Dubai government has officially gone online with the implementation of an e-customer complaint system.

In the first phase, six government departments have started implementation of what is claimed to be the world’s first unified mechanism for improving customer satisfaction in government services.

The Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department (DNRD), the Road and Transport Authority (RTA), the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), Dubai Police and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) are among those that implemented the innovative system, launched by the Dubai Executive Council in February this year.

More government departments are expected to go online during the e-System’s second phase, which is scheduled to be completed  by the end of this year.

In the run up to the implementation stage, the General Secretariat of the Dubai Executive Council had organised a number of workshops, familiarising government employees with the new system for receiving, registering and resolving complaints.

Ahmad Bin Byat, general secretary of the Dubai Executive Council, said creating a uniform interlinked system for all government departments allows the council to closely monitor each department’s performance and evaluate their responsiveness in dealing with customer complaints and resolving problems.

“The system will ensure complaints are resolved in a transparent manner within a seven-day period. A customer will also be able to track the resolving process through his or her account number and can receive alerts and updates on the progress of the complaint,” Bin Byat added. 

The new electronic customer complaint system will, however, not replace traditional practices. Complaints can still be addressed through mail or complaint drop boxes and call centers. The concerns will be later registered with the system.

Salim Khamis Al Shaer, director, eServices, Dubai eGovernment, said: “Our technical support to the new e-System will ensure customer complaints are handled efficiently. As part of a visionary strategy, this portal will improve government performance, and serve as a platform for enhancing government-citizen interaction.”

Complaints on maltreatment, poor performance, unfair actions and delays by government departments can be registered with the e-System, which will also help enforce penalties against erring departments.

Customers who wish to register complaints related to any department may log on to the official Dubai Government website (www.dubai.ae) or the websites of individual departments and sign up for an account. -TradeArabia News Service