"Create more happy!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
In just about two weeks, I'll be headed to Abu Dhabi, where I will speak to a senior group of government ministers and executives for the seven Emirates. I'm quite looking forward to the talk and working with this group.
The process to book me started a few weeks ago, and as with many major organizations, can often become quite complex for a seemingly simple speaking engagement. There is a contract to sign, a procurement system in which to be set up, paperwork to be exchanged, and payment to be processed. In every engagement of this type, there are inevitably some bumps along the way, which is often a challenge given the extremely short booking timeline. It can be a time-consuming and painful process - American Express once had to pay our fee via PayPal because they could not get their internal payment system aligned to our payment terms!
Some issues began to unfold with this situation - entirely not unexpected - and my wife and I were diligently working through the process with several folks on the other side of the contract. There were the inevitable hiccups and delays ... until someone with the title Expert with the Customer Happiness Center Department of the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs got involved ... and pushed our information through the procurement system.
The what?
The Customer Happiness Center!
Granted, I wasn't a customer in this case - I'm a supplier. But suffice it to say, the job description title caught my attention, as did the idea of a department focused on happiness. Immediately, the thought came to my mind - in this world of accelerating expectations, increasing demand for quality service, and often instant online feedback, what many organizations need to delight both suppliers and customers is a Customer Happiness Center!
Make more happy! Create more happy!
I dug into this concept a little bit further, using my go-to research service, Dow Jones Factiva, and discovered that the UAE seems to have embedded the concept of 'happiness' as a goal. Not only that, but they measure the happiness!
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has reported outstanding results in customer happiness and service quality for the first half of this year. Performance indicators from the ministry’s call centre revealed a substantial rise, with customer happiness reaching 96% and the completion of customer requirements also at 96%, both exceeding the target of 90%.
Rapid And Effective Services
His Excellency Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, stressed that such indicators demonstrate the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to ensure customer happiness and strengthen its commitment to delivering exceptional support.
The Ministry of Finance has Achieved Exceptional Results in Customer Happiness and Service Quality Improvement During the First Half of 2024
15 August 2024
This paragraph caught my attention, particularly because as organizations introduce new systems and technologies into existing business processes, things can often go off the rails, which inevitably creates a lot of customer pain points:
He emphasized that MoF’ call centre and customer happiness channels played a significant role in delivering rapid and effective services, resolving enquiries efficiently, and offering innovative solutions through direct communication channels.
He added, “The exceptional results achieved by the centre can be attributed to the team’s high efficiency, continuous training on the latest technologies, and investment in advanced technological infrastructure. The centre’s use of smart systems to analyse data and forecast customer needs has significantly enhanced service quality. The Ministry will continue to upgrade the performance of the call centre and customer happiness channels by launching new digital channels powered by artificial intelligence to provide a unique and integrated customer experience.”
The Ministry of Finance has Achieved Exceptional Results in Customer Happiness and Service Quality Improvement During the First Half of 2024
15 August 2024
And there are actual metrics that measure happiness!
Key achievements of MoF’s call centre and customer happiness channels in the first half of this year include: 87.9% of calls were answered within 20 seconds, while the percentage of unanswered calls did not exceed 2%.
The average duration of incoming calls was 4 minutes and 30 seconds, with zero waiting time for customers, as responses were provided immediately.
The total number of support requests received by the customer happiness channels exceeded 35,000, comprising 18,257 incoming calls, 10,464 emails, 1,362 instant chats, 6,098 requests through the self-service system, and 148 inquiry services.
To further fuel digital transformation, the Ministry of Finance developed a strategy for managing customer happiness channels and call centres. The strategy involves initiatives to streamline operations, including the implementation of smart screens through the data lake system to analyse customer data and incoming requests.
The Ministry of Finance has Achieved Exceptional Results in Customer Happiness and Service Quality Improvement During the First Half of 2024, 15 August 2024
I know that here in North America, many people are perpetually unhappy with their interaction with organizations, particularly when it comes to call centers and customer service departments. Digging deeper, it seems that 'happiness' is a key goal within the region, with the idea being established in a consumer protection organization:
“We are committed to the forward-thinking vision of the wise leadership to transition Dubai Government into a fully smart model and consolidate Dubai’s position as the top digital city in the world and a global hub for the digital economy.
Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade opens customer
happiness centres in more retail locations
24 May 2024, Arab News Releases
...the electricity and water organization:
UAE: DEWA inaugurates Future location in Ibn Battuta mall
5 August 2024, UAE Government News
..the roads and transportation group:
UAE: RTA transforms Umm Ramool and Al Barsha Centres into hybrid models
5 May 2024, UAE Government News
.....the port authority...
The Ports, Customs, and Free Zone Corporation introduces innovative
solutions with the aim of enhancing customer happiness
10 January 2024, ZAWYA by Refinitiv
....and even one that is a bit of a puzzler,
UAE: Dubai Courts’ Customer Happiness Performance Rates, Reflects Commitment to Excellence
29 January 2024, UAE Government News
If only North American organizations would be so bold as to declare 'customer happiness' as a key goal. Instead, many of us come to believe that our interaction with them - via call centers, in-store experience, or other forms of interaction - takes us into the zone of being miserable.
The solution?
Make more happy!
Futurist Jim Carroll is pretty happy with his interaction with the UAE government to this point in time!