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Public sector initiative to ignite private sector customer experience focus
The UAE Standards for Government Services Excellence Programme being implemented this year will lead to a major boost in customer service throughout the Emirates and provide a role model for the country's private sector, according to a leading customer experience delivery expert.
Robert Keay, founder and CEO of Dubai-headquartered Ethos Integrated Solutions, says the "forward-thinking initiative of the country's Vice President and Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will dramatically increase the focus of customer service throughout all sectors of the community."
The system, which is being implemented by the Prime Minister's Office in coordination with the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (ESMA), will measure each department's performance on the scale of 'two to seven' star ratings which requires them to have in place a customer experience journey map before the end of this year. Measurement criteria will include dealings with customers, speed of service delivery, reduction of waiting time, accessibility of the services, office ambience, use of technology and location of the service delivery outlet.
"Movement in the Government sector will also spur customer experience development within the private sector and we'll see business developers and marketeers working to ensure their companies deliver superior customer service for stand-out experiences which differentiate their products and services," said Keay, who has dubbed 2016 the year of the 'Experience Economy.'
"It's a transformational era. Customer service will emigrate fully to marketing departments who will need to take control of the customer experience. It's not enough to have good products and services. Consumers now having pricing, product and service information at their fingertips, so superior experiences will be what sets organisations apart and deliver growth - online customers will spread the word digitally faster than ever so the need to track, respond and sometimes amend will be paramount."
Despite a recent upswing in customer experience delivery across the Gulf region, Keay suggested there is still a way to go. "Evidence of this uptake came in the 2015 Service Olympian Awards programme, which we at Ethos organise and which are the only independent honours which recognise the country's customer service leaders."
Last year Ethos received 180 entries from the UAE's government, finance, hospitality, healthcare, telecoms, retail and aviation sectors all bidding for 21 awards which were independently judged by a team of customer service experts.
"Entries last year were significantly up on previous editions and the quality of application was excellent, better than ever, and competition was very intense," adds Keay. "There's no doubt that standards are rising but not uniformly. However the judges agreed the trend towards customer service in the UAE is clearly positive."
Keay believes the increasing focus on customer experience was across both the public and private sectors, with competitors investing and taking actual measures to improve their customer experience delivery.
"They are implementing customer journey mapping initiatives and as a whole focusing more and more on the customer experience as a key success factor. This trend will gain momentum as we move towards delivery of Expo 2020 Dubai. Visitors will have high expectations linked with 'Brand Dubai' and many of the emirate's key organisations - this will filter through all other segments," Keay explained.
Keay believes the fact the UAE's Standards for Government Services Excellence Programme is an annual process will prove pivotal.
"The delivery of customer service requires constant attention and innovation - it is not a one-off process," he added. "This system will ensure the whole customer experience journey is mapped to align experiences with the brand promise and to ensure operations deliver high-value, personalised experiences. To achieve success it will require the buy-in of all in the supply chain - from the CEO to the merchandiser on the shop floor and the after-sales personnel."
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About Ethos Integrated Solutions:
Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, Ethos Integrated Solutions has served the Arabian Gulf market for 11 years and is now the region's leading provider in delivering excellence for customer experience. To support its clients, this multi-award-winning company developed a range of Mystery Shopping, Customer Experience Training and Consultancy Solutions that help achieve sustainable competitive advantage in service quality. Ethos has a wealth of experience across a broad spectrum of industries in both the public and private Sectors. Existing clients enjoy easy access to information on their customer experience measurement and customer experience improvement projects using the Ethos range of unique e-Solutions.
For more information: www.ethosplc.com
Media Contact:
Rabia Rathore
Action Global Communications
Email: rabia.r@actionprgroup.com
Tel: +971 4 390 2960
© Press Release 2016
