Public Sector Entities Showcase Products And Services

Members of the public got the chance to access the services and products offered by scores of public sector entities, at the Civil Service Week 2014 Exposition and Concert held yesterday (Nov. 18), at Emancipation Park, Kingston.

They were also able to vote for the best public sector agency and customer service officer. A booth, equipped with a nomination box and forms, was set up in the park to facilitate voting in the Public Sector Customer Service Competition, spearheaded by the Public Sector Transformation and Modernisation (PSTM) Programme, Office of the Cabinet.

Project Manager, PSTM, Dionne Forbes, told JIS News that the exposition provided the ideal opportunity to inform customers about the competition and getting them to vote for the entity/individual of their choice.

“A lot of people have been coming into the park and…they are voting and getting information not just about the competition, but about what we are doing to improve the services that are offered by the public sector,” she informed.

She noted that voting is underway island-wide and persons can vote at various entities where they do business by filling out entry forms and placing them in nomination boxes.

Members of the public can also vote via email: customerservice@cabinet.gov.jm or by using the toll free line 1-888-991-2752 or online at www.cabinet.gov.jm.

A patron, who did not wish to be identified, said he was happy to have voted for the entity of his choice, which he claimed was “doing a good job.”

He noted, however, that some entities needed to strengthen their customer service, especially at month-end. He also mentioned the need for continuous training of staff to improve their “courteousness” and suggested that employees “walk the lines” so as to ensure that customers select the right lines for business transactions.

“More persons need to walk the lines instead of having persons joining the wrong lines, only to be told when they arrive at the counter that they are not in the right line and to go to another line,” he noted.

Civil Service Week is being observed from November 16 to 21 under the theme: ‘Public Sector Advancement though Partnership and Collaboration’.