Datamatix Customer Care events begin

The three day conference which is being held at the Burj Arab aims to address the evolving customer care concerns and strategies of regional government organizations.

H.E. Abdulrahman A. Abdulkader, Vice Minister - Ministry of Civil Service, KSA shared his experience with the assembly in his Keynote Speech on Saudi Arabia's Efforts in Building and Managing 21st Century Government Organizations' Citizen Services. In his speech he emphasized the correlation between efficient service delivery and development.

"There is a strong relationship between delivering efficient services in the government sector and meeting the requirements of development. Efficient services reflect positively on the recipient, whether the recipient is an individual with his own needs and interests or the private sector, and conversely, in the case of inefficient and slow services, there is a negative impact on the achievement of development requirements" he said, and pointed to improved functioning of the Saudi government as evidence of the positive correlation between service delivery and the effective and efficient performance of the national economy overall, adding that this issue will remain the focus of attention of all government officials, and has been a focal point in the national development plans ever since the eighth development plan named "Development of public services and the improvement their quality and availability to suit the actual needs of the growing population, and the upgrading of performance" as a fundamental element of the nation's development strategy.

The second presentation of the day entitled Building a Culture for Service Excellence in an Organization was given by Caleb Chua, Principal Consultant - The Right Change Pte Ltd, Singapore.

Addressing how organizations build a culture that is truly customer focused and successfully differentiate themselves from others, he focused on the key steps that best practice organizations in the private and public sectors take, which enable them to continuously deliver a high level of service, and in the process, build customer advocates and truly loyal customers.

He emphasized that organizations that wish to stay ahead of the competition must build a unique culture, quoting Herb Kelleher, the chairman and ex CEO of South West Airlines: "Culture has got everything to do with it - because everything you say, our competitors could copy tomorrow. But they can't copy the culture and they know it."

Following Mr. Chua's presentation and the awarding of the 2nd Middle East Customer Care Excellence Awards by the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute, Simon Lynch, RSS Service Centres Manager - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in his speech, Focusing On The Client's Experience: Effectively Integrating Client Feedback into Operations for Consistent Service Delivery Outcomes, introduced a "western perspective" on customer care - how customers are viewed in the west and customer expectations.

In addressing why organizations should focus on customer experience he stated "The opportunities for radical gains in efficiency and effectiveness related to how organisations manage interactions and relationships with customers can enhance both enterprise economics and the differentiation of an organisation's products, services and brand."

Adding that it is "widely recognised that a client focused service provides the competitive edge" and "In the public sector there has been a shift away from the notion of citizenship towards consumer-oriented service delivery." He also discussed the importance of feedback stating that knowledge of customer experiences "Provides a mandate for improving a service offering" and "creates a relationship with the customer that goes beyond the interaction."

The day's sessions concluded with Khalid Abdulrahim Abdulla, Asst. Director Department of Municipality Centers and Head of Contact Center - Dubai Municipality.

In his presentation Dubai Municipality Programs and Initiatives for Excellent Customer Service, he discussed Dubai Municipality's strategic directions and goals which include "Developing, improving, and diversifying customer services" followed by an overview of the department's customer service programs and initiatives including, customer service, contact, and community centers; customer notification, complaint, and suggestion systems; one point and e-government services; and hotlines. He also examined their customer service KPIs.

The conference, which was well attended with over 100 participants from the public and private sectors, ad well as the press, will continue through tomorrow and conclude on Thursday (28th February) with the Middle East Telecom - Customer Care and New Services Conference.