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10th January 1999 |
News/Comment| Editorial/Opinion| Business| Sports | Mirror Magazine |
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Every customer is entitled to courtesy Too
often we hear the plaintive cry that people who deal with departments that
are expected to perform a "public service" get the short end of the stick.
Maybe this is why the newspapers conduct that vital Ombudsman service to
take up cudgels on behalf of a frustrated public that cannot get these
"public servants" to serve as they really should.
At a recent Business Communication Workshop at the Queen's, stress was laid on the essential courtesy that every customer is entitled to. A friend recently received a parcel from the USA. The parcel was damaged and while it was delivered nevertheless, he was very pleased, pleasantly surprised, to also find on the wrapping, a note from the US Postal Service. I am reproducing this note if only to show the time and trouble a huge organisation like the US Postal Service takes to ensure that its customers are not put out by any glitches. Dear Postal Customer, The enclosed has been damaged in handling by the Postal Service. We are fully aware that the mail you receive is important to you. Realising this, each employee in the Postal Service is making every effort to expeditiously handle, without damage, each piece of mail with which he is entrusted. Nevertheless, an occasional mishap will occur. The Postal Service handles approximately 154 billion pieces of mail each year. It is necessary, therefore, that highly sophisticated mechanical/electrical systems be utilised by the Postal Service to ensure our customers prompt delivery of their mail. At times, a malfunction will occur, the result of which is a damaged piece of mail. We are constantly working to improve our processing methods so that these incidences will be eliminated. You can help us greatly in our efforts if you will continue to properly prepare and address each letter or parcel that you enter into the mail stream. We appreciate your co-operation and understanding and sincerely regret any inconvenience you have experienced. Your Postmaster. There is a lesson to be learned here, I am sure. Would that our public services be as considerate and thoughtful. As the letter states, the US Postal Service handles 154 billion pieces of mail per year! Today, with plans for the new Postal Corporation, it may be timely to remind that what we, the public, look to is not the smart uniforms and caps and carry bags (although we suppose these are essential) but a courteous, efficient service that will also have the good grace to "sincerely regret any inconvenience" whenever such occurs. Even when they go on strike here nobody wishes to sincerely regret and inconvenience. We are the grinners and the bearers! Kithsiri re-electedKithsiri Wanigasekera, Chairman and MD of Sinhaputhra Finance Ltd., Kandy, has been re-elected Chairman of the Finance Houses Association of Sri Lanka (FHA) for a consecutive term. The FHA, which is the watchdog body of the country's Central Bank registered Finance houses has announced its Committee of Management for 1999 as follows.Chairman: Kithsiri Wanigasekera. Vice-Chairmen: W. Sellamuttu, MD, Finance & Land Sales Ltd., and K.H.S. Jayatissa, MD, Panadura Finance & Enterprises Ltd. Immediate Past chairman: E.H. Wijenaike, Director (Credit), Central Finance Co. Ltd. Finance Houses on the Committee are: Bartleet Financial Services Ltd. represented by Susantha Fernando; Commercial Credit Ltd. (V.W. Fernando, Chairperson and MD); Industrial Finance Ltd. (R.R. Tudawe, MD); LB Finance Ltd. (Naomal Soysa, MD); Mercantile Investments Ltd. (Deshabandu George Ondaatjie, Chairman and MD); The Rupee Finance Co. Ltd. (Nanda Amarasinghe, Chairman and MD). Pratapkumar de Silva, Chairman of Alliance Finance Ltd. continues to assist the Committee. The FHA Secretariat is housed in his company premises at Ward Place, Colombo 7. No yako-dancingThe fourth International Medical Congress held in Kandy last month got off with a day one grand dinner dance at the Mahaweli Reach Hotel. Significantly enough, Professor Shanti Mendis, the Congress Committee's Chairperson, said that many members had actually enrolled in "dancing classes" several months ago if only to bring back to the dance floor the waltz, quickstep, polka, foxtrot, samba and cha-cha which, he said, is what real dancing is all about. In fact, Prince Ratnam, the dance instructor who would come from Colombo every week, was very much on the floor himself.As Professor Nimal Senanayake, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said, and which was heartily endorsed by all, dancing must be an exhibition of true art. Sadly enough, the sort of modern dancing we see (which Attorney-at-Law Zavahir calls "yako-dancing") is at best a loutish exhibition where people simply cavort vulgarly to a beat. Whatever the verdict, the gala evening went off beautifully, preceded by a programme of variety entertainment presented by Alumni past and present. And, as the song goes, everyone declared: "I could have danced all night!" |
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More Plus * Well deserved tribute to an artist of Buddhist themes * Book review
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