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Public Sector Customer Service Competition

Overview

CONTEXT

The National Customer Service Programme (NCSP) was implemented in 1994 with the objective of ensuring the development of a public sector that is service oriented and focused on continuous improvement in all its operations. In the ensuing years the NCSP has become an important of the operations of many organisations in the public sector, having been expanded to include participation of over 150 public sector entities. The entities are categorized in four levels, based on their degree of service maturity and progression on the NCSP progression grid:

  • Level One Entities - These are newly sensitized entities that are guided by the Cabinet Office in the development of their service delivery vision statements, the conduct of quality of service gap analyses, and assisted in the development of service improvement plans. These entities are also engaged in the implementation of ‘First Steps' (Basic Customer Service Measures and Minimum Standards). Level One entities culminate these activities by developing their Citizen's Charters, which communicate entities' portfolio of services, and related service standards, thereby increasing transparency in operations and accountability to the public;

  • Level Two Entities - These entities have developed and disseminated Citizen's Charters, and are engaged in structured service improvement activities;

  • Level Three Entities - These organisations are focused on the implementation of the standardized Customer Service Monitoring and Evaluation System that is being rolled out across the public sector since 2010;

  • Level Four Entities - These entities have implemented and sustained the Customer Service Monitoring and Evaluation System, and are reporting their service delivery performance on the required scorecard.

REWARD AND RECOGNITION

The Cabinet Office, through the Public Sector Modernisation Division, acknowledges that reward and recognition of service excellence are critical in endeavouring to promote sustenance of service improvement efforts in public sector organisations. To this end, the Public Sector Customer Service Competition was designed as one method of rewarding key performers in the National Customer Service Programme. The competition was initiated as a means of recognizing sustained commitment to service excellence. The inaugural staging of the competition was in 2001, and it has been staged biennially, since, with the sixth staging planned for launch in July, 2012.

The scope and reach of the competition has expanded in some important aspects since 2001:

  1. The overall number of participants/competitors has increased with each staging;
  2. The categories in which prizes have been awarded have been reconfigured to reflect modernisation priorities and new institutional structures;
  3. There have been an increasing number of entities eligible for award in the category of ‘Best Customer Service Entity', which is reserved for those entities that have Citizen's Charters;
  4. Members of the public have displayed increasing willingness to express their opinions of the quality of service received from government organisations as voting has increased from approximately 2,000 in the first staging of the competition to a high of 28,000 in the last staging of the competition in 2010/11.

COMPETITION OBJECTIVES

  • To recognize and reward efforts of organizations to improve service-delivery to customers;
  • To promote and encourage commitment to, and continuous improvement in the quality of service;
  • To encourage former winners to surpass their standards of service-delivery since the last staging of the competition;
  • To encourage the further entrenchment of a service culture in the public sector;
  • To demonstrate Government's commitment to the vision of a public sector that puts the customer first.

ELIGIBILITY

All public sector entities are eligible for participation, including:

  • Central Civil Service Organizations
  • Executive Agencies
  • Public Companies
  • Statutory Bodies
  • Government Departments

DATA COLLECTION METHODOLOGIES

Winners for some categories will be chosen based on feedback and nominations collected from members of the public island-wide. The feedback will be gathered utilizing the following methods:

  • Customers will be invited to participate in voting at entities through the use of posters displayed in customer contact areas. Entities will be encouraged to display specially labeled boxes and nomination forms for the purpose of collecting nominations;
  • A representative sample of the public will be surveyed through an island-wide telephone survey;
  • A toll-free telephone line will be operated out of the Cabinet Office to accept nominations;
  • A voting link will be established on the website of the Office of the Cabinet
  • A Facebook Account will be created to invite votes from members of the public.

The winners for some categories will be determined based on submissions and presentations done by entities that wish to be considered for a prize in these categories.

The panel of judges will have the final determination of winners for all categories.

MAIN CATEGORIES AND PRIZES

Best Customer Service Entity

Winner: Prime Minister's Trophy and cash award J$300,000.00

The winner for this category will be determined by votes received from members of the public.

Criteria for selection of winner in this category:

  • Entity must have Citizen's Charter
  • Service Standards are Displayed for Customer Information
  • Information is provided on Services via Brochures, on Website, Publications in the Media, etc.
  • Complaints Mechanism in Place and Customers Afforded Easy Access.
  • Regular and Systematic Feedback Sought from Customers.
  • Best Practices Implemented to Improve Services.
  • Courtesy and Professionalism displayed in interactions with customers.
  • Systems in place to provide customers choice of access to services

Most Improved Entity

Winner: Cabinet Secretary's Trophy and cash award of J$200,000.00

1st runner up: Plaque
2nd runner up: Plaque

Criteria for selection in this category:

  • Entity must apply for consideration in this category by a deadline to be specified
  • Short-listed applicants will conduct a presentation in front of the Judges' Panel
  • Evidence (comparative data)must be presented that Demonstrates Significant Improvements in Service-Delivery since 2010

Most Creative Entity

Winner: Jamaica Civil Service Association Trophy and cash award of J$150,000.00

1st Runner Up: Plaque
2nd Runner Up: Plaque

Criteria for selection:

  • Entity must apply for consideration in this category by a deadline to be specified
  • Short-listed entities will conduct a presentation in front of the Judges' Panel
  • Entities must supply evidence to demonstrate how they have creatively implemented measures that have resulted in improvement in the quality and standards of service-delivery to their customers since 2010.

The Best Customer Service Officer

Plaque and Cash Award of $20,000.00

All employees that work in the public sector are eligible for consideration in this category. Decision on the winner will be based on:

  • Feedback from customers
  • Nominations Received from Colleagues within the Entities
  • Short-listed candidates may be required to appear before the judges' panel, if deemed necessary

Criteria for selection in this category are:

  • Displays patience in interaction with the public
  • Maintains calm in a high-pressure environment
  • Demonstrates high level of competence and sound level of job knowledge
  • Shows empathy to customers
  • Always courteous in interactions with members of the public
  • Consistently meets individual job performance standards
  • Always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty

OTHER PRIZES

‘BEST OF LIKE' CATEGORY

Best ‘Joined -Up ‘Service

Criteria For Selection:

  • Service Provider must apply for consideration in this category by a deadline to be specified
  • Short-listed service providers will conduct a presentation in front of the Judges' Panel
  • Service providers shall supply comparative data and evidence to demonstrate significant improvement in quality and standards of the service since obtaining ‘joined-up' status.
  • Best Modernised Entity( including Executive Agencies and other performance based institutions that have gone through a process of modernization)
  • Best Post Office
  • Best Hospital
  • Best NIS Office
  • Best Tax Office
  • Best Parish Council
  • Best Health Centre
  • Best Police Station
  • Best Ministry

Criteria for selection in the ‘Best of Like' category:

  • Customer feedback on quality of service-delivery
  • Entity must have received at least a 60% approval rating
  • Basic customer service standards implemented and maintained
  • Minimum Customer Service Standards implemented and maintained
  • High levels of courtesy and professionalism displayed in interactions with customers

SUBMIT Your Nominations Here

To submit your nominations, use any of the following links: