Inter-Sector Differences
Generalizing from private sector experience must take into
account the many differences that exist between public and private sectors. In
practice, great differences in customer management requirements and practices
exist within the private sector, limiting the transferability of experience. In
either case, overlooking these differences can prove very expensive, sometimes
to the extent of leading to complete programme failure. These differences relate
to:
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The type of service/need, ranging from large commercial
organizations gaining permissions from public authorities, to private
individuals applying for and then receiving a state benefit. A simpler
distinction is between revenue raising and expenditure.
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The nature of transactions/cases, ranging from a one-off
transaction (eg request to inspect land registration), to bursts of many
transactions (eg that take place when a relative dies), series (eg submission of
regular tax returns) and continuous (eg receipt of education, intense medical
care). In some cases, individuals' occasional transactions are translated into
continuous relationships by the use of a specialist private sector agent, who
handles the needs of many individuals: for example the accountant handling tax
returns, the lawyer requesting land registration or planning information.
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The degree of variance in cost to serve between individuals
with the same requirement. This in turn often relates to their education level,
previous experience, whether they use an expert agent and other factors. For
example, an experienced customer may 'know the ropes' and how to get served
quickly, or on the other hand how to defer an unwanted public intervention by a
series of interventions which cause public sector re-work.
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How the service is delivered: for example whether it is
local, regional or national, whether it must (for various reasons) be delivered
face to face or can be delivered using other channels such as the telephone,
mail or the Web.
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Whether the service is effectively part of a series of
interactions performed by several agencies for a customer with a given need (eg
the involvement of medical and care authorities in helping the elderly), and how
these agencies interact with each other (including whether there are legal
limitations to their doing so).
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The relative importance of the interaction to both
parties.
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The degree of customer involvement in the delivery of the
service that is possible and/or permissible.
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The extent to which the interaction is initiated by the
customer or by the public supplier.
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The extent to which legal/enforcement issues are
involved.
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The risk to the individual and/or to the public sector of
mismanagement of the situation, which can include anything from threatening the
customer's well-being to causing a politician to look
ridiculous.
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