Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Productivity Centre (JPC), Tamar Nelson, is charging public-sector entities to use data to improve the quality of service they provide to citizens.

She cited research by American consulting firm McKinsey that shows that data-driven decision-making enhances the customer experience.

“McKinsey, in 2021, found that organisations leveraging data analytics to understand customer needs can boost their satisfaction by 20 per cent to 30 per cent. So, just by looking at data we can improve our responsiveness and our effectiveness,” she said.

Nelson was delivering the keynote address at the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service’s Service Excellence Awards, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Thursday.

The event, under the theme ‘Empowerment Through Service’, celebrated team members from the ministry who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the promotion and implementation of improvements in key service delivery areas.

It served as a reminder of the importance of continuous improvement and accountability in achieving excellence.

“The thing about service excellence and productivity is that they are inextricably linked; it’s a journey, so it’s something that we have to continually do,” Nelson noted, highlighting that achieving service excellence is an ongoing commitment rather than a one-time effort.

She referenced a report from McKinsey, which stated that “public-sector organisations work best when they are designed from the perspective of the people they serve”.

The JPC CEO noted that this approach ensures that services are tailored to meet the actual needs of citizens.

Nelson also highlighted the importance of critically examining existing processes and operational frameworks to improve service delivery.

“You can’t have a broken system that’s there to deliver excellent service, so you have to look at what the processes are and fix it because those processes matter,” she contended.

She further urged entities to embrace innovation as a pathway to improvement.

“When you want to innovate, we have to look for uncommon solutions, and to find uncommon solutions you have to look in uncommon places,” she noted.

Nelson said that fostering an innovative culture requires a willingness to take risks.

“We can’t be too risk-averse if we want to be innovative. So, we have to look beyond those usual suspects and look with a fresh eye, and sometimes we have to step back to get that perspective as well,” she pointed out.

The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service’s Service Excellence Awards was part of activities for Service Excellence Week from October 7 to 11.

– JIS