CMO conducts u-wide Complaints Management Training

Angelo Acedera, News, Communication Management Office

A university-wide Complaints Management Training for employees and staff was organized for whole month of April. The Communication Management Office (CMO) facilitated the training which was composed of four (4) batches with morning and afternoon sessions.

In her opening message during the third batch of training, Vice President for Research, Extension, Planning and Development (VPREPD) Dr. Anna Ruby Gapasin shared the reason why this activity was held: “This training is a reminder for all of us – we must always be on our toes when it comes to delivering effective public service. It does not matter if we are already experts, we should constantly open ourselves to learning and re-learning especially now that the nature of public service delivery is evolving given digital transformation.”

The first batch of trainees came from the Student Affairs and Services Sector and administrative and services staff from different PUP branches and satellite campuses. This was held last April 7-8 through Zoom. Employees from Administration and Finance Sectors were trained during the second batch, held on April 18-19 while members of the Academic Affairs and Research, Extension, Planning and Development Sectors joined the third batch on April 20-21. The last batch, organized on April 25-26, was provided for employees under the President and Executive Vice President Sectors. The newly retrofitted gymnasium served as the venue for the second to fourth batches of trainings.
 

Ease of doing business as a primary government service

Atty. Mariane Celeste L. Carino-Lameyra, from the Anti-Red Tape Authority, was the keynote speaker. She discussed the Adopting the Ease of Doing Business in Answering Queries. Participants were informed about the basic principles and salient provisions of ARTA and 8888 Citizen’s Complaint Hotline, and how these laws affect frontline services.

Executive Order 6, s. 2016 instructs all government agencies and units to receive citizens’ concerns through any communication channel and provide concrete and specific action within 72 hours upon receipt. This is consistent with the rules of the Anti-Red Tape Acts of 2018 where simple requests should be acted upon within three (3) working days, and more complex requests should not exceed seven (7) to twenty (20) working days.

These laws explain the requirements for efficient and reliable services as well as the penalties in case of violations. The employees were also trained on how to improve their services, especially customer service relations.
 

Training modules and simulated outputs

Trainees would need to complete five (5) modules to receive the Certificate of Completion. The modules were designed to refresh the communication concepts needed for client engagement; provide them with practical tips on writing emails and reports; and understanding client concerns raised in social media platforms.

Prof. Buellah May Convento from PUP CreaTV discussed the Principles and Structure of Communication; Atty. Fidel L. Esteban from Collabera Technologies Private Limites Inc. discussed the Purpose of Persuasion; Ms. Lara Danielle F. Cartujano from Fujitsu GDC Philippines discussed the Clarity and Mechanics of Writing Well; Prof. Earl Jaynus Guzman from CMO-External Relations Services discussed the Basic Social Media Communications.

After the discussion, the trainees were tasked to draft a standard response for emails based on scenarios given to them, identify their frontline services and actual response time, and audit their existing social media platforms and websites. Offices and units without social media presence were asked to determine whether they would need one to promote their services.

Meanwhile, the Vice President for Administration Prof. Adam V. Ramilo reiterated the purpose of being a public servant, “Dapat po ba nating masamain ang mga natanggap nating complaints? Bilang public servant, dapat hindi natin masamain. Kundi, tingnan natin ito bilang constructive criticism upang mas lalong paunlarin ang ating serbisyo. Marahil may pagkukulang tayo o ang client, pero sa nature ng ating trabaho dapat naroon tayo sa diwa ng pagpapakumbaba at makayang serbisyo-publiko.”

In a separate recorded message, EVP Alberto Guillo reiterated the same challenge to our officers: “Much as David bravely fought Goliath even if he is bigger than the rest of the Israelites; the same is true for us frontline officers. We have so much work to do, but we know we can always do better and overcome these challenges.”

A simulation exercise will be conducted this May to observe enhancements in client engagement among the trained officers.