Comments on: Unexpected efficiency: the government edition http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/ Honey Bowtie Music blog: where sticky songs meet (occasionally) overdressed ideas. Sweet. Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:47:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: kateo http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2129 kateo Mon, 23 Jul 2007 16:03:38 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2129 We're spending our 10-year meeting anniversary, which is the main anniversary we celebrate, in Paris, and Karsten's birthday a few days later in Amsterdam. And this will be Karsten's first trip out of the U.S. We're really excited. :) We’re spending our 10-year meeting anniversary, which is the main anniversary we celebrate, in Paris, and Karsten’s birthday a few days later in Amsterdam. And this will be Karsten’s first trip out of the U.S.

We’re really excited. :)

]]> By: kateo http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2128 kateo Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:59:04 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2128 Oy. They sure don't make it easy. Oy. They sure don’t make it easy.

]]> By: kateo http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2127 kateo Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:58:05 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2127 Do you <em>know</em> that they aren't using the extra money to hire more people to process the additional work? And if they aren't, why wouldn't they? It would seem the smart thing to do. I'm not sure if this model is all that different from tiered support models that are fairly standard in other businesses. And there's certainly a customer expectation that if you pay extra for premium support, the service provider should staff up to handle the volume without falling below the service expectations of customers paying for the lower-tier but still important service level. Do you know that they aren’t using the extra money to hire more people to process the additional work? And if they aren’t, why wouldn’t they? It would seem the smart thing to do.

I’m not sure if this model is all that different from tiered support models that are fairly standard in other businesses. And there’s certainly a customer expectation that if you pay extra for premium support, the service provider should staff up to handle the volume without falling below the service expectations of customers paying for the lower-tier but still important service level.

]]> By: the_a_frame http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2126 the_a_frame Sun, 22 Jul 2007 03:22:50 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2126 isn't the concept of expedited premium processing just a little rude? my girlfriend was asked to pay $1000 (yes, thousand) dollars to expedite her work visa processing. Why don't they just make it an auction? "Oh, we can do it faster, but what's it worth to you?" It's not like they use the fee to hire someone else to process the premium ones. It just means that for everyone who pays and gets moved to the top of the list, someone who didn't pay gets slowed down even more. Kinda crappy. isn’t the concept of expedited premium processing just a little rude? my girlfriend was asked to pay $1000 (yes, thousand) dollars to expedite her work visa processing. Why don’t they just make it an auction? “Oh, we can do it faster, but what’s it worth to you?”

It’s not like they use the fee to hire someone else to process the premium ones. It just means that for everyone who pays and gets moved to the top of the list, someone who didn’t pay gets slowed down even more. Kinda crappy.

]]> By: queensheba http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2125 queensheba Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:18:19 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2125 I think that's a smart move! My coworker had planned to take a trip to Germany and up until the day before she left, she hadn't received the passport in the mail for her eight-month-old baby yet. I'm not sure if she paid for the speedy processing or not, but I bet she wishes she did if she didn't and if she did, she's REALLY mad! I think that’s a smart move! My coworker had planned to take a trip to Germany and up until the day before she left, she hadn’t received the passport in the mail for her eight-month-old baby yet. I’m not sure if she paid for the speedy processing or not, but I bet she wishes she did if she didn’t and if she did, she’s REALLY mad!

]]> By: aiela http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2124 aiela Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:10:56 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2124 It's been two months, and no sight of ours. They relaxed it, so we can still fly into Vancouver next month - with our birth certificates. Which the passport people have. So now we have to order new birth certificates. It’s been two months, and no sight of ours.
They relaxed it, so we can still fly into Vancouver next month - with our birth certificates.

Which the passport people have.

So now we have to order new birth certificates.

]]> By: rezendi http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2123 rezendi Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:01:33 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2123 Probably a wise move. Where in Europe? Probably a wise move.
Where in Europe?

]]> By: klwalton http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2122 klwalton Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:22:08 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2122 My renewal took less than two weeks. My son's new passport? Not so much. It took Pete Stark's office to get it to him in time for his trip in March, almost five months after he applied for it and paid for the expedited processing. My renewal took less than two weeks. My son’s new passport? Not so much. It took Pete Stark’s office to get it to him in time for his trip in March, almost five months after he applied for it and paid for the expedited processing.

]]> By: theycallmecoma http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2121 theycallmecoma Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:17:13 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2007/07/21/unexpected-efficiency-the-government-edition/#comment-2121 Kate, Our congressman over here in Hooterville is trying to help folks out. Send me an e-mail and I'll see if he can help. T. Kate, Our congressman over here in Hooterville is trying to help folks out.
Send me an e-mail and I’ll see if he can help.
T.

]]>