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Customer service pivotal to Expo 2020 success
Major investment in customer service training is needed in the UAE if the country is to lift its performance and deliver up to heightened international expectations ahead of Dubai's hosting of Expo 2020, according to a juror for the GCC's prestigious Service Olympian Awards, the only independent honours which recognise the region's customer service leaders.
Dr.Alaa Garad, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the University of Salford, UAE and CEO of Investors in People, says while the government sectors have been making headway in customer service, large sections of the private sector have some way to go.
"Absolutely it's the public sector and it's way ahead of the private sector with the hospitality segment being the best within the private sector," he says.
Dr.Garad said many segments of the private sector are still paying lip service to customer service training and consequently putting their brand and customer retention at risk.
And Dr.Garad says customer service will be "pivotal" to the success of Dubai's hosting of Expo 2020.
"There are high expectations and there's a genuine need to focus on customer delight rather than satisfaction. The customer service quality in the government sector in Dubai is relatively more advanced than the private sector. There's a need to devise policies that mandate training related to customer service excellence," he says.
In a region characterised by fast growth and demand on services, customer service training is way down many organisations' priority lists, says Dr.Garad. "Many organisations know that there is not much competition out there and that customers need their services. I believe that the UAE is relatively the best among other, not only GCC, but all Arab countries - at least in the Emirates you can complain and follow up on your complaint."
Dr.Garad is among leading international and regional customer service experts who will this winter judge this year's GCC Service Olympian Awards organised by Dubai-headquartered Ethos Integrated Solutions (EIS).
The 2015 awards, which are free-to-enter for public and private sector organisations are open for applications until October 15th.
This year there are 18 honours up for grabs all now built around the proven EIS Customer Experience Implementation model which focuses on defining, designing, developing and deploying a standout customer experience strategy then measuring the outcomes and innovating for future improvement and commitment.
The awards include: Best Customer Experience Strategy; Best Customer Experience Journey Maps; Best Customer Experience Employee Engagement; Best Employee Customer Experience Delivery; Best Customer Communications; Best Customer Engagement; Best Customer Loyalty; Best Customer Education; Best Employee Learning; Best Customer Experience Measurement; Best Complaint Management; Best Use of Measurement for Improvement; Best Service Innovation; Best Customer Experience SMART Applications; Best use of Social Media; Best use of Technology to benefit Customers; Leadership Commitment and Best Customer Experience Delivered.
And the 2015 award will also feature a People's Choice award with the public being invited to vote online for the company it believes delivers the best customer service. People voting in the People's Choice category also go into a draw for a chance to win an iPad each month from now until November.
Following the October 15th application deadline, all entries will be assessed by a team of six international and local judges then shortlisted candidates will be asked to present their cases to the judges for final selection.
The 2015 Service Olympian Customer Experience Awards, the second in the series, will be presented in a gala ceremony at the prestigious Burj Al Arab hotel on December 8.
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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
For more information, please log on to: www.serviceolympian.com
For phone interviews with Dr.Alaa Garad, please contact:
Rabia Rathore
Action Global Communications
Email: rabia.r@actionprgroup.com
Tel: +971 4 390 2960
© Press Release 2015
