ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Civil Service Commission for Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao recently trained at least 21 personnel of the Bangsamoro Pilgrimage Authority on basic customer service skills.

According to BPA executive director Said Salendab, the two-day training — held in Cotabato City last 8 and 9 September — sought to instill the importance of basic customer service skills as a vital competency for public servants.

Salendab also stressed that it is important to undergo orientation on BCSS especially in offices which are newly created like the BPA.

"All government employees are considered public servants and should be equipped with necessary skills to deliver quality services to our Bangsamoro constituents and to the Filipino people in general," Salendab said.

He added that the training will help improve BPA's services which are to protect and promote the rights of the Bangsamoro people, especially when performing Hajj and Umrah.

Among the topics that were discussed during the BCSS training were active listening, adaptability, attentiveness, conflict resolution, creativity, decision-making, dependability, effective communication, empathy, friendliness, knowledge of your product or service, open-mindedness, patience, quick thinking, reading physical and emotional cues, responsiveness and timeliness.