RTA Customers' Board focuses on customer issues in 3rd meeting

The aim of this step is to utilize customer feedbacks & suggestions received in upgrading business conduct and level of services rendered by all agencies of the RTA.

The Customers' Board convened its third meeting under the chairmanship of engineer Eissa Abdul Rahman Al Dosari, CEO of Marine Agency in the presence of Dr. Aysha Al Busmait, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communication Dep't, as a Vice Chairperson. Other members took part of the meeting include Laila Harib, Director of Customer Service Centers Dep't, Khalid Al Ramsi, Manager of Customer Relations, Wafa Harib, Support Officer at Customer Service Centers Dep't, and Omar Al Naqbi, Manager of Community Relations at Strategy & Corporate Performance Dep't as a member and reporting officer.

Engineer Al Dosari stated that establishing RTA Customers' Board stems out of the keen attention on the part of the RTA to have sustained links with all categories of its customers. It also reflects the attention paid by the RTA to utilize feedbacks & suggestions made by customers to establish a communication link between RTA & the community.

Through such a channel, problems facing customers could be discussed and reviewed. As such customers will be involved in the process of decision-making & working out solutions. This underscores the solid belief of the RTA that success could only be measured through the extent of customer satisfaction. Therefore RTA will not be content with delivering services only, but will also seek to deliver them in outstanding manner.

"Customers' Board is there to support RTA customers in every respect through all communication channels targeted by the RTA to provide the ambitious services anticipated by all RTA clients as well as the general public. The public is part of RTA clients since they drive vehicles on roads and one of the key objectives of Customers' Board is to minimize traffic accidents in the emirate of Dubai through working on three basic elements; roads, road users and vehicles," said Al Dosari.

He pointed out that the Board discussed an introductory presentation about the Comprehensive Center scheduled to open and offer customer services in October. He mentioned that another presentation was made regarding the significance of "Madinati" project & procedures adopted in reporting offences. A brief presentation was also made regarding the Licensing Dep't focusing on the Organization Chart and services offered, he added.

Al Dosari further stated that Customers' Board made several recommendations including slashing the time taken to respond to customers calling the number 8009090, applying a car parking system at the time of opening the HQ of Customer Service Centers, and opening comprehensive customer service centers at Dubai International Airport & Dubai Municipality. Recommendations pertaining to Licensing Dep't call for qualifying driver instructors at Driving Learning Centers through dispatching them to attend external courses in the field of safety & environment in more advanced countries.

Other general proposals relate to a host of issues including nominating Customers' Board to Dubai Excellent Government Performance Program under the category of "Excellent Administrative Experiment", making IDs to all members of Customers' Board, and decorating outstanding individuals in the annual RTA ceremony made for this end. In addition to that the Board recommended stepping up penalties imposed on vehicles engaged in outlawed commuting of passengers, providing vehicle parking cards at shopping centers & refueling stations, and introducing an electronic system to top-up vehicle parking cards through transferring funds from mobile phones.

Dr. Aysha Al Busmait, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communication Dep't, and Vice Chairperson of Customers' Board said that launching the Customers' Board reflects a technique named Customer Focus Group; which is a method of exploring customer opinions through conducting group interviews with a selected group of customers, where a debate on several issues is opened. RTA, in its capacity as an organizing body, selects discussion topics and invites a number of customers, selected according to the nature of topic, to debate comment on the impact of these issues on the public.

Discussion is opened through posing a number of questions aiming at soliciting answers that reflect the opinions and feedbacks of customers in an environment in which freedom of expression prevail & chances to comment and participate are ensured. She considered this method as one of the most effective methods used in exploring customer opinion. Its effectiveness is defined by the huge number of new concepts developed, and the great deal of information exchanged and unexpected contributions made, said Dr. Aysha.

"The general objectives of Customers' Board are summarized in collecting data & feedback on issues specified by the RTA and exclusively related to the concerned customers. It also aims at bolstering other means used in researching customer opinions, such as questionnaires & personal interviews, and verifying conclusions already made by other means of customer opinions researches" added Dr. Aysha.

She concluded her speech by offering a brief elaboration of the tasks of the Board; which she summarized in three key points; inviting customers to take part in the meetings of Customers' Board to discuss issues raised by the RTA, collecting data & feedback on special customer-related issues specified by the RTA, and focusing on external communication and links with customers.