The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Government agencies, education institutions and private companies websites give contact details from phone numbers to emails but how updated, efficient or effective are they.
Numerous instances have occurred where there was a deficiency in the response time to urgent questions from the public, as well as instances when the phone numbers provided on websites for contact are inactive.
These incidents show that in order to guarantee prompt and efficient communication with all parties concerned, the entities must review their communication plans, give responsiveness top priority, and enhance internal procedures. If these problems are not resolved, the parties concerned may become even more dissatisfied, and there may be long-term effects on the entity’s success and reputation.
Kinley Wangdi, a high school graduate said, “It is quite frustrating and sad when our emails are not responded to. One time, when I was applying for a college and I had a doubt about the application and about the test centre. I wrote an email to the college to clarify my doubts, but they never responded.”
He further added, “I did it twice, but there was no reply for the emails. It was hard for me to clarify my doubts on my own. Only after reaching out to my friends, I was able to clear my doubts. If only my emails were responded to, I wouldn’t have to go through such hard situations. If our emails are responded to, it would be better for us as well as the email receiver.”
Phuntsho Wangmo, another high school graduate experienced similar incidents.
Phuntsho mentioned, “There have been several instances where I didn’t receive responses to my emails. Earlier this year, a multimedia training and recruitment opportunity was announced by a creative studio. I reached out to them via email regarding this opportunity, but I never received a response. So, I had to resort to contacting them through a phone call.”
In addition, she said, “A similar situation occurred with another organization the following week; it was an urgent inquiry, and I needed a prompt response. However, their reply came almost a month later. Even colleges have been slow to respond to emails, which is disappointing and concerning.”
As they are high school graduates, the majority of their inquiries were mostly related to college applications, academic transcripts, and opportunities that interest them.
There are deadlines for applications and grants, so delayed responses might cause uncertainty and a loss of hope. They make contact in order to get clarification on their queries and confirm that the information they have is correct.
Pema Dolkar said, “When inquiring about job interviews, responses are often not received from organizations.”
Furthermore, she said, “Inquiries to almost all organizations yield similar results, as most organizations follow this pattern. If a response is received, it is typically only once, as multiple follow-up emails can be seen as bothersome.”
She also added, “They often promise to respond within a week, but some take as long as a month. When we politely remind them after the deadline has passed, they sometimes react defensively, advising that we don’t have a manner when it’s them who is not punctual. This process is frustrating and wastes our time.”
The inability to reply to emails from different establishments, such as government agencies, educational institutions, and private companies, draws attention to a larger problem of ineffective communication.
