Debated in Parliament on 4 Mar 2026.
Ms Valerie Lee asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether frontline public service officers undergo regular training in communication and customer service excellence; and (b) how the Public Service ensures consistent service standards and continuous improvement across agencies in delivering citizen-centric services.
The Singapore Public Service seeks to achieve a consistently high standard of service delivery through a few ways.
First, we strengthen officers' competencies through continuous learning. The Public Service Division has worked with agencies to develop a Service Competency Framework that sets out the skills expected of service delivery officers across government. This includes frontline officers, as well as those who manage citizens' feedback, our hotlines and digital services.
Our service delivery officers develop these competencies through continuous learning. Our frontline service officers typically undergo training in the relevant policies, programs and commonly asked questions of their respective agencies. They are also given necessary soft skills related to customer service to serve a diverse range of citizens. We also make available various opportunities for public officers involved in service delivery to learn best practices across agencies and private sector, through immersion programmes and job attachments across the Public Service and with private companies, as well as through various peer learning conferences.
Second, we ensure clear service standards and continuous improvement. The public service sets and regularly updates whole-of-Government (WOG) service delivery standards, including standards for both replies to public queries as well as digital delivery of services.
Third, we redesign service processes for a more integrated, seamless and citizen-centric experience. Service quality is not only about how frontline officers serve, but more importantly, how services are organised and experienced by citizens based on their needs. To do this, we leverage data insights from citizen feedback to streamline processes and re-design citizen-centric services. For example, we have begun bundling services across life moments, like birth, National Service pre-enlistment, ageing and legacy planning. Lastly, for those who are unable to transact digitally with the Government, the ServiceSG Centres were established as a digital safety net to provide assistance to the most commonly needed 600 services from over 25 agencies.
Together, these efforts continuously uplift service quality and ensure improvements are sustained across the whole-of-Government.
PAPERCUTS