RGD Making Use of Technology to Enhance Service Delivery

The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is continually modernising its operations to provide more efficient services to customers while also fostering a productive environment for its employees.

During a recent interview on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Get the Facts’ television programme, the RGD’s Chief Executive Officer, Charlton McFarlane, shared that the entity is making use of technology to enhance service delivery.

He noted that many of the technological innovations of today did not exist when the RGD was founded in 1879.

Among the advancements is the development of the RGD’s computer-generated certificate in 2001 known as the ‘blue certificate’ to replace the ‘black and white certificate’.

“One of the issues with the black and white certificate was that it was just a piece of paper that was written on with a pen. This would allow persons to adjust the document, for instance, changing letters in their names,” Mr. McFarlane pointed out.

He noted that the computer-generated certificate has reduced the entity’s susceptibility to fraud.

“[It] introduced security paper, which is what our certificates are now being printed on. This paper is equipped with security features and [is governed] by a set of standards that are consistent with First-World requirements,” the CEO said.

Another major development for the entity was the introduction of its Application Tracking System in 2003, which enables customers to check the status of their applications online or with a customer service representative by telephone.

Speaking about the benefits, Mr. McFarlane said that the establishment of the system “has allowed us to isolate each step of our business process and by isolating each step we were able to zero-in on where we were less efficient in the process”.

“If we realise that every other stage of the process is completed on time but a record is taking two to three days to be pulled from the vault, we know that an intervention in the vault would have been needed,” he explained.

He noted that the tracking system has assisted the entity in becoming more efficient at what it does.

Mr. McFarlane told JIS that the RGD is also digitising its records.

“In 2014, we started with 12 computers located in a small room where we began the process of scanning and indexing our paper records. Of the more than seven million records in our repository, 35 per cent are now digitised,” he noted.

The CEO said that he is committed to creating an agency that is highly efficient.