By Gercine Carter
Copyright nationnews
Greater emphasis will be placed on service delivery as the government department formerly known as the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO) undergoes a major transformation to Business Barbados.
The Government department with responsibility for the registration and incorporation of companies, the registration of patents, trade marks, industrial designs and other intellectual property rights underwent the name change in February.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Business Kevin Hunte assured Business Barbados clients and other representative interests attending a town hall meeting at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Tuesday that the agency is focused on service delivery as in undergoes major transformation.
While acknowledging the department may have fallen short in this in the past, the Permanent Secretary said Business Barbados was aiming to achieve that goal through “market research, process reengineering, implementation of strategic planning” – areas on which work was being done to see how service to clients could be improved.
“It is not an easy task, nor a short task, nor an immediate task,” Hunte said.
“If we want to do it completely and correctly for longevity it must take time. But we are equally aware that because of all problems that have stranglehold us for the last few years we may not have as much time as we think.”
However, he informed the meeting that the agency was forging ahead. He pointed out that the process involved “changing our processes; changing our staff instruction; adding to our staff compliment.”
Hunte disclosed that Business Barbados will
be in a new location by the end of the first quarter of next year, that will be able to facilitate all of the layout and structural design to facilitate service delivery He also informed the meeting that a new digital system was being built, while the technological team was working “to shore up and enhance ” the existing system that “has contributed in large measure to the backlog that exists relative to business names and other processes and promised there would be a seamless cut over to the new system.
Meanwhile, Business Barbados’ customer success manager Sonia Marville-Carter shared plans for an appointment system she said was intended to cut out the long waiting periods for service which has traditionally caused much customer frustration.
Business Barbados has been registering increasing numbers using its services, with 1 541 walk-in customers in August, as compared with 1 378 in July.
