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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PH launches 1st Tourist Assistance Call Center

PH launches 1st Tourist Assistance Call Center

Published Oct 2, 2023 09:51 am
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DOT Secretary Christina G. Frasco (NOEL PABALATE/MB PHOTO)

The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Monday, Oct. 2, launched the first-ever centralized and multi-platform Tourist Assistance Call Center at the tourism department’s head office in Makati City.

Tourism Secretary Christina G. Frasco stated that the Tourist Assistance Call Center will serve as a hotline and one-stop shop for local and foreign tourists, providing tourism- and travel-related information and extending assistance if any untoward incidents occur during the tourist visit.

“We are delighted to launch today the Tourist Assistance Call Center that aims to fulfill our President's vision to enhance the overall tourist experience in the country. This is a first for the Department of Tourism where we have consolidated the modes of assistance that can be given to tourists from the national government agencies and regional offices that will then coordinate with our local government units,” she said during the launch.

The DOT chief stated that one of the strategic approaches of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) is on the element of traveler convenience, saying that the goal is not just to attract more tourists but also to gain repeat consumers.

“We foresee that by providing this tourist assistance call center, this will increase the tourism experience. This will also assist in providing further livelihood and employment opportunities for those in the tourism value chain,” she said.

According to the tourism department, there are an initial eight tourist assistance agents fluent in English and Filipino languages who will be working on shifts as well as two quality assurance team members, and two trainers.

“They are outsourced agents of service provider Universal Access & Systems Solutions (UAS), an IT solutions company,” the DOT stated.

It noted that the agents have also been trained for three months, with extensive knowledge of tourism and travel services, including the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE).

The DOT said the call center agents are ready to receive inquiries beginning Monday, Oct. 2, from local and international tourists traveling to and around the country.

“The public can relay their queries through multi-platform support via hotline number 151-TOUR / 151-8687 or mobile by dialing +63995-835-5155,” the agency said.

As such, the tourism department said that may also opt to contact via email at [email protected]; or through Facebook messenger at https://www.facebook.com/DepartmentOfTourism; web chat at https://philippines.travel/ and https://beta.tourism.gov.ph/; or via https://philippines.travel/ and https://beta.tourism.gov.ph.

Moreover, the DOT said the Tourist Assistance Call Center will also cater to tourists from different time zones and will be open 24/7,  even on public holidays to ensure uninterrupted service.

“The operating hours or service levels will be the same for weekends and weekdays. Call center agents will be taking all kinds of queries as they come, including general tourism inquiries, even those concerning the local level, DOT accreditation guidance, travel assistance, complaint resolution, and emergency assistance, among others,” it noted.

On the other hand, the DOT said complex queries will be resolved by the concerned unit and followed through by the call center until resolution.

The agency said all transactions are recorded in a customer relationship management (CRM) with a ticketing system.

“General Inquiries are resolved within the call or chat. If the concern is for escalation, this is endorsed to the respective DOT regional office (RO), local government unit (LGU), attached agency, or national government agency (NGA) via email,” the agency said.

Frasco said they are also eyeing to expand and "add foreign language-trained agents in time to come.”

The DOT will not limit the number of agents who will be working for the call center, should the need arise, she added.

During the launch, Frasco was the first one to test the tourist hotline, asking about diving in Mindanao. Her query was answered by a call center agent based in Angeles City, Pampanga.

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