"This call center is a manifestation of our responsibility to provide services, answer questions, and respond to public complaints related to cooperatives in general as well as the village cooperatives program," he stated.
Juliantono said during the inauguration event in Jakarta that his office had formed a team tasked with responding to and following up on questions or complaints received.
He described the call center as a breakthrough, noting that many citizens, especially members of savings and loan cooperatives, had long relied on letters or WhatsApp messages to obtain information on issues or processes.
According to Juliantono, most submissions concern administrative and operational issues in savings and loan cooperatives, land acquisition and management for village cooperatives, and technical or regulatory hurdles.
He explained that the new service would be integrated with the management information system already devised for village cooperatives to strengthen coordination and enable swift responses to problems faced by cooperatives.
Deputy for Cooperative Oversight Herbert Siagian added that the call center was devised in response to a survey by an independent agency last December, which suggested the need for a dedicated channel for village cooperatives.
He added that the hotline would feature interactive voice response (IVR) technology and a chatbot to handle substantive matters linked to cooperatives.
The IVR is expected to facilitate public interaction with the Ministry of Cooperatives, he said, while the chatbot will compile essential information on village cooperatives in a databank.
"Considering that the Red and White Village Cooperatives is a national strategic initiative under President Prabowo Subianto's directive, we deem it crucial to ensure quick responses to inquiries and complaints regarding the program via the call center," Siagian said.
The call center will operate every working day from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jakarta time.
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Translator: Shofi Ayudiana, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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