As it stands, what is your assessment of the current What are the reasons for lack of good customer attitudes to customer service from the private and service in the region? public sector businesses? The answer is very sector specific and indeed, there are various factors which affect the level of customer service to which an organisation operates. Training, employee engagement, bureaucracy, ICT, integration with marketing and many other variables illustrate that a customer service policy is not just a feedback form at the till.
Historically, organisations in the UAE can define and understand what customer service is but not how it can be used to transform a reputation for better or worse. This lack of prioritisation means that customer service is often the responsibility of middle management and it is ignored in annual budgets or worse, at an executive level. Consequently, customer service becomes reactionary to a complaint and the process to deal with such feedback is not ingrained into the That said, if there is one generic answer – it is the economy and the recession has forced organisations to focus on the acquisition culture of an organisation. of new customers rather than retaining and keeping happy current The trend is changing and since Ethos Consultancy began operating customers. in 2004, increased competition has forced companies to focus its attention on customer service as poor word-of-mouth between customers takes a toll on the brand equity of a company. This is especially true with the economic situation, whereby customers are becoming loyal to fewer brands but staying true to those companies for a longer period of time. Government Relations and Initiatives
With this, what are the recurring attitudes of the public in the region about customer service feedback from businesses and public bodies? The UAE is very unique because with such a large expatriate population, the public is looking for international standards of customer service similar to what that they might experience back in their home country. Naturally those standards fluctuate, especially if a company has a similarly diverse work force implementing customer service policies. This is then pitted against the expectations of what an organisation in the UAE can deliver – so there is very strange dynamic at play whereby customers expect a level of customer service but at the same time appreciate that this is still a developing economy and are not surprised when expectations are not met. This is why there is such a great opportunity for organisations to carve out a very positive reputation for themselves, because the element of surprise will delight customers when customer service exceeds expectations and inspires brand loyalty.
What are the sectors showing particular strength with customer service satisfaction in the region?
The UAE Government Strategy 2011-2013 strives to ensure that all Government work is conducted according to a set of guiding principles that put the citizens first and promotes an accountable, lean, innovative, and forward-looking Government. UAE Government Strategy 2011-2013 details its obligations in the field of e-Government under strategic enabler, customer–centric service. A Knowledge-based government requires having learning solutions which will help Ethos by using Learning Moments to introduce e-learning. The TISSE2012 certification also will be able to offer its expertise in the certifications. Ethos can be engaged with this and assist the Government to meet its demand with highly transparent and accountable customer service solutions. In order to achieve a transparency and strong knowledge base in the government one should look at the way the communication with such entities takes place and Ethos can provide the feedback management systems and the necessary training in order to achieve that. It is important thus to have a system and feedback from the public in order to have an efficient delivery of the services in a professional manner.
The public sector is one such field in which customer service is improving and it is being considered at an executive level, but this is a recent shift and to ensure that change is inherent and lasting, it will take time until change is noticed. The aviation and hospitality sectors are two perfect examples in which increased competition has forced the improvement of customer service in the UAE. Furthermore, the advent of social media and review-based websites has meant that the hospitality sector is listening to its customers and acting upon any concerns or negative feedback.
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