Sher Value: The Pressure of Growth

Growing an economy and expansion are the hallmarks of a successful business model and indeed in this sense the UAE has set a wonderful example. As skyscrapers move even higher into the stratosphere, and new hotels pop up with the regularity that is almost predictable there is a perceptible pressure for services building up. While this is inevitable that service standards do suffer through an expansion phase of an economy, good planning should, generally speaking, rid one self of the complain of bad service. However, the adherence to quality is more a buzzword and it is becoming appalling to see how a lax attitude has come into some of the service sector, to the point where the customer does not matter.

A 30 day wait to get an internet connection in the Jumairah area, a 15 minute hold on the phone to make a claim, a 10 day wait to get the simplest information back from a bank, or indeed a 30 minute lapse for a cup of coffee changes the meaning of the phrase ‘instant coffee’. There is no denying that growth in the country has stretched the resource side of the market to the point where it is more than strained, but then where were the planners, the trainers, the human resource specialists all planning for the boom?

There are three distinct phases of the process; design build and operate, and it is at the latter part of his process that the model is beginning to fall off the seams. What is surprising is that this is happening at all the scales of the economic spectrum, so bad service is as common with the major telecom company, as it is with a coffee shop on Sh Zayed road. Why isn’t anyone doing something about it? Well simply put the business is already too good, so if a few customers go to bed complaining about things then so what as there are enough waiting in the sidelines. This is indeed the worse possible thinking in a situation like the one we are currently faced with.

Here are my suggestions; stop all Quality Awards immediately because companies that have already won the award have little interest in quality and the ones who have not won it really seem more caught up in making money rather than being ‘good’. Secondly it is high time that a customer care system is put in place to deal with complaints and please given them enough operators so that phone is atleast answered.

The country is on the cutting edge of the financial and service sector and needs to compete and needs to renew its pledge for service. This can only be achieved if there is a clear cut recognition that we currently have a problem of deteriorating service and attention to detail and this is hurting the image of the country. Too much has been invested into the country for a brighter future to let a bad service at one point of contact with clients to tarnish that image. Things need to be fixed and fast!!!