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| No
Wrong Door! |
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| Dr
Balaji highlighted the benefits
of introducing the NWD policy. |
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With so many public
agencies in Singapore, it is not surprising that
sometimes members of the public get confused and
end up calling the wrong agency. When that happens,
what is most annoying to them is to hear the other
party say: “This issue is not under my agency.
Please approach the relevant authority.”
For members of the public who have had such an experience,
they will be glad to know that the Public Service
has launched the No Wrong Door (NWD) Policy.
What this means is that even if they have dialled
the wrong number, the receiving agency will put
them in touch with the correct agency and department.
Hence they will no longer be referred from agency
to agency or department to department.
The NWD Policy applies to both misdirected and cross-agency
queries
or feedback.
For misdirected calls, the receiving agency has
to redirect the caller to the correct agency after
the agency has agreed that the query/feedback in
question is indeed under its purview. While the
correct agency is responsible for responding to
the query/feedback, the receiving agency has to
inform the caller that the correct agency will follow-up
on his call.
When the query/feedback involves more than one agency
including the receiving agency, the receiving agency
has to liaise with all the relevant agencies and
provide a coordinated response to the caller.
Under the policy, public agencies are also expected
to deliver timely and satisfactory replies according
to their own procedures and service standards for
handling public queries/feedback.
All ministries and statutory boards are required
to follow the NWD Policy, which was launched at
the sixth PS21 Excellence in Public Suggestions
Awards Ceremony held on 12 August 2004.
The policy was implemented to encourage all public
agencies to deliver quality service to members of
the public as an integrated, responsive and networked
government.
Said guest of honour Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Minister
of State for Health and Transport and Chairman of
the Service Improvement Unit-Political Supervisory
Committee: “This No Wrong Door Policy will
allow the Public Service to deal with misdirected
or cross-agency feedback from the public effectively
and efficiently, and make life easier for our citizens.”
Members of the public who feel that they have not
been served by the No Wrong Door Policy have various
avenues to provide their feedback. They can call
the PS21/SIU Hotline (1800-323-8008), send an email
to psd_ps21@psd.gov.sg,
or direct their feedback through the Cut Red Tape
website at www.cutredtape.gov.sg.
“We will treat these feedback seriously and
remind the agencies concerned to implement the No
Wrong Door Policy consistently,” assured Dr
Balaji. |
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Next: ‘Undercover’
officers out to raise service standards |
