International Process and Performance Institute

We don’t often think of governments as purveyors of great customer service. In fact, we are often dumbfounded when a government agency actually delivers what we would call “good customer service.”  When it happens we first think “Oh, this person must be new and doesn’t understand yet;” or “I’ve passed into an alternate reality and this really isn’t happening.”  The problem is when it comes to most governments, and in particular, western governments; they don’t have any clarity who the customer really is.  So when processes are designed and implemented, they often serve only the funding source such as the chief executive (i.e Mayor, Governor or PM, or President) or legislative body (i.e. legislatures, parliaments, Congress, etc.). 

However, I have seen an interesting trend in the Middle East of late.  Many of the eGovernement initiatives in a number of Middle Eastern countries are setting their sights on satisfying who is most often the real customer – the citizen.  One example is the Kingdom of Bahrain’s eGovernment Authority in their Capacity Building Project.  I was recently in Bahrain and had the privilege of leading a group from this project through the Certified Process Professional program.  I’ve never been more excited about the potential for what can be accomplished with CPP.  Bahrain is already a very nice place to live, and this group is committed to making it a superior experience for the citizens who rely on them for services.  I saw what they can do and the rest of the world should watch and take notice.