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Thursday, 29 August 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
SLT provides services across a broad spectrum from residential customers to blue-chip companies. Further SLT functions as the national backbone service provider and the leading wholesale service provider of domestic and international connectivity.
The company’s QMS was established with the aim of aligning its total workforce of approximately 8,000 employees working in the company’s island-wide, business locations which includes teleshops, regional offices, contact centres, customer experience centres, customer service/billing centres, operations and maintenance centres, training centres etc.
This company-wide ISO certification demonstrates that SLT has fulfilled one of its core goals of corporate social responsibility as the leading telecommunications service provider in Sri Lanka by gaining the acceptance to provide telecommunication infrastructure that meets international standards of quality management.
ISO 9001 certification is provided when an organisation demonstrates that its Quality Management System has the robust ability to consistently provide the products that fulfil customer requirements as well as statutory needs. ISO 9001 certification also proves that the organisation is committed towards continually enhancing customer satisfaction through the application of the management system with processes in place for non-conformance management and perpetual improvement.
With the implementation of the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System, the entire company is now geared to providing better services to its customers whilst building strong bonds and creating a more open culture for customer interactions and customer satisfaction by delivering the company’s brand promise of effectively providing seamless connectivity with world-class information, communication and entertainment services.
SLT Group CEO Lalith De Silva, commenting on this achievement, said: “Sri Lanka is now positioned on a platform of fast-track development and ICT has emerged as the key driver of our country’s development and economic growth. We are proud that SLT is playing a lead role in strengthening the country’s ICT infrastructure to meet the needs and wants of individual businesses and the Government, and thereby supporting the country to achieve set targets. Through the provision of high quality ICT products and services, we endeavour to create a knowledge rich society. I have every confidence that SLT will join the ‘information superhighway’ in a major way.”
The company’s transformational strategies focus on conditioning the company’s corporate culture to provide an outstanding customer experience that borders the extraordinary. The documented processes and business standards of the company according to this program ensure that the same superlative experience is received by customers irrespective of their location.
Frequently conducted customer feedback surveys and brand health checks help to identify customer perceptions and take timely corrective action. The steering committee on Quality Management comprises the chief officers meet monthly and reviews the system and provides strategic directions to continually improve the Quality Management System.
The Group CEO further stated that: “By improving our Quality Management System, Sri Lanka Telecom is now ready to tap into new opportunities created in the ICT sector by providing total communication solutions with the assurance of high quality service and this accolade of quality certification has proved that SLT has achieved the ultimate benchmark.
“Recently, Sri Lanka announced its BPO industry has been one of the most dynamic and competitive and is being recognised as one of the top five revenue earners and the Government’s target is to reach the goal of being a $ 1 billion IT/BPO industry by 2016. We are confident about delivering our brand promise to customers and enabling our country to achieve its future development goals.”
He added: “Quality service and customer care have always been uppermost in our business and receiving the ISO 9001:2008 certification is a confirmation of this. The implementation of the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System will help further streamline SLT activities and encourage continuous improvement for the benefit of our valued customers.”
Dr. Kithsiri Dissanayake, Chairman of SLSI, commenting at the event, said: “I have noted that over the years, Sri Lanka Telecom has undertaken unique transformation programs in a very successful manner and now it is recognised as the leading telecommunication service provider in Sri Lanka with the highest QMS certification. In this context, I would like to mention that obtaining ISO 9001:2008 QMS certification would definitely help Sri Lanka Telecom further strengthen its journey towards excellence as the ISO 9001:2008 standard stipulates specific stringent and internationally recognised practices that an organisation should adopt so that a high quality service will reach the consumers.”
SLT has progressed well in the highly competitive environment during the past years and is expected to continue to grow in strength as an established company in the telecommunication industry. It is perhaps, a benchmark in Sri Lanka’s telecommunications sector, not only in terms of the gigantic strides it has taken in continuously upgrading infrastructure, but also in terms of its rapid expansion and extending its reach for the convenience and enhancement of the lifestyles of rural communities.
At present, the company serves over one million households through a plethora of telecommunication products which includes SLT Megaline (fixed line), which translates to over 4.5 million people across the island. Also, the company has provided total communication solutions to over 70% of top 100 business companies through its state-of-the-art intelligent solutions.
Apart from these segments, SLT is especially committed towards supporting the growing SME customer segment with customised communication solutions. By maintaining and continuing these improvements according to the highest quality standards, the company is now, as well as in the future, in a better position to provide products, services and end-to-end solutions to provide value additions to stakeholders including customers and employees.
Dr. L. N. Senaweera, Director General, SLSI expressed that: “I wish to point out that this event is remarkable because it represents an epoch making achievement at which Sri Lanka Telecom becomes the first telecommunication company in Sri Lanka to achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification status from the Sri Lanka Standards Institution to cover all its service providing divisions.”
He added: “If people at all levels have a clear idea of the value proposition, strategic goals and the understanding that the industry is constantly moving, there is much less need for top-down directives and controls. People can work in teams to achieve shared goals, and sometimes, by listening to your people, you can decide whether you have the capacity to move further vertically or horizontally in the value chain.”
Also during this year, SLT was awarded the globally recognised ISO/IEC 27001:2005 Information Security Management Standard for Network and IT Operations. SLT is the first company incorporated in Sri Lanka to achieve this security standard and has been listed on the prestigious Information Security Management System (ISMS) Registry since 2006.
