Platform receives 20,000 calls per month inquiring about eServices

July 16, 2011

H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan

Dubai eGovernment has recently revealed that a monthly average of 20,000 inquiries about online services of Dubai government entities have been received in the first half of this year by its unified contact centre AskDubai on phone number 700040000. This indicates the success of the call centre as an effective unified point of contact providing information services through multiple channels.

H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment Department, said: “AskDubai embodies eGovernment’s core vision based on easing the lives of citizens, residents, visitors and businesses as it plays a significant role in enhancing the quality and efficiency of the government services provided to various sections of society in the emirate, in both Arabic and English. The centre’s mechanism of work is based on enhancing the communication of customers with the participating government entities and replying to all their inquiries through a group of highly experienced and skilful specialists. We are happy about the growing interest of Dubai government departments and entities to adopt this shared service, which is expected to achieve a remarkable growth over the few coming years as a source of information for the public about the services provided by government entities”.

“These results clearly show the rising pace of eTransformation in Dubai and the growing response of customers to the adoption of online services for completing their government transactions on one hand and increasing their trust in the efficiency and security of these services on the other”, Bin Humaidan added.

AskDubai is a 24/7 open line that allows the public to communicate with any participating government department or inquire about any online service or information related to its scope of work in Arabic and English. The centre is unique for providing a comprehensive spectrum of channels that enables the public to submit complaints or suggestions or inquire about online services. These channels include telephone on 700040000, e-mail to help@dubai.ae and fax on 04-3303399.

It is noteworthy that AskDubai is managed and supervised by Dubai eGovernment as one of the shared services provided to government entities to be able to provide their services to the public through innovative channels. It replies to the callers’ inquiries about the online services provided by the participating government entities, these being Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, Department of Economic Development, Land Department, Dubai Chamber, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZA), Dubai Civil Defence, Awqaf & Minors Affairs Foundation, Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department, Dubai Customs, Dubai Public Prosecution, Dubai Courts, Dubai Autism Center and Dubai eGovernment itself.

Drive is in line with its efforts to consolidate building a knowledge-based society

October 26, 2010

Dubai eGovernment successfully concluded its participation in the 30th edition of “GITEX Technology Week 2010″ held in Dubai by reaffirming its commitment to provide a more secure, integrated and  reliable electronic platform for customers of Dubai government departments to have easy access to eServices, complete government transactions and make electronic payments in a smooth and convenient manner.    

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, visited GITEX and emphasized its importance as a venue for knowledge, innovation and technology. Sheikh Mohammed expressed his pleasure in seeing the year-on-year momentum gained by the event, which reflected its significance and underlined the role of the UAE in spreading IT culture in the region. 

During his visit, Sheikh Mohammed visited Dubai eGovernment’s stand where he was briefed on the new eServices which had been made available through Dubai Government’s official portal (www.dubai.ae) to facilitate the completion of government transactions and reflect Dubai’s digital transformation aimed at reinforcing its leading position in the knowledge-based economy. Sheikh Mohammed was also briefed on the model adopted by Dubai eGovernment for offering services to the public and government departments.  

Dubai eGovernment’s participation at GITEX this year featured the launch of its corporate website www.deg.gov.ae by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority. The website defines Dubai eGovernment’s role in drafting e-transformation policies in Dubai and monitoring its quality.

During GITEX, Dubai eGovernment signed two cooperation agreements with Dubai Civil Defence and Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment (MRHE), which both joined the ePay portal, bringing to 24 the total number of government departments using ePay. With MRHE joining ePay, Dubai citizens can more easily access MRHE’s services such as granting residential plots of land, government housing, housing loans, or completing, expanding or maintaining an existing house. Likewise, the ePay gateway will enable customers of Dubai Civil Defence to have easy access to the department’s services such as inspection, licensing, company and factory approvals, plans and engineering projects and training services.

“GITEX is a leading platform to showcase latest services and innovative solutions in the ICT field, which prompted us to highlight the eServices that are offered on Dubai.ae. These services are offered in coordination with various government departments in Dubai in accordance with the highest international standards in implementation of the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to ensure smoother completion of government transactions and contribute to strengthening Dubai’s leading position in the knowledge-based economy,” said H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment.          

“We sincerely thank all the government departments that were part of Dubai eGovernment’s stand to familiarize the public with their online services and also the organising committee of GITEX for its efforts in making this major event highly successful. We would also like to thank the business community, individuals and delegates from other countries who visited our stand for the confidence shown in our services, and we look forward to expanding services portfolio during the next edition of GITEX,” he added. 

During the event, Dubai eGovernment carried out a customer survey among students, professionals, homemakers and retirees residing in Dubai to gauge their usage of ICT and government eServices and rewarded 10 lucky winners with iPads for their opinions. The results of the survey will be used to further optimize the service offerings from Dubai eGovernment. Just like the previous years, Dubai eGovernment supervised the “Best Online Customer” promotional raffle in association with Dubai Police, Dubai Courts, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing and RTA. Daily raffles were held for a selection of eServices and clients were given the chance to win valuable prizes.

Dubai eGovernment is keen on participating in GITEX every year in line with its commitment to keep pace with the latest developments in technology and leveraging these developments to contribute to the eTransformation process in Dubai

Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) showcased its range of eServices, especially its One Stop Information Center (OSIC), during its participation at GITEX Technology Week at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. DTCM is participating in GITEX as part of the Dubai eGovernment stand, with the aim to highlight various electronic services it offers to tourists, residents and citizens of Dubai.   

The eServices that DTCM offers include e-Brochures, online training management solutions, online travel booking, visitor survey, interactive map of Dubai, suggestion scheme, E-complaints, among others.

DTCM constantly updates the tourist and business-related information on its website to cater to the requirements of the large number of tourists and investors visiting Dubai from all over the world. Earlier this year, DTCM launched a contest where visitors to its interactive tourism portal definitelydubai.com had a chance to win attractive prizes such as, free stay in a five-star hotel in Dubai; dhow cruise on Dubai creek; desert safari; tour of Dubai; or a lunch/dinner in a high-end restaurant. The definitelydubai portal has been designed to cater to three distinctly different audiences: tourists, business travelers and residents, in line with DTCM’s vision to become a one-stop-information-centre for visitors and residents alike.

Tourism is one of the vital sectors that is driving Dubai’s economy and DTCM plays a major role in attracting tourists and investors from around the world. The department is supported by its 18 overseas representation offices and the various marketing and promotional campaigns it undertakes. DTCM also participates actively in various seminars, conferences and exhibitions worldwide to promote Dubai’s tourism appeal. 

‘Customer Comes First’ strategy will be highlighted during Dubai eGovernment’s presence at Gitex 2010

September 26, 2010

Teams from Dubai eGovernment continue to prepare for the 30th edition of GITEX Technology Week taking place from October 17 to 21, 2010 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center. They have been holding regular meetings with various government entities which will be displaying their services in Dubai eGovernment’s platform.

Dubai eGovernment’s participation in the annual event forms part of its commitment to keeping pace with the latest technologies and using them to support Dubai’s e-transformation. Local departments are advancing the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to maintain Dubai’s regional leadership in developing a knowledge economy. Various eServices are being provided to facilitate transactions with government departments without the need to go to their offices, thus saving time and effort and enhancing convenience for residents.

“Motivated by Dubai eGovernment’s successful participation in earlier editions of GITEX, we decided this year to expand our space from 800 to 2,800 square meters, more than 3 times larger, in order to accommodate the needs of all the 28 government departments participating under our umbrella. Our area will be divided according to the type of services offered to the public; there are over 2000 of them provided for citizens, residents, business sector and visitors, these being the key segments of the society. We are using our past experiences to improve the performance of our platform and provide a proper venue for departments to display their services via one platform while at the same time offering them more space to exhibit independently as if they each had their own platform,” said Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment.

Bin Humaidan noted the commitment of Dubai eGovernment to find an effective platform for displaying its services which highlights the benefits of online eService transactions.

“In this year’s edition we will reinforce our customer-focused strategy of decentralization, which allows government departments to be creative in developing their systems and designing and launching their services in line with their internal structure and their customers’ needs. At the same time we will also encourage centralization as a means to reduce the technical burdens of each department, so that they can employ advanced technologies for offering innovative channels that benefit the public and deploy cutting-edge systems which will enable them to focus more on their internal activities. These will be reflected through displays prepared by Dubai eGovernment illustrating key service packages based on the five pillars of public services; core and channel enabling services; government resources planning services (GRP); collaboration, connectivity & infrastructure enabling services; policy, advisory & knowledge services,” added Bin Humaidan.

Bin Humaidan pointed out that as is the case every year, Dubai eGovernment’s competent teams will determine the needs of GITEX’s diverse visitors in order to improve the level of eServices across the emirate and enhance efficiency and excellence in local departments. This, he explained, will realize the common goals of accelerating Dubai’s transformation into an integrated digital community closer to the needs of its customers. He added that GITEX is an excellent event for featuring the latest trends in eTransformation and governance, which constitute the sound foundations for building new knowledge-based communities. 

“The UAE has grown into a well-developed community where government eServices play a vital role in its progress and prosperity, and we are set to benefit immensely from the recommendations to be made during GITEX’s gatherings of international IT leaders in terms of cloud computing and mobile phone applications,” Bin Humaidan said.

Dubai eGovernment will cover the events, press conferences and agreements made during Gitex through a series of press releases to be published before and during the exhibition. It will also issue a special edition of ‘e4all’ magazine to cover these events with special focus on the services to be offered by the participating departments to visitors.

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