PRESS RELEASE - The Government of Saint Lucia has formally opened its Integrated Contact Centre. Located on the ground floor of the Greaham Louisy Administrative Building on the Castries waterfront, the Centre is unprecedented here and in the region.
The facility according to the Minister for the Public Service, Information and Broadcasting, Dr. James Fletcher, is expected to completely revolutionize the way the public interacts with the public service.
Now With the advent of the Integrated Contact Centre, complaints surrounding the Government of Saint Lucia PBX system will be a thing of the past.
The Centre can be accessed by dialing 311 free of charge from any mobile phone or fixed line between the hours of 7:00am and 7:00pm.
“What this will do, is not just be that place which will direct your calls; this is not just putting you in contact with the Permanent Secretary of Youth development and sports, or the comptroller of Inland Revenue; this is really to be able to provide you with the information you require that may be able to solve your problem without you going any further,” Dr. Fletcher said.
Dr. Fletcher added that the establishment of the Integrated Contact Centre is about “evolving government bringing it into the 21st century, to be able to provide information in an efficient and cost effective manner”.
The Integrated Contact Centre forms part of the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan)-funded Multi- Channel Data Centre, and will involve six ministries in the initial phase.
The pilot ministries are : Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, Ministry of Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs, Ministry of the Public Service, Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Ministry of Legal Affairs (Immigration Department) and the Ministry of Infrastructure Port Services and Transport (Licensing department).
During the brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, Ambassador of the Republic of China(Taiwan), His Excellency James Chang, noted, “ It is my firm belief that this Centre will be a very good example of our joint effort to benefit people and to further strengthen the relationship between St. Lucia and the Republic of China( Taiwan).
The Contact Centre is expected to be integrated with the 911 and 999 emergency facilities.
The Centre is staffed by a manager and ten customer service agents, who have all undergone intensive training in the areas of customer service, emotional intelligence in the work place, process mapping, and government ministry processes in general.