THE CITIZEN IS THE CUSTOMER, THE VOTER AND THE TAXPAYER ROLLED INTO ONE

THE CITIZEN IS THE CUSTOMER, THE VOTER AND THE TAXPAYER ROLLED INTO ONE

In the private sector, Customer Relations Management (CRM) is like oxygen—companies simply can’t survive without it. It's how businesses keep track of you, anticipate your needs, follow up on your concerns, and make sure you come back. To them, “the customer is king.” They fear losing even a single buyer.

Now ask yourself: When was the last time a government office treated you like a king?

Exactly.

The difference is night and day. In the public sector, CRM is practically unheard of. The idea that agencies should manage their “customers”—which in this case are the citizens, the taxpayers, and the voters—is almost alien. Maybe that’s why our government services are not just inefficient—they’re often insufficient.

So, let’s flip the script. In my book, every citizen is not just a customer. He is a four-in-one power bloc: a customer, a citizen, a taxpayer, and a voter. And yet, he is treated as if he’s lucky to get any service at all—standing in long lines, calling unanswered phones, waiting weeks for basic documents. Is it any surprise people are disillusioned with the government?

Here’s my challenge to every public agency: If private companies are terrified of single-person customers, why aren’t you afraid of four-headed monsters like us?

Time to Get Digital, Time to Get Real

CRM systems have revolutionized the private sector—but in government, we’re stuck in the Stone Age. Most agencies still list only landline numbers on their websites. But who even uses landlines anymore? What about citizens who rely solely on mobile phones?

Worse, many government offices don’t even list email addresses, and if they do have Facebook Messenger accounts, they only respond with autoreplies. Try messaging them and you’ll feel like you're texting into a black hole.

Why not have real call centers that handle emails, texts, Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram, and yes—voice calls? If businesses can do it, why can’t the agencies that are funded by our taxes do it?

Project 8888: A Good Idea Gone Astray

Let me be candid: I conceptualized Project 8888 with the idea that any citizen could contact the President anytime, anywhere, using any device. Sadly, its implementation strayed from the original vision. It became more of a complaints desk than a true digital bridge between people and power.

Project 8888 should be much more than a hotline for grievances. It should allow for suggestions, questions, follow-ups, and full-blown online transactions. I’m more than willing to help rebuild and reboot the project to match the true potential of digital governance.

CRM on a National Scale: Why Not?

CRM tools aren’t even expensive anymore. There are excellent free and open-source CRM platforms, and even the paid ones are cost-effective when spread across a national system. What’s expensive is inefficiency. What costs us more is the wasted time, missed deadlines, and frustrated citizens who give up on government services altogether.

But let’s not stop there. If we truly believe in digital transformation, we need a national roadmap for how data will be shared across agencies—securely and intelligently. That means investing in backend systems, not just front-facing apps. Let’s get real: if digitalization means anything, it should mean citizens no longer have to physically appear just to get what is rightfully theirs.

Better still? Let’s not just wait for people to call in—why not bring government services to their homes? Home service, home delivery. If private companies can deliver groceries, gadgets, and even gourmet meals, why can’t government deliver birth certificates, passports, or ID cards?

Dreaming Big—With You

That’s my dream. And I hope it becomes our shared dream. A government that uses the same tools that make private companies efficient. A government that sees citizens as customers—not intruders. A government that listens, responds, and acts.

Can we get there?

Yes, if we believe that the citizen is king. Not the bureaucrat. Not the middleman. Not the system.

So, I ask: Will you dream with me?

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, 09088877282, senseneres.blogspot.com

07-31-2025