e4all resumes its investigation into how far eServices are able to communicate with customers effectively and efficiently under the umbrella of the eGovernment’s slogan

e4all resumes its investigation into how far eServices are able to communicate with customers effectively and efficiently under the umbrella of the eGovernment’s slogan “Service…Anytime, Anywhere”. Smooth communication with government institutions is undoubtedly one of the most important requisites for that slogan to gain credibility.

  Can a resident touring outside the country communicate with government departments efficiently and easily? Can the resident call to inquire about his transaction without any difficulty or trouble or without seeking the assistance of a friend residing in the country? This is the aspect we have chosen to examine, based on real cases.

 A Jungle of Contact Numbers

 In an ideal eGovernment users expect to see channels of contact with the government unified in one portal, one telephone number and one short message service (SMS) portal. However, more than eight years after the launch of the Dubai Government portal and the unified contact centre, AskDubai were launched, we still find ourselves confronted by a jungle of contact centres, that can confuse a  a user will who wishes to  contact government departments.

 Actually, some departments  own more than one telephone number in their respective contact centres, and, to make matters worse, some of them have several contact centres. Consequently, a user needs a learning course to obtain the right number for getting the desired information.

 International calls barrier

 More unreasonably, users go through a long journey of trial and error and wrong communication with government departments, until they  gets access to the right number. The experience is even more frustrating case if the user  happens to be outside the UAE, as a series of international calls have to be made only to be greeted by interactive voice messages from the contact centres. Consequently, the costs of these international calls will force to the user to  drop all  attempts to communicate with the department. In contrast, the Internet opens a wide window for toll-free real-time voice communication and online chat.

 The question now is: Are there contact centres that allow the user to communicate with the government in the same way as he communicates with his colleagues?   

A Real-Life Case from AskDubai 

To test the system, e4all assigned a volunteer to call Dubai eGovernment contact centre. The volunteer chose online chat as the means of communication. Below is an "adapted" part of an online conversation between the "secret agent" and "Israa", customer service clerk at the contact centre. The dialogue demonstrates the pros and cons of attempting to communicate with government departments from outside the country.

 Service clerk: How can I help you, sir?

Secret agent: I am trying to call government departments from outside the UAE to track my transactions, but I do not know first how to call you in the contact centre. Moreover, there are a number of major government departments which are not linked to you.

Service clerk: What type of transactions do you have, sir?

Secret agent: First, please give me the telephone number of Dubai eGovernment contact centre for people calling from outside the UAE.

Service clerk: The number is 00971700040000.(The secret agent tries to dial the number from outside the UAE. He succeeds but the call is transferred to an interactive voice response system, and he hangs up).  

Secret agent: Thank you for your response to the first request. May I know your name? 

Service clerk: My name is Israa, sir.

Secret agent: Hello, sister Israa.

Secret agent: I want you to give me the telephone numbers of the contact centres of the Road and Transport Authority to track my Salik account, the Naturalisation & Residency Department to know the residence status and Dubai Courts to follow up a personal lawsuit.

Service clerk: Salik's number is 0097180072545 and Naturalisation & Residency Department's number is 009718005111.(The secret agent tries again to dial the number of Naturalisation & Residency Department from outside the UAE. He succeeds but the call is referred to the voice response system and he hangs up. Being a secret agent can be a costly affair).

Service clerk: There is another number for the Naturalisation & Residency Department. It is 0097143980000.

Secret agent: Does this number connect me to the same contact centre? I think this is the toll-free number of Amer service, is not it?

Service clerk: Yes, Amer service, sir. The number is 009718005111.

Secret agent: But I need a list of the numbers of all contact centres. How can I get it?

Service clerk: I am sorry, sir. This is not among the services of Dubai eGovernment Backup Department.

Secret agent: I have another problem!

Service clerk: Which is!

Secret agent: I earlier tried to call the Naturalisation & Residency Department to inquire about my residence status. I had to hold the line for nearly half an hour, switching from one option to another in the IVR menu. As you know, I am calling from outside the UAE and these calls are very costly. Do you think there is an option of chatting online with these departments – similar to what I am currently using with Dubai eGovernment – instead of paying huge bills of international calls?

Service clerk: I am sorry again, because the Naturalisation & Residency Department is not part of our services.

Secret agent: Is there no other way by which I could convey to the authorities the frustration of those who try to call government departments from outside the UAE, particularly since Dubai wants to go global and boost its free trade and economy? How can I complain or submit a suggestion?

Service clerk: You can do so through the website of each department. For complaints, there is another website:

Secret agent: ???????????????????????

Loading URL in browser windowService clerk: I am sorry for taking so long, sir.

Secret agent: What happened? Do you have the remote control of my computer? A website showing HH Sheikh Mohammed's photo has opened. Its URL is www.ecomplain.ae.

Service clerk: This is true, sir. This is the website of online complaints in case you wish to type a complaint. As for your question whether we have control of your computer, there is no such possibility. 

SummaryFrom this open conversation -- which is being published exactly as it took place between the secret agent of the magazine and the customer service clerk at Dubai eGovernment unified contact centre, AskDubai -- it is clear that Dubai eGovernment and its services team are facing a real challenge of adopting standard criteria for government contact centres just like the design criteria of government websites. We have taken into consideration the need to address customers who communicate with government departments by phone from inside and outside the UAE. The truth is that customers are facing real problems in finding a single body through which to communicate by phone with government institutions.  Some departments have too many telephone numbers. This makes telephone communication difficult for individuals residing in the UAE and definitely harder for those staying outside the UAE and looking forward to trans-border eServices.