Government of Barbados>> Public Sector Reform>>Customer Service Improvement Programme

The aim of this initiative is to improve public services in accordance with the needs of the Barbadian Citizen. These programme are customer-focused to the basic rights of the tax-paying public and to receive the best possible service at all times. OPSR is developing this programme towards the launch of a National Customer Charter within the public service.

What is a Customer Service Improvement Programme?
This entails looking at the service standards at a government ministry or department. Standards are guarantees of service, which should focus on satisfying the needs of people who provide and use the public service. The improvement programme targets shortfalls in standards and identifies areas of service for which standards have not been set. Recommendations for improvements to customer service arise from addressing issues of concern to the internal customers - those who deal directly with the customers and the external customers - the tax-paying public who use the service.

To identify these issues of concern, several techniques are used to collect the relevant information including staff meetings, focus group discussions and internal/external surveys (including anonymous questionnaires).All the methods used by OPSR are designed to test the:

Awareness of the aims of the department;
Levels of job satisfaction;
Supervisor/employee relationships;
Comfort with physical environment;
Satisfaction with career development/promotional opportunities;
Level of satisfaction with the way in which information is communicated;
Levels of motivation
Interpersonal relationships;
Functions of all sections of the department;
The services provided; and
The various stages of processes used to deliver services.

What are the benefits of customer service improvement programmes?
The customer is at the core of every customer service programme and therefore forces a department to be customer driven. Although obviously biased to the customer, the benefits are two-fold. The customer receives quality service delivery and comes away with a positive perception of the department, whilst the department clarifies its roles, responsibilities and consequences of the job functions it performs.