Spend the day with a hapless customer as he experiences life on the other side of the window. You'll discover, as he does, that seeking help from public sector customer service representatives is often no picnic. And what makes it worse, and ultimately more poignant for him, is that he IS a government worker!

This important video illustrates how bureaucratic systems and procedures, however necessary to workflow, can get in the way of providing the level of service - and respect - the public requires. It's a valuable journey into attitudes and assumptions, a realistic look at the day-to-day public sector workplace that is full of customers anxious about the help they need and well-meaning CSRs hampered by inflexible rules.

In addition to the vignettes that take place in office settings with actual service windows, the scenario of our forlorn friend stuck on the side of the road with his stalled auto also demonstrates the need for good government customer service. When a County Works truck comes along, our customer thinks he's saved. But this government worker only lets our friend know he's blocking the road and should move immediately, without offering assistance.

There's nothing quite so powerful as viewing circumstances from the other person's perspective. This is the true value of The Other Side of the Window: Providing Exceptional Service in Government.

Viewers will learn:

• How to apply flexibility and common sense so that working 'by the book' doesn't preclude satisfying the customer.
• Behind every voice on the phone is a real human with real needs and concerns.
• Most people seeking help from government agencies are addressing serious issues. Empathy goes a long way.
• Every customer should be treated with the same degree of courtesy and respect, no matter what the circumstances.
• Customers have a right to expect equal levels of customer satisfaction from public and private sector CSRs.