BARBADIANS MUST IMPROVE the level of service delivery.
And Minister of Industry and Commerce Donville Inniss called on them to create a culture of service excellence which he said was urgently needed if the island was to address its economic and social problems and foster economic growth.
Addressing a standards workshop at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre today, Inniss told participants establishing and maintaining standards was not a matter just for manufacturers of goods, but imperative for services as well.
“Customers cannot go to the Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI) and complain when they are not greeted with a friendly face at business places. They will not go to the Department of Commerce when their letters to public or private places go unanswered after several months,” Inniss told the workshop organised by the BNSI, the Department of Commerce and the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation.
The one-day exercise with the theme Standards Build Trust, was part of an education campaign mounted by the three government agencies for manufacturers and pre-packagers.
Inniss reminded participants of their responsibility to ensure their goods and presentation conformed to required international standards, since this was being demanded in the international commerce arena.
Well-designed, well-packaged products were essential to having an edge over similar products on the market, Inniss advised.
He said government was committed to modernising the BNSI and the standards system in Barbados.
“As we embark on our 50th year of independence, our Ministry is determined to continue to develop and implement Barbados’ National Quality Infrastructures (NQI) towards better, safer and more sustainable products, greater innovation and product development, an increase in commercial activity and enhanced consumer protection,” Inniss said.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce, he added, had a significant role to play in further educating the public about standards and pre-packaged goods and to develop great consumer awareness and the improvement of Barbadian products and services.
Staff of the BNSI and the Department of Commerce was urged to “think and act outside the box” and to go outside to fully engage the public. (GC)
