XN000022-1996-02-13 — Page 21

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A department spokesman said today (Tuesday): "Members of the public can obtain such trade information as fees and charges, certification, licensing and application requirements and procedures and the validity of different kinds of certificates and licences by just calling the hotline number, 2392 2922.

"They can also obtain application forms and information leaflets on various services offered by the department through the IVRS and request for these to be sent to their fax machines."

Explaining the mode of its operation, the spokesman said IVRS would be operating on two major functions: audiotext and fax transmission.

"It will automatically receive all incoming telephone calls, prompting the callers by a digitised human voice to choose from a selection of pre-recorded messages or forms by pressing the specified numbers on a touch-tone telephone.

"The callers can either listen to standard voice messages or request for a form or information leaflet to be sent to their fax machines. The system also allows callers to talk to the operator who will transfer their calls to the relevant unit for further consultations," the spokesman said.

The following categories of trade information are obtainable from IVRS:

Business hours;

Fees and charges;

Location of Trade Department and its counters;

Procession time required and validity period of various applications; Registration procedures;

Application and subscription procedures; and

Other enquiries.

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