THE ROLE OF THE FRONT OFFICE IN IMPROVING PERSONNEL SERVICES IN THE REGIONAL CIVIL SERVICE AGENCY OF NORTH SULAWESI PROVINCE
Keywords:
Front Office; Personnel Services; Service Encounter; Employee Behavior; Customer Interaction.Abstract
Personnel services constitute a strategic function in regional governance, as they are directly related to the management of human resources and the performance quality of civil servants. The front office of the Regional Civil Service Agency (Badan Kepegawaian Daerah/BKD) of North Sulawesi Province serves as the primary gateway for personnel services, making its service quality a key determinant of civil servants’ and the public’s perceptions of bureaucratic professionalism and performance. This study aims to analyze the role of the front office in improving personnel services at the BKD of North Sulawesi Province by employing Bitner’s Service Encounter Model as the analytical framework.This research adopts a qualitative approach with a descriptive method. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, field observations, and documentation. A total of 12 informants participated in the study, consisting of leaders and staff of the BKD of North Sulawesi Province, as well as civil servants outside the BKD who act as service users. Informants were selected using purposive sampling based on their direct involvement in personnel service processes, particularly those related to front office services. Data analysis was conducted interactively through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that the role of the front office in enhancing personnel services can be examined through three main dimensions: physical environment, employee behavior, and customer interaction. In terms of the physical environment, the front office has functioned as the main entry point for services; however, it still faces several limitations, including the absence of a digital queuing system, limited waiting space, and insufficient information technology support, resulting in service processes that remain largely manual. Regarding employee behavior, services are generally delivered in a friendly and courteous manner and adhere to public service ethics, although challenges remain in maintaining consistent responsiveness and in mastering cross-sector technical information. Meanwhile, in the customer interaction dimension, the BKD of North Sulawesi Province demonstrates a commitment to fair, transparent, and corruption-free services; nevertheless, communication barriers, relatively long waiting times, and limited access to service information are still evident in practice. This study concludes that strengthening the role of the front office through improvements in physical facilities, the utilization of service technology, capacity building for service personnel, and the enhancement of information systems and feedback mechanisms is essential to improving the quality of personnel services and supporting the realization of good governance.
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