A rating is not awarded for a handsome building or the number of screens, but for what the customer actually experiences. Here is what the system assesses, and five steps we use to prepare service centres and digital channels.
Key takeaways
- The system rates service delivery channels from 2 to 7 stars, based on an independent assessment of the customer experience.
- The framework has eight pillars: strategy, four for service delivery and three enablers.
- Preparation starts with seeing the service through the customer's eyes, not with fitting out the premises.
The Global Star Rating System for Services is the UAE Government's system for rating service delivery channels. It covers customer happiness centres, call centres, websites and smart applications, and gives each channel a rating from 2 to 7 stars based on an independent assessment of the customer experience.
What is assessed?
The framework has eight pillars in three groups. Their very order is a message: service in the middle, strategy before it and enablers beneath.
- Strategy: Strategic Alignment.
- Service Delivery: Customers, Services, Channels and Customer Experience.
- Enablers: Service Efficiency and Innovation, People and Integrated Technology.
Five steps to prepare
- 1Start with the customer's eyes: we run internal mystery-shopper rounds on the channel as it is today — a visit, a call, a complete digital transaction — and document what actually happens, not what the procedure manual says.
- 2Map the whole journey: from the moment the customer looks for the service to after it is received, with the time of each step and every point of waiting or repetition.
- 3Write a service standard for every touchpoint: waiting time, completion time, how customers are greeted, what happens when the system is down. Written, known to staff and measured.
- 4Close the voice-of-customer loop: every complaint or suggestion is logged, acted on, reported back to its owner — and the evidence kept. A survey followed by no action counts against you, not for you.
- 5Empower the front line: authority to resolve an issue first time, training on difficult cases and knowledge of related services. The assessor meets the employee before meeting the manager.
A common mistake: starting with the premises
The first thing many entities think of is refurbishing the hall and changing the furniture. The premises matter, but they are the easiest part of the assessment and the least effective if the customer waits too long, is asked for the same document twice or finds nobody to answer a question. Start with what the customer lives through, and the premises will take their proper place.
Digital channels are assessed on the same logic: can the customer find the service easily, complete it unaided and know the status of the request? Try a full transaction from your own phone before the assessor does.
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The consulting team — Innovation Excellence
These articles are written by the firm's consultants, drawing on the excellence, quality and customer experience engagements they deliver for government and private entities in the UAE.
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