The Da Nang Public Service Information Center, also called the city’s switchboard 1022,  has been in operation since 2012, it has till date operated efficiently and proved effective in timely receiving and handling all complaints about social problems arising across the city raised by local residents and businesses.

Inside view of ​​the switchboard 1022 office.

Professional and efficient operation

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tu Thu, the Deputy Director of the Da Nang Public Service Information Center, said that since the beginning of the year, the center has received and handled reports related to such social issues as noise, environmental sanitation practices in residential areas, urban infrastructure, garbage disposals, disposal of construction and demolition waste. Most of local people's complaints collected by the  switchboard 1022 have been taken seriously by relevant agencies for resolutions. In 2022, the  switchboard 1022 received and responded to more than 44,000 complaints from local organizations and citizens through its services. In which, 6,728 complaints  or 98.8% were resolved effectively by relevant agencies and functional units while they continue to handle the remaining 80 others.

Meanwhile, the 'Feedback in newspaper's communication’ item on the Da Nang Public Comment Submission Portal regularly updates and posts complaint settlement results. Every week, the Information Team of the switchboard 1022 urges relevant agencies to quickly handle the above-mentioned feedback in order to post complaint settlement results on the portal as quickly as possible. In 2022, 265 out of 304 feedback in newspapers or 87% submitted to the Da Nang Public Comment Submission Portal have been resolved successfully while 39 others or 13% were unresolved.

The switchboard 1022 proves effective as it plays a vital role in bridging the communication between citizens and the city’s government due to its best practices to handle all of complaints from local organizations and citizens efficiently. Accordingly, the time limit for processing and responding to public complaints set by the switchboard 1022 is not later than 7 working days. This shows the dedication and devotion of the switchboard ‘s staff in performing their tasks.

Smart public services

The effective operation of the switchboard 1022 is as part of the city's efforts to accelerate its administrative reform. In recent years, the switchboard 1022  has regularly added new features to its services in an effort to support local citizens and organizations to access more services, including online scheduling and booking features that enable residents to schedule their vaccinations easily, and help patients book/schedule their appointment with healthcare providers. Furthermore, the importance has been attached to implementing an appointment scheduling system for public offices or public sector service in order to help local individuals and organizations make the visit safer, more comfortable and more efficient. Moreover, the unit acts as a bridge to provide online public services for local people and businesses, and conduct surveys to measure the satisfaction level of the general public on using public services.

In its efforts to meet development needs of Da Nang in a new era, in line with the city’s development strategy for building a smart city and boosting digital transformation in government agencies and department, the switchboard 1022 continues to offer more online channels to increase interactions with local citizens.

“We are encouraging all people to install the switchboard 1022’s applications on their smart phones so that each citizen can become a social 'sensor' to give their valuable and constructive feedback to local authorities in order to join hands with the municipal government to develop Da Nang into a prosperous, beautiful, and civilized city. The operation of one million surveillance cameras across the city may not be as effective as the 1 million people using smart devices to send their feedback, " remarked Nguyen Thi Tu Thu.

Digital transformation applications in the switchboard 1022 to increase the efficiency of its professional services have received strong support from the general public.

In the coming time, the Public Complaints Service of the switchboard 1022 will be integrated into the smart city services provided by the Da Nang Intelligent Operation Center (IOC). The Center will implement monitoring of the handling of local residents' complaints in a bid to improve the quality and efficiency of resolving complaints from local authorities. Heed will be paid to creating upgrades on the Da Nang Public Comment Submission Portal, and the mobile application that allows users to contribute their ideas to help Da Nang to become a smart city in order to provide the best possible service for the general public.

Reporting by KHANH HOA – Translating by H.L