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RGD’s ‘Door to Door’ Service Reaping Success

January 28, 2005

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Since the introduction of its “door-to-door” delivery service in March 2004, the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has successfully delivered some 190,000 certificates to customers islandwide.
Speaking at a JIS Think Tank session on Wednesday, January 26, Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Patricia Holness said the new system had enabled the Agency to drastically reduce overcrowding at the Head Office in St. Catherine by approximately 70 per cent, thereby improving customer satisfaction.
“We have ceased sending documents by registered mail through our post offices to a large extent, excepting where we are not at all able to contact the individual,” she said.
She noted that when the RGD made that decision, many post offices were open during the same period within which people were at work, and a registered mail item would not be normally delivered to a minor/small child, as identification was needed.
“The result was that, a lot of mail was being left in the post offices, so we had thousands of registered mail being returned to us. At one point, we had over 12,000 customers who we have ‘satisfied’ by printing the certificate and their not having it in their possession, was not acceptable to us,” she explained.
Despite the placement of an advertisement in the newspaper last year inviting customers to visit the RGD to claim the returned mail, less than 100 persons, of the 12,000 responded, leading the RGD to find a more efficient means of satisfying its customers.
“We now have approximately 14 Couriers. Air Pak Express delivers 45 percent of our registered items, but we have another 12 other persons who will deliver door-to-door, meaning, if you have an address which can be identified by a street number, we will deliver to you,” she informed.
In order to reduce challenges faced by Couriers in delivering packages to customers, the RGD utilizes its electronic labeling system to affix addresses with directions onto the envelopes.
“Once we get that label on, it has as many telephone numbers as possible. The courier will then use the telephone numbers to contact persons when faced with a difficulty in locating them,” she said.
According to Dr. Holness, in cases involving ‘problem areas’, special arrangements were made to deliver documents to applicants at specific points.
“In rural areas, where there are not many street addresses, we do take directions, so we have attached to the envelope, a direction slip, specifically identifying buildings and turns,” she told JIS News.Dr. Holness also noted that the returns from deliveries, where Couriers were unable to contact persons have been less than 1,000.

Last Updated: January 28, 2005

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