Finance Ministry Recognises Customer Service Staff

Thirty-nine members of staff at the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service have been recognised for the excellent customer service they provide at the Ministry.

Some of the members are customer service certified, while others are due to be certified by November 2022.

The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service is one of several Ministries which have successfully implemented its Service Excellence Programme.

This group represents 18 per cent of front-line customer-facing staff at the Ministry.

They were awarded by the Ministry at its Customer Service Awards Luncheon, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, on October 6.

The function was held as part of Customer Service Week, which is being celebrated from October 2 to 7, spearheaded by the Office of the Cabinet.

The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service has partnered with the HEART/NSTA Trust, in a two-year agreement, to upskill and certify customer-facing staff in Customer Service from Levels 1 to 3.

Three members of staff were also recognised for their placings in the Customer Service Champion Competition. Domonique Fearon, Records Officer in the Documentation Information and Access Service Unit; Otis Service, ICT Support Manager; and Dayne Phang, Director, Property, Security and Emergency Management Unit, placed first, second and third, respectively.

Delivering remarks, Director of Customer Service at the Ministry, Rory Stennett, said the Ministry is on a quest to become the centre of excellence in service delivery in the Government of Jamaica.

“This luncheon highlights the Ministry’s effort to reward teammates who have volunteered to become ambassadors of the culture change and become certified in the modern best practices of customer service,” Mr. Stennett noted.

“Customer Service is our mission and singular purpose. While the Ministry is focused on maintaining economic stability, supported by its various agencies and departments, at the heart is the service we deliver to the citizens of Jamaica. We made a commitment to be the centre of excellence and are pulling together all our resources to ensure our commitment becomes a reality,” he added.

For her part, renowned broadcaster, Fae Ellington, encouraged staff to continue to raise the bar in delivering service to their customers.

“At the core of service excellence is really respect. Respect for protocols, policies and standards, respect for yourself, and always the need to deliver excellent quality. Of course, if you have the service in place, and you understand the importance of respect for others, it’s really treating others the way you would like to be treated,” Miss Ellington said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman and Director of National Customer Service Week at Jamaica Customer Service Association (JaCSA), Richard Rowe, commended the Ministry for the initiative to award its staff.

“I congratulate the Ministry of Finance on your achievements. You have been creating waves in celebrating your internal customers. We encourage you to continue, irrespective of what might come at you, to be the service champions that this nation needs in order to keep the customer service conversation on the front line,” Mr. Rowe said.