Plain Malaysian - May I Help You?

1 April 2011 - 3.25 pm

I'm currently working in an office where we have a PAP (Pembantu Am Pejabat - Office General Helper) who acts as our receptionist too. She sits behind the counter, entertaining visitors. I'm not writing this to question her job because she is doing a pretty good job (despite her moody behavior and her passion in mumbling stuffs), but I want to express my thoughts about those people at the other end of the line, the VISITORS.

We have lots of visitors (hardly), ranging from our own students to unknown people who try to suck the money out from our accounts. They come, they do whatever they wanna do, they leave. Sounds easy, isn't it? Well, it is, as long as they follow these steps :

1. They enter the main door
2. They go to the counter, where we have the lovely lady (our receptionist) waiting
3. They tell the receptionist what they want; whether to drop something for the lecturer or to meet someone or whatever
4. The receptionist will then take them to see the person they wanna meet, or ask them to drop their things in the pigeon hole
5. They say thanks (rarely), and leave
6. We live happily ever after


If you follow those steps, it would seem like there is absolutely no hassling let alone heavy errand involved in doing business with us, right? WRONG!

Somehow, the students think that those steps are a little too not easy to follow, so they make their own steps, which conclude :

1. They enter the main door
2. They enter the second door
3. They go straight to the people the wanna meet, leaving our receptionist clueless
4. Or, they go straight into our Heads of Program rooms, disregarding whether the persons are in their office or not
5. They leave (usually after being scolded by our lovely moody receptionist)
6. We don't get to live happily ever after

I found this happens a lot, and believe me, it drains the respect (a bit if not a lot) towards the students out of me. I mean, seriously, you guys are highly educated people. Act like ONE!

Chow!