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2 Mar 2012, 4.55PM

10 comments & replies |by REACH Administrator | Our Common Space

To improve its service delivery, Singapore’s civil service will pilot a new ‘First Responder Protocol’. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister-in-Charge of Civil Service Teo Chee Hean.

Under the protocol, the first agency that receives a feedback must diagnose the problem if it has some domain expertise in the area. Following this, it must draw the required expertise across agencies to coordinate an effective response and close the loop with the public.

The protocol will be pilot tested by the Agri-Food Veterinary Authority (AVA) for their handling of feedback about animal-related issues. Depending on the findings from the pilot, the new protocol could eventually be applied across more service delivery areas and agencies.

Read the Channel NewsAsia article ‘Civil service to pilot new protocol to improve service delivery’.

What are your thoughts on the new protocol?

1349 views | 10 comments & replies |

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Guest

2 Mar 2012, 9.49PM

A good move instead BUT any protocol will be meaningless if one don't have the heart to take it seriously (just another job...for some).....

Guest

2 Mar 2012, 8.57PM

This cannot happen as all Government offices uses an answering machine to answer calls and hardly respond immediately to urgent matters.

It is useless talking to an answering machine.

The civil service is worse because they hide behind these answering machines.

Gave up on the civil services a long time ago. They are inhuman, unpersonal and ignorant.

Another word for it is hopeless !

Guest

3 Mar 2012, 12.12PM

Your are absolutely right about the answering machines and the new protocol. Over the years, the whole civil service has alienated the public in using these machines, how are they going to implement this new protocol? Looks like we are progressing from talking to humans, to machines and next to ghost. Another load of scary craps isn't it?

Guest

4 Mar 2012, 10.18AM

Yea, it is called ghost protocol. Nothing is going to be done as usual.

(Guru)

KM-W

3 Mar 2012, 1.02AM

WOW! That certainly sounds great to us BUT does that also means that we DO NOT have anything in place all these to deal with issues effectively and efficiently? So all the while we don't draw any expertise across agencies to deal with inter-related issues? So what are we doing all these years? Is that why we have problem dealing to a "sudden" increase of population with our very basre basic infrastructural facilities i.e. transport, housing, etc.? So all this time every agency just deal with what they deem necessary to resolve and left those others aside and waiting for miracle to happen?

Guest

2 Mar 2012, 4.57PM

Is the civil service as impotent as our political leaders? Can the civil service tell me how old is this idea?

Guest

3 Mar 2012, 10.51AM

Ya. At least 20 years old and it was a much better version.

(Guru)

No.kidding!

2 Mar 2012, 6.09PM

I agree it is time they have such a protocol in place....

one example is within an HDB estate ...

you will be surprised to find that Town councils are not really in charge of some "works" going on
and sometime you will find that it is actually HDB taht is in charge and sometimes it is also LTA and sometime SLA .....and many times you may never get to know who is really in charge?

Guest

2 Mar 2012, 6.25PM

I like the idea, but other than the simple cases, I cannot see it working in practice. the reason is the complexity and number of agencies that maybe involved. Plus person handling the cases and department heads have to comfortable dealing across multiple departments and agencies.

Guest

3 Mar 2012, 5.07PM

Fine, if the agency has domain expertise. What if there isn't, and then there are none in the civil service?

This is no only plausible but it is very real because, let's face it, the civil service is made of civil servants. Whatever domain knowledge they may have is always as an uninvolved outsider, so where would they find expertise?

If the government is serious about this, I would say, once an issue is considered worthy of government-lead resolution, they should rope in industry people to trash out a solution. By that I do not mean those typical figure-heads with 50+ impressive appointments on their resumes, but I mean those who actually work and have been involved in the relevant industry.

Invite these industry people. Ask people in the industry to recommend people. I'm sure many will be happy to be invited and discuss something close to their hearts. Have frequent meetings with them over a few months period and you'll learn more about the industry and the issue at hand than any "experts" you can find in the civil service.