institution in the United Kingdom.

Telephone communication service is ineffective. Calls are rarely answered except voice message responses. If a caller is fortunate to get a staff to answer a query, the response is always unprofessional. The HC does not acknowledge receipt of written communications despite an application form, an outmoded two-sided sheet of paper with always pen corrections on costs £15 (GH 30). Even sensitive documents sent by either Recorded or Special delivery are not acknowledged. Ventilation is another issue to comment on in that crowded building. This complicates customers' inconveniences. Vending machines service, a common practice in the west, is not provided in the office. No drinking water facility service is provided in the building, either.

POLICEY RECOMMENDATIONS

Government is pleaded to give careful attention to the revelations by considering the following policy recommendations.

1. The building in question should be refurbished if on lease, to reflect modern standard, with appropriate offices, computer facilities in the reception and in all the various offices. Alternatively, the building should be vacated to look for

a suitable one with appropriate facilities. Equally, the HC should abandon the idea of a second building and concentrate all services in the main office in Belgrave. That building is large enough to contain the current dual responsibilities if it is given the necessary upgrade. It will even help resolve the manpower crisis currently faced at 104 Highgate Hill Office.

2. Health and Safety measures should be given the required standard to completely deal with any future fire outbreak in the building, as the current standard woefully fails the acceptable requirements.

3. Security matters should be given important attention both inside and outside the building. There should be visible presence of personnel equipped with modern type of equipment.

4. The reception duties should be redefined to incorporate a suitable office to cater for privacy and convenience for both customers and the receptionist. This is also to ensure security measures against identity fraud. The receptionist should be provided with two modern type reception phones to equip her so that she can direct enquiry calls to the appropriate offices. The unprofessional, unethical and inappropriate answer machines responses during even working hours should be replaced with personal responses. The receptionist needs to be given appropriate training to equip her with the needed expertise/skills to serve customers professionally.

5. All application forms should be updated and formatted on a template on the HC website. This will easily be assessable to customers since they can download the form from the website. It will equally help make easy update on the form rather than the pen correction which makes the form appear unprofessional.

6. The HC should deem it a necessity to acknowledge all correspondences to advise customers the state of their applications.

7. The HC should consider incorporating the £15.00 charge on the outmoded two-sided application form in the processing fees to correct the mind of the numerous customers who feel extorted by compelling them to buy just a sheet of paper at such a fee.

8. Applicants' plight, especially those living far away should be considered.

Instead of compelling them to pay huge transport fares to pick up just a form, they would prefer paying extra £5.00 for application form and processing fees to cover secured postage costs.

9. The HC should consider providing photocopy machines, in colour, black and white. This should relieve customers of the avoidable inconveniences caused when they have to spend about twenty minutes searching to make copies of documents they intend to submit.

Applicants should not be required to attach photocopies of documents to be submited. The HC should bear this responsibility to make their services appreciative and professional. It does not cost much to acquire duplicating sheets and toner, considering the volume of customers the HC receives daily, monthly and yearly, in relation to the money charged for services rendered.

The practice of asking applicants to enclose self addressed stamped envelops should cease forthwith since fees charged by the Commission have considered such factors. The cost of envelops with HC's logo on and postage, either by Ordinary First Class, Recorded or Special delivery is considered inclusively charged.

10. Ventilation facilities to be provided, especially, in summer time. Provision of vending machines should be given consideration. It is not difficult to contract vending machine companies to do the installation. They are also always responsible for operation, filling in the stuff and maintaining the machines.

Drinking water facilities should be provided to bring the office to a modern, convenient and responsible standard, which provides comfort and convenience to customers.

11. All the current staff should be given further training to enable them function properly to handle customers professionally and effectively, either directly or on the phone. They should be trained in computer skills to enrich their capability. Currently, their services are traditionally based. This will not help them as far as similar modem computer-related jobs are concerned: The present acquired skills will not be any useful in this modern time. Future appointments should consider applicants with the expertise rather than any other means.

12. The HC should relate with organised Ghanaian associations, lecturers, students and other interested bodies as majority are more than prepared to offer free consultancy assistance. People should be encouraged to feel proud of the GH Commission. Undoubtedly, the HC has lost its reputation among Ghanaians, foreigners and all kinds of visitors due to the unprofessional reception by the Commission over the years.

13. Customers, visitors and children's comfort, either in the building or in the forecourt, standing or seated should be given comfort attention.

If the building is to be maintained, the refurbishment should consider the number of customers to be allowed in at intervals, regarding those standing and seated. This will help avoid the repletion of current chaotic condition. Comfort arrangement should be arranged for those waiting outside, as well.