Dubai Municipality launches institutional complaint system Move aims at improving customer service

November 26, 2007
Dubai
 Dubai Municipality (DM) has introduced a new electronic complaint system that will facilitate easy contact with its growing clientele. Engineer Hussein Nasir Lootah, Acting Director General, yesterday (Monday) launched the new institutional complaint system which aims at improving DM services to its clients.

DM officials, including heads of the various divisions, attended the launching of the new system, which is in line with the directives of the Dubai Executive Council. It also reflects DM’s commitment to share common system with other local government departments and institutions to maintain the emirate’s high reputation at the local, regional and international levels.

 Commenting on the occasion, Engineer Lootah said: “The new complaint system, which is being adopted by most institutions worldwide, is based on the best practices. This is aimed at maximising the benefit from the system to improve institutional performance, win more customer satisfaction and boost further our good reputation.”

He said Dubai Municipality is one of the world’s best institutions having been providing innovative and excellent services for its clientele, while striving to reach the peak of their satisfaction. “It is in pursuance of this aim that we introduce the new complaint service system to use their views in improving our services for them,” he added.

“Clients can present their complaints for various reasons. They may lodge complaints if a municipality personnel offer them poor service or failed to serve them accordingly, or acted arbitrarily against them without justification, or in the case of excessive delay in the processing of their transaction, or when the laid down rules are flouted or when a mistake is committed in the implementation of the laid down rules. One can also lodge complaint for financial or administrative violations,” he further explained.

Engineer Hawa Besitki, Director of Administrative and Quality Development Division of the municipality said: “The launching of the project followed a thorough study of various complaint systems in various government departments from which we found out the differences in each of the systems. We also realised that there is a chance to improve upon the current situation and there exist a true desire from a number of departments and their clients for an effective and common electronic complaint system.”

She said the system is a general one and aims at creating a positive impression about Dubai as a unique international city that provides excellent services for clients, adding that it also aims at boosting further the satisfaction of clients by finding solutions to their problems, making good use of their complaints to improve performance.

She pointed out that the launch of the system is in support of the eGovernment in the Emirate of Dubai and is within the framework of Dubai’s 2007-2015 strategic plan. She said the system is comprehensive as it includes processes for receiving, studying and processing of complainants for suitable solutions, adding that the new electronic system will be uniformly implemented in all Dubai government departments by the Dubai Executive Council (DEC).

“The new system will be implemented in three phases beginning with the Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department, Department of Health and Medical Services, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and Dubai Roads and Transport Authority. Phase 2 and 3 will include all other Dubai government departments,” she explained, adding that personnel from all the departments will be trained on the new electronic system and a special customer care office will be opened at the DEC premises.

She pointed out that complaints would be received through Dubai Municipality website (http://www.dm.gov.ae) , P.O. Box 67 Dubai, Fax number 04 – 2064428, or through the complaint boxes or by calling toll free number 800900 or by coming in person to lodge complaint or through Dubai Government website (http://www.dubai.ae).

“The new system has many advantages. It is highly technical, very fast in accessing results and analysis, it saves time and efforts, cost effective and has very little margin of error. This is addition to being very easy to use ant to present report,” she said, adding that departments which excel in the application of the new system will be rewarded and honoured during the Dubai Government Excellence Award.