St Helena : St Helena Customer Service Centre running smoothly
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 01.07.2011 (Article Archived on 15.07.2011)
The Customer Service Centre, located on the ground floor of the Post Office Building opened on 1st April this year with the aim of bringing various functions together to provide a better service to the public.
Customer Service Centre running smoothly
The Customer Service Centre, located on the ground floor of the Post Office Building opened on 1st April this year with the aim of bringing various functions together to provide a better service to the public.
The Centre is managed by Karen Yon who is responsible for five members of staff; these include a Senior Customer Services Officer and four Customer Services Officers.
The Centre currently offers the following public services:
· Cashier facilities for the payment of government bills, charges, fees and licensing; including payment of utility bills.
· Cash payment of SHG Pensions, Home Allotments from various overseas Companies, Trust Funds, Remittances, etc.
· Payment of Social Benefits and Basic Island Pensions for Jamestown only.
· Processing of Births, Deaths & Marriage certificates.
· Processing of Change of Name.
· Processing of Road Traffic, Firearms and Dogs Licensing.
· Processing and payment for Vetting Certificates and Passport applications.
· Processing and payment for Immigrants’ Landholding applications.
· Processing and payment for Seamen’s Discharge Books.
· Processing and payment for Telecommunication Licensing, i.e. Amateur Radio Licensing, Frequency Licensing, Gaming Machine Licensing and Ship Radio Licensing.
· Applications and payments for registration of British Vessels.
· Applications and payment for processing of various Power of Attorneys.
· Registration and payment of Dungeon Graves plots.
· Payment and collection of Maintenance, Civil Claims, etc.
Also available at the Centre are application forms for other services provided by the Agriculture and Natural Resources Directorate, Police, Lands & Buildings, Planning and Judicial services.
The benefit of the Customer Services Centre is that similar processes are managed together so the number of separate points of contact between SHG and users are reduced. This increases convenience to users and efficiency of the public service.
With the Customer Services Centre in place cash handling facilities at the former Legal, Lands and Planning Department and Employment and Social Security Department, ANRD, Finance and Police have all closed.
Talking to Manager Karen Yon, she said that like all new ventures there are “teething” problems and the Centre was no exception.
Karen said:
“Opening the Centre with limited staff (a Manager and two Customer Services Officers) was one of the “big” challenges. With the variety of services we are providing we needed to ensure procedures were being followed for the various Licensing requirements as some tasks were completely new to staff.
“It was essential to liaise with other staff within the Section and Directorate to ensure that the days’ cash transactions were processed and balanced; including weekly sorting and packing of social benefits. Sometimes we worked after normal working hours and on a few occasions late into the evening supported by Staff of Sections within the Finance Directorate. However, since the appointment of the Senior Customer Services Officer and the return to the Island of a Customer Services Officer in May and the transfer of the Traffic Clerk from the Police Department on 1st June the Centre has been more successful in meeting its overall objective.”
Overall Karen reported that public feedback has been positive.
She said:
“We did receive some negative comments during the first month whereby customers were not being dealt with as quickly as we would have wanted, but we have also received constructive suggestions from some customers which are good. Overall customers are pleased with the setup and the service provided.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those staff involved in supporting the Centre during this challenging time. In particular thanks are extended to our Customers for their support.”
Public Relations/information Office
The Secretariat
23 June 2011
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