HOW CAN I HELP YOU
A quality evaluation survey found that 76 per cent of clerks offered good service on the phone and at the desk and more than 83 per cent provided the exact information required.
The survey used the “secret client” method and was conducted in 32 cities and towns in June 2008 by the Ministry of State Administration.
However, telephone communication was found to be the weak area. The study revealed that 78 per cent of clerks failed to reveal their identity. Another 68 per cent were found seen not wearing identification badges at their desks. In nearly 50 per cent of cases there were no feedback boxes for customers’ opinions. Another problem was the lack of bilingual boards and the absence of clear notification of opening hours.

E-TRANSPORT IN SOFIA
The new automated system for passengers’ fares for Sofia’s trams and trolleybuses will be launched on September 1. Under the system, passengers will use smart cards with a built in chip that will monitor each trip made. Yellow automated card-readers will be at the entrance of public transport vehicles. There is also one automated ticket sale machine for single trip tickets, located behind the driver.

A TICKET TO CHINA
About 50 Bulgarian tourists will attend the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games on August 8-24, Chinese Embassy Press attach? Zhao Xuelin told Bulgarian BTA news agency on August 6.
Visa issuance takes about one week and Bulgarians keen to be at the Olympic Games could still use the service. There is no direct flight between Sofia and Beijing but passengers are able to get a connecting flight from Moscow, Vienna, Frankfurt and Paris, with Sofia-Moscow-Beijing flight being the cheapest.

STILL NEGATIVE
A total of 75 915 children were born in Bulgaria in 2007, 1371 more than in 2006 the Government’s media office said. The birth rate reached 9.8 per 1000 population, the highest rate in 15 years, but the general death rate remained higher that the birth rate. It stood at 14.8 per 1000 population, which determined the continuation of the negative demographic tendency. Over 999 patients have received medicines under a programme for treatment of infertility. There is a tendency of decreased abortions and increased number of adopted children.