Hai Phong Customs: Positive results from service quality assessment system for customs officers

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Graphics by T. Binh

Talking to Customs Newspaper, Director of Hai Phong Customs Department Nguyen Duy Ngoc said that after the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) Decision 85/QD-TCHQ on the plan to develop the Customs-business partnership and related parties in 2020, Hai Phong Customs Department has implemented contents of this plan.

One of the key goals set by Hai Phong Customs Department is to implement solutions to put the Customs-business partnership into practice; focus on expanding interaction channels between Customs and the business community to promptly understand and remove problems and difficulties for businesses as well as improve the efficiency of supervision for public service performance of the department’s customs officers.

Hai Phong Customs Department has researched, built and piloted an assessment system integrated on the ECUS, VNACCS software.

After registering the customs declaration, the business can proactively assess the service quality of the customs officer and the customs authority via the e-assessment sheet sent to the business,instead of using the paper assessment sheet which had to be completedat the customs office.

The assessment results will be automatically sent to the system at Hai Phong Customs Department. All comments, suggestions and assessments of businesses on the service quality of customs officers, the working team, and customs branches in each specific customs declaration and dossier are promptlyreceived, inspected, and all acts of trouble, harassment, negative actions, delays, and errors (if any) are verified and handled.

The system was piloted from April 1, 2020.

In order for businesses to understand the purpose, importance and actively participate in the assessment, Hai Phong Customs Department has synchronously taken measures to publicize, deploy and instruct the use of the system, such as announcing on the department’s website, at customs checkpoints, or customs officers directly instruct businesses.

At the same time, Hai Phong Customs Department regularly reviews and gathers shortcomings of the system in terms of features and interfaces to amend, supplement and upgrade to bring the best utility, helping businesses toevaluate and send information in the process of carrying out customs procedures as well as assessmentsfor officers, operational stages and units on the same sheet.

After more than six months of piloting the system, as of October 6, 2020, more than 48,000 declaration forms were evaluated, of which 94% areat the satisfaction level or higher.

“Hai Phong Customs Department has received active support and participation from the business community in assessing the service quality the department’s officers. In addition to achieving high rates of "Very Satisfied" and "Satisfied", there are a few comments of "Not satisfied". The Department quickly verified the information; rectified and strictly handledofficers who violate and respond to the results to the businesses, thereby creating trust, positively providing objective and accurate comments and assessments from businesses, contributing to raising the responsibility of each officer and unit in serving the people and businesses to ensure the good implementation of the committed contents in the agreement," Director Nguyen Duy Ngoc said.

To continue spreading the positive results, Hai Phong Customs Department has been promoting publicity so that businesses can actively participate in assessment on the system, thereby enhancing the role of supervising law enforcement and observance of disciplineand public culture of customs officers, contributing to the completion of administrative reform goals, facilitating businesses, creating a healthy investment and business environment planed by Hai Phong Customs Department