Successful companies usually have one common thread: great customer service.
They have figured out it is better to play offense on their customers questions and concerns than play defense on their grievances.
One organization that hasn’t seemed to prioritize customer service over the years is government. That’s not to say there aren’t daily examples of great customer service within the veins of government. Just not enough.
It’s hard to remember the last time I walked out of a post office excited to keep paying my taxes on time.
When is the last time you were at Home Depot and couldn’t find a more than helpful associate wearing an orange apron who could help you find something you were looking for, no matter how obscure it was? Their ability to memorize the entire 100,000-square-foot store is almost as impressive as their genuine excitement to personally guide you to the exact location on the shelf.
Chick-fil-A provides another master class in customer service.
It almost seems impossible for a customer to have a bad experience at one of their locations these days. From the employee that joyfully takes your order in a sweltering hot drive-through line to the employee patrolling the dining room for drink refills, they’ve turned customer service into an exact science. When they say, “My pleasure,” I really believe them!
Against all odds last week, my preconceived notions about government were flipped on their head in an unexpected place: jury duty.
For the first time in my 50 years of existence, I was summoned to jury duty at the Forsyth County Courthouse. From the moment I opened the jury notice I received in the mail from Clerk of Court Greg Allen, I could tell something was going to be different about this interaction with government.
The notice was easy to read and contained tons of useful information, including how to select my preferred way to receive timely updates via phone, text or web. It even contained a convenient QR code to scan for a quick link to a juror questionnaire to fill out in advance.
When I finished reading the two-sided jury notice I literally had no questions left to ask about the process.
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Credit: Geoff Duncan
The crystal-clear notice turned out to be just the beginning of my positive jury duty experience.
On reporting day at the courthouse, all 100-plus of us jurors were greeted by the absolute friendliest clerk of court staff in the jury assembly room, all dressed in their Sunday best. They quickly got each of us signed in, answered all of our rookie-level questions and, most importantly, did it with huge smiles.
It was like these people enjoyed their jobs!
At 8 a.m. sharp, Mr. Allen walked to the podium and enthusiastically welcomed us to jury duty and proceeded to clearly explain the confusing and disruptive process we would be going through the rest of the week. Every detail was covered, including how to use the preloaded debit cards that were handed out to cover our $25 a day per diem.
Mr. Allen took the time to explain to us jurors the debit cards were a little clunky to use but only cost the county $0.37 each versus the significantly higher cost of cutting us an actual check. Great customer service with a splash of fiscal sanity — what a concept.
No detail was left uncovered, and no question left unanswered by the time he was done addressing us that day and all the other subsequent days we reported to the courthouse.
The most impressive customer-centric action came just moments before the jury selection process was set to commence.
Mr. Allen stepped back up to the lectern and displayed a level of nimbleness I’ve rarely, if ever, seen before in government. He told us for the next few minutes he would be in the back of the room in a quiet corner to meet privately with any potential jurors who felt like they had a special situation at home that made serving on a jury that particular week a burden too heavy.
Only a handful of potential jurors lined up in the back of the room, and a majority of them were excused from jury duty until a later date. I’m not certain, but I’m guessing he didn’t have to do that.
Great customer service is rarely a mistake; it’s usually a priority of those in charge.
Kudos to Mr. Allen and his staff for prioritizing customer service to their customers, the taxpayers. I’m hopeful more government agencies can follow their lead.
The only disappointing part of the week for me was I didn’t end up getting to serve on a jury, although it was close. Maybe next time.
Geoff Duncan, a contributing columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, served as Georgia’s lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023. He is a former professional baseball player and the author of “GOP 2.0: How the 2020 Election Can Lead to a Better Way Forward for America’s Conservative Party.” He is also a contributor to CNN.
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