Have you ever thought of a quality hotline service for our country? How high is your bar?

In the Sri Lankan context, hotline services play a vital role in providing faster and more convenient service to the public, acting as critical lifelines in emergencies, such as accidents, natural disasters, or medical crises, by contacting individuals with the appropriate responders or services quickly.

- By LESHANIE JAYAWARDENA, Marga Institute

Its involvement in emergency response trials that contain vital information referral, advocacy, and report, reassurance and guidance has marked an important contribution to the overall service-providing procedures in various government and non-government institutions. Vulnerable communities and people who have limited access to certain services could immensely benefit from these kinds of services affirming the inclusivity of the services.

Generally, hotlines are the first contact point for individuals who are seeking assistance either during an emergency or in an inquiry. Although this may seem to be an unpopular or unique, high-quality hotline services can be identified as a quietly influential indicator that mirrors the multi-dimensional aspect of development in a country.

The development of a well-structured and operationally efficient hotline service in Sri Lanka has evolved over several decades, reflecting advancements in communication infrastructure and public service initiatives. The Marga Institute conducted an independent study to assess the quality of leading hotline services in the country by measuring the overall experience of over thirty institutions through various measures based on accessibility, adaptability, feasibility and professionalism.

Although almost all government institutions and non-government institutions provide hotline services including emergency communication numbers, the quality of their service has room for improvement.

This study prioritized institutions that are frequently contacted by the public, including healthcare, mental health, legal aid providers, financial institutions, consumer rights-concern organizations, hotlines to report domestic violence and child abuse, education institutions, cybersecurity, animal welfare service providers, and government services.