In line with continuous efforts to enhance customer experience and do business responsibly, the Philippines’ largest integrated telecommunications company PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) operationalized its Diversity and Inclusion Policy to include its retail operations and customer touchpoints.
PLDT and Smart recently held a training workshop focused on disability sensitivity and neurodiversity for its frontliners.
According to the National Council on Disability Affairs, there are over 1.4 million registered Persons with Disabilities in the Philippines as of March 11, 2024. Alongside efforts to promote the social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities, advocates are raising awareness about neurodiversity. Neurodiversity recognizes the variations in how people's brains function and includes conditions such as dyslexia, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
To keep abreast of these areas and understand relevant applications to their customer interactions and frontline operations, PLDT and Smart tapped the expertise of disability-led accessibility solutions provider TERPCAP which conducted an interactive workshop among their retail sales, customer care, and asset protection personnel nationwide.
The workshop tackled fundamentals of disability inclusion and neurodiversity and anchored on real-life PLDT and Smart store scenarios to cover methods of effective communications and customer care for persons with disabilities and neurodiverse conditions.
“We recognize that navigating the world of disability often comes with unique obstacles, whether it’s facing physical barriers or encountering misconceptions and stigma. With workshops like this, we not only equip ourselves with necessary knowledge and skills to better serve customers with disabilities, but we also cultivate a culture of compassion and respect within our retail spaces,” said PLDT and Smart Vice President and Department Head for Retail Store Operations and Transformation Eden Techico.
Complementing disability inclusion trainings and standardized guidelines for their personnel, PLDT and Smart are ensuring that their retail store design and operations are in accordance with the principles of the Batas Pambansa Bilang 344 or the Accessibility Law. Among various considerations, their store equipment and furniture sets follow ergonomic design principles to promote accessibility and accommodate customers with disabilities
“We aim to continuously learn and pursue improvements to make our store design, retail processes, and frontline communications more inclusive and more attuned to serving our customers and individuals of all abilities.” explained PLDT and Smart First Vice President and Head of Sales and Development John Palanca.
PLDT and Smart adopt a business-led and institutionalized approach towards ensuring inclusive and ethical engagements with persons with disabilities, in line with their Human Rights and Diversity and Inclusion Policies. These policies ensure alignment of operations with the principles of the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as uphold zero tolerance of any kind of abuse, discrimination, and prejudice, among others.
“Adopting a human rights-based approach and making our services inclusive contribute to our commitment towards narrowing the digital divide, ensuring that all our customers, including persons with disabilities, get quality access technology that could break social barriers and improve their lives. All these are part of our continuing focus on sustainability and doing business responsibly,” said PLDT and Smart Chief Sustainability Officer Melissa Vergel de Dios.
