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is just a call away |
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One
of the fastest ways to give feedback is to
dial a hotline.
In
fact, some people even call the Prime Minister’s
Office (PMO) to air their grievances and to seek
assistance. Corporate Support Officer Inthira Mailvaganam,
who mans the PS21 Hotline, shares her experiences
of handling the public.
What are the hotlines in the PMO?
There are two main hotlines. The first is the PS21
Hotline, which also doubles up as The Enterprise
Challenge (TEC) Hotline and the Zero-In-Process
(ZIP) Hotline. I’m in charge of the PS21
Hotline, while my colleague mans the Service Improvement
Unit Hotline.
Are there many calls in a day?
The number varies. On some days, the phone rarely
beeps and on others, it never stops ringing!
What are the calls regarding?
While we target to assist callers with difficult
and complex issues, there are times when people
call to make enquiries on who they should call
regarding an issue that they are facing. Most of
the time, people call to express their grievances
or unhappiness over an encounter with the Public
Service or to seek assistance for complicated matters.
The types of issues highlighted also vary depending
on the current hot topic.
What are the sentiments of the callers?
It depends on the purpose of the calls. When callers
are just making simple queries, they are usually
quite neutral or even friendly. On occasions when
they are calling to register a complaint, they
may be a little hostile.
I have noticed that in recent years, their expectations
are higher than before. They expect a fast response
and we aim to meet this challenge.
What do you do to help the callers?
Most of the time, the callers expect me to lend
a listening ear and to help solve their problems
immediately. So listening to them is very important.
When the issues are simple, I will respond to them
accordingly. For complicated cases, I will check
with the relevant agencies and get back to the
callers immediately. This adds value to our services
and the callers appreciate it.
What do you have to know to help them?
Most of the callers call the PMO hoping that their
complaint or issue will be solved immediately.
Therefore it’s good to know the types of
issues the different ministries or statutory boards
are handling so that I can identify the agency
responsible quickly and bring speedy resolution
to the issue raised.
How do you deal with frustrated callers?
I try to understand their feelings, treat them
with respect and establish rapport with them. By
the end of the call, the callers are usually more
calm and appreciative. Of course this does not
apply to all angry callers!
Do callers give positive feedback too?
Yes, some of the callers as well as those who send
their feedback via email are quite appreciative.
After all the necessary correspondences have been
made and the relevant agency has attended to their
complaint effectively, some of them will send a
thank-you note. |
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Next: How ‘red-taped’ are
you?
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| Related
Articles |
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| You
can also call the Feedback Unit Hotline
at 1800-353 5555 to voice your views
on national policies. To find out more,
see this
story. |
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