Service Delivery, Customer Satisfaction and Reducing Operation Cost in Dubai Government - Essay Example

Business Name A Report Submitted Institution Course Date: To what extent does the “one stop shop” improve the service delivery, customer satisfaction and reduce operation cost in Dubai government? Introduction One-stop-shops are companies or locations that provide customers a variety of services to choose from, under one roof. The idea behind it is to provide efficient and convenient services while maintaining customer satisfaction and quality service delivery. It enables customers and citizens to access service transactions and points of information from a single point. Most governments have adopted this strategy as a means to promote investment and provide quality service to its businesses and citizens. Governments therefore, strive to bring services closer to citizens and also engage them in policy making. Operations management and customer focused management aim at providing customer satisfaction and quality service provision. E-governments are also essential, as they are beneficial to both citizens and businesses. The government also plays a role in the reduction of operation costs through the provision of raw material locally or reducing the taxes imposed on the importation. Service delivery is transformed through a one-stop-shop. Businesses explore sustainable models that aim to improve customer outcomes and experiences through enhanced service levels and reduced cost. The models help in identifying with customers decision centrally. Customer satisfaction and service delivery One-stop-shops are among the institutional substitutes governments adopt in order to speed up or bypass existing actions where they are dysfunctional. The existence of one-stop-shops became popular because it provided a means to promote investment (Stone, 2011, p. 6). The main function of one-stop shops is the ability to remove bottlenecks in the administration and to recognize shortcomings in the administrative implementation of the investment policy of a country. One-stop-shop enables decentralization of decision making, which means responsive customer service. The quality of service determines the degree of customer satisfaction. Bringing services closer to consumers ensures increased satisfaction and a high level of customization on the part of businesses and citizens. It encourages the development of new economies. Citizen participation is increased as well as trust in government. The government can also improve customer satisfaction and reduce operation costs through utilization of partnerships. Partnerships encourage outsourcing of services, which in turn promotes quality and efficiency in public administration. It also encourages different departments of governments to work together to establish research functions. The research will reveal the methods through which good governance can be provided for citizens. It will include devising methods through which businesses can be operated in a way that maximizes profits but reduce the cost of operation. The research functions can also help in the documentation of best practices throughout government. Innovative government authorities encourage the participation of citizens in the proposed changes. Involvement of citizens in the establishment of a suite of business will enable the streamlining of business operations. A customer oriented, and business-friendly environment is in turn created which are necessary for the creation of a competitive economy. One-stop-shop handles licensing and leasing issues, registration of business. It also handles such government services as customs and visas necessary for the success of a business. The customer should be respected for their hard-earned money, as this is key to providing superior customer service (Collier, 2011, p. 8). Operations management Operations management is important in the delivery of customer satisfaction and also quality service delivery. It concerns the making of products and services, which are being dependent on by customers. Effective operations management provides the possibility of improving customer service and efficiency. Operations management is at the center of the changes that affect business. Changes are also brought about by the evolution of technology (Lovelock & Wright, 2002, p. 320). The changes include changes in customer preferences, where we want to work, what we want to do, how we want to work and so on. Operations management enables the redesign of operations so that the customer preferred goods and services are produced. It has the responsibility of ensuring efficient business operations. This is in terms of applying as few resources as possible while maintaining the achievement of profits. It ensures that operations are effective in terms of meeting the requirements and needs of customers. This means that operations management ensures customer satisfaction through efficient and effective operations. Operations management ensures that all orgaaanizational levels are functioning in harmony. Tactical information informs strategy and people are often moved from one role to another. Knowledge of technology, people, strategy, rational analysis and creativity are all necessary for success. Innovation and creativity provides a chance for organizations to respond to changes in customer preferences and tastes (Clark & Shulver, 2012). It helps provide solutions to problems that arise from environmental and technological challenges, increasing globalization of markets, pressures to be socially responsible and difficulties that arise from the management of knowledge. The fundamental area of discourse is where there is the need to balance the achievement of a holistic depiction of service and the need to split the service into components. The breaking is desired for operational ease. The desire to articulate how to satisfy customer needs is dealt with through inclusion of the service operation and the service process. Delivery value is based on judgments of such attributes as accessibility and performance, perceived quality, perceived costs and monetary and personal attributes. Customer focused management Customer focus means having a deep understanding of the customer’s interests, opinion and activities around the service or product being produced by a firm. Focus should first be obtained then profits can be pursued. Unless a firm is customer focused, it may not be able to attain a competitive edge that will enable them command sustainable profits. Being customer focused is more than just providing a solution to the customer. A firm should focus on serving the customer. This is despite the fact that the company could be dealing with physical goods or intangibles. Such a firm is better positioned to deliver customer value in their products (John, 2003, p. 9). A service-oriented firm owns liability over and even above just providing customers with a product. Such firms are always looking and anticipating the situations and needs of customers. The firms that are customer-focused view the role of the customer in consumption activities as being an integral part in the solution. The company demonstrates that they are privileged to have the customer. When a customer is disappointed, built-in customer recovery procedures are evoked to reverse or correct the situation. Service-oriented firms have service that complete the product as a total solution. The services also enable the firm to achieve it competitive advantage over similar companies in the market (John, 2003, p. 10). The provision of such services requires that the firm have a completely different mindset in order to be able to comprehend the complexity of the services. A firm is truly focused if it is driven with the ambition of providing the customer with the highest satisfaction levels. The company directs its efforts in providing superior products and services to the customer. Customer focus is therefore, a kind of culture that directs all activities and processes of an organization towards the provision of superior value to the consumer with an aim of sustaining long-term profits (John, 2003, p. 12). Understanding the customers and their preference is an art. A change in the lives of customers provides a means to provide better service (Collier, 2011, p. 24). The main cog in the wheel of customer loyalty is the respect given to them. This is completed through the provision of the finest service. A loyal customer is the best weapon for any business. E-government and the benefits to citizens and businesses Governments are moving towards an improved involvement of citizens and consumers in the process of policy making (United Nations, 2007, p. 10). The initiatives of e-government involve the coordination, cooperation and collaboration across agency and service boundaries. The major benefit of e-government is the reduction of administrative burden on business and consumers. Governments interact with community members as both customers and citizens. There are costs that some government rules and regulations impose on businesses and citizens include complying with rules and regulations, finding the rules and regulations needed for compliance and understanding the meaning of rules as well figuring out how to comply with them. E-government provides a strategy and vision for creating an environment through which government activities can be transformed by applying e-business methods. The main aim of e-government is to provide a practical framework that makes public services accessible, of high quality and convenient (United Nations, 2007, p. 5). It intends to improve service provision through leveraging knowledge of public organizations. E-government initiatives enable standardization of data that are submitted to the government. The interchange of electronic data helps in the electronic transfer of enterprise data to governmental authorities. It will also reduce the basic elements of enterprise data. The process will enable the unique identification of businesses using business numbers assigned to each. The online system provides a means for electronic registration and searching of business identifications possible. Government procurement systems have gained greatly from the internet. The systems enable the government to purchase services, goods leasing and other requirements through the internet. The listing allows contractors and suppliers to identify opportunities and follow the entire process of business to the end. Such measures enable businesses and citizens to redirect cost savings to more productive activities. This means profits for businesses because they are relieved form administrative burden. Citizens will also benefit from reduced prices meaning that their standards of living will improve significantly. E-Government has the capability and potential of improving service quality. It incorporates such elements as accuracy, speed, accessibility, convenience and cost. Service quality can be enhanced and even made personal through the use of technology, government portals and emails. Satisfaction of customer is not only resolute by the quality of service. Other factors that determine customer satisfaction include availability of information, customer service, choice and procedural fairness. Customer satisfaction and successful delivery of government can be measured using service uptake. The uptake and growth of e-government services is increasing in a steady manner. People are increasingly accepting the internet as a means of communicating with the government. It is through social media that customers are announcing their disdain and disappointment (Collier, 2011, p. 18). The internet also catches the attention of many users and customers. An online tracking system can be provided for citizens. This will help them check on the status of the online transactions. Through this, they are able to make knowledgeable choices concerning the products and services to purchase. Conclusion Good customer service welcomes back the customer, gives the customer space, offers customers help at each step of the way and offers them with more than just products for sale. Conducting business online has such benefits as being enjoyable, easy and useful. For this reason, companies and governments should never lose of the customer and citizen culture and the value of relationships the internet provides. It is the responsibility of a government to make certain that its citizens are not violated as far the rules and regulations of business are concerned. The government also has a responsibility to sustain its businesses, as they are a basis of revenue. There is a big difference between how we connect with our customers and how we connect with our friends. It is therefore, important to learn how to translate the real-world personal values into the virtual world. Firms that aim at sustaining profits should first aim at providing better service to their customers. Therefore, the one-stop-shop strategy should be implemented and sustained as it comes with benefits. Such benefits include improved service delivery to customers, customer satisfaction, and reduced operation costs for businesses. A customer-focused culture is one of the most superior factors in delivering best business performance. A firm will be successful if it is attentive to the satisfactions and needs of customers, if it is aware of competitor strategies to deliver or produce superior value and if it is coordinated through the entire firm or organization. References List John, J. (2003) Fundamentals of Customer-Focused Management: Competing through service, New York: Greenwood Publishing group. Johnston, R., Clark, G., Shulver, M. (2012) Service Operations Management: Improving Service Delivery. Italy: Rotolito Lombarda. Lovelock, C & Wright, L. (2002) Principles of service marketing and management, New York: Prentice Hall. Patel, B.K (2010) Fundamentals of Customer Focused Management. Stone, A. (2011) Case Studies in Governance and Public Management in the Middle East and North Africa, Dubai School of Government, World Bank, http://www.dsg.ae/en/Publication/Pdf_En/Cairo%20Case%20Study_final_feb27_LOW.pdf. United Nations. (2007) Managing Knowledge to Build Trust in Government, http://www.i gov.org/images/articles/6377/managingknowledge.pdf. Read More