「Distinguished Award of Creating a Quality English Living Environment」

Head of Taipei Branch of Bureau of National Health Insurance: Ms. Tsai, Shu-Ling, General Manager

Taipei Branch of BNHI wins the Distinguished Award of Creating a Quality English Environment. The efforts of Taipei Branch of BNHI have been highly praised by the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission.

1. Major Accomplishments:

Based on the concepts and emphasis for the threshold of customer-oriented assistance and to apply the spirit of “Efficient Management, Caring and Thoughtful Service, Delicate Processing,” our branch focuses on positively establish a friendly environment that includes direct customer services in the domains of internet, telephone, and service counter, providing our customers with bilingual directions and the best service quality. In addition, we aim at assisting our customers in areas that physically surround us, for example, bilingual sings and directions in the subway system (MRT) and nearby streets, which can lead foreign customers to our branch without a problem. Meanwhile, inside our branch, we have established a merry and motivated English learning environment, where e-English learning zone, English learning club and English choir are formed, and English audio programs broadcasted, so that a variety methods of learning English are suggested to upgrade our colleagues' English ability. They are also encouraged to participate in the English assessment tests (held by local or international organizations like ETS.) Further, our colleagues are encouraged to take part in the jubilantly designed English Singing and Recitation Contests to demonstrate our colleagues' hard work on learning an important foreign language, English.  

Currently globalization is the trend and when foreigners come to Taiwan for educational, working or residence purposes, they face the fact of joining the current National Health Insurance (NHI) system and seeing the doctors when necessary; hence, to create a website that can meet the customers' needs, interact with the customers, as well as offer sufficient information is our primary task. Installation of our website offers around 20 functions: Making Appointment, NHI IC Card Lost and Found Inquiry System, Hospitals and Family Physician Map System, Future Prospects of our Branch, New-Plan Implementation, Statistics, Regulations, the Latest Information, Important Affairs, Branch Introduction, Officers Mailbox, e-Paper, Download System, NHI IC Card Zone, Site Map, Glossary, Keyword Search, and a link that goes to other related, well-designed websites. In the Service Zone, there are eleven speed keyword search and interaction systems that offer foreign customers with a more convenient e-service environment. In addition, we have established English and Other Services counter that offer foreigners friendly and professional services at the Service Center, Taipei Branch, Bureau of National Health. Our service is in English, and we welcome reservation, in which personnel involved will offer services in English. A foreigner simply needs to dial 3 when s/he is with our on-line service system and professionals will answer her/his questions in English. Therefore, foreign customers can obtain proper English service when they use a phone, internet, or our service counter. To make our service quality better, we have published quite a few bilingual project explanations, tables, charts, edited and printed Telephone Manner Manual and National Health Insurance Handbook, tested our operators' telephone manner in English, organized the Foreign Affairs Section, placed English and Courtesy Services Counter, simplified the application process of affairs related to health insurance, held customers satisfaction survey towards English application in our branch—at the service center and on line—for our foreign customers. All these mechanisms are set to present our Chinese-English bilingual service with the best quality. On the other hand, we utilize the external resources and work with governmental and private institutions on the health insurance scheme for foreigners and our citizens' Chinese spouse. We have held various bilingual service programs like “Benefits for the Insured Foreigners in NHI Program” for foreign labors and citizens' foreign spouse. Last, in order to cater the trend of globalization, we have held quite a few international exchange programs where we were interviewed by international media, successfully elevating our image in the world through international marketing.  

2. Our Story from the Heart

Foreign customers who have joined our insurance program exceed the number of 180,000; after NHI system is implemented, our branch has become where experts from different countries would visit, learn from our experiences, and exchange their beliefs with us. Hence, to create an English environment in our working environment has become the goal we designate. This time, we are granted with the Distinguished Award prize: it shows how our entire team have worked together and how our head, Ms. Tsai , Shu-Ling, General Manager has supported those different projects. During the entire process, we ask colleagues who are enthusiastic and willing to provide English service work to join us. We have continuously imbued more passion into this work and accomplish services with much development and renovation. ‘No pains, no gains.' To gain such a special honor is the ultimate encouragement for us, for we shall not stop to accomplish the most fulfilled fruit possible, and it propels us to move forward to the best English learning environment, as well as the best service quality.