New TAJ Cross Roads office getting good reviews
Published:Wednesday | March 23, 2016 | 11:27 AM
Literally moving across the street (Eureka Road) from its previous headquarters, the new Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) Cross Roads office is a welcome sight. The move was completed on February 21.
Orville Chambers, assistant general manager in charge of the branch, said the move is virtually seamless and it has not only pleased customers, but has boosted the morale of staff.
"I must commend the staff. I think they've been doing a tremendous job. They made a lot of sacrifice in the old building and now they are reaping some of the rewards," he said. "They (clients) have been singing our praises. They know where we have been coming from."
Chambers said, in noting the branch's popularity, "Because we sit nestled in this strategic location, between downtown and Constant Spring, there is a particular novelty with this location," he said. "It is small, but the level of efficiency allows the public to get in and out in a timely manner." Parking has always been an issue, but Chambers promised this has been addressed.
"We still have our old building and we have parking there, and we have parking across the road," he pointed out. "We have always rented space across the road. But with us taking three floors, we have additional spaces. In all, we have 45. What has happened since we opened is that many more people have come. We've been getting good reviews."
new upgrades
The 'new' building previously housed a branch of RBC Bank (now Sagicor). The compliance unit and executive offices are on the top floor while the second floor houses the entire motor vehicle department, including its own cashiers. This is an upgrade from the previous office, where motor vehicle services were on two floors.
The current department offers seating for customers, and there's even cable television to ease the wait. The ground floor is where all other transactions take place. Included in this is an area where senior citizens are allowed to sit and be served. There is a wheelchair ramp, and if persons are challenged and unable to leave their cars, an officer of the TAJ will go down and help them transact their business. Chambers noted that for the first few days, the floor management team was assisted by senior managers. All staff toured the new offices to ensure there would be no grouses on opening day.
"Persons have also been singing the praises of how they are better able to access services, as TAJ has gone about ensuring that floor management and customer service traffic flows smoothly at the office," he said.
The TAJ is investing heavily in customer service and promised the service at Cross Roads will be replicated across network of operations.