DED honours 21 retailers for excellence in customer service

Retail outlets rated top for their service quality were honoured as part of the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme (DSES) by the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai at a special ceremony held today. Altogether, 21 retailers from 16 business categories won the distinction of being the ‘Best Service Performance Outlet’ for their excellence in customer service during 2014 at the ceremony.

Launched by DED in 2002, DSES aims to promote and recognise customer service standards, towards making shopping in Dubai a pleasure. The scheme binds all participating businesses to a common code of business ethics and customer-centric culture to be visible across staff behaviour, product value and integrity as well as customer support.

His Excellency Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of DED, and Shaikha Ahmad Al Bishri, Director of Business Excellence Centre at DED, awarded the best performing outlets at the ceremony. Sean Staunton, Vice President – Operations at Dubai Duty Free, also addressed the audience on best practices in customer service.

Congratulating the winners, Al Qamzi said DSES has achieved its goal of sustaining service quality and growth in Dubai’s retail sector and across related activities such as travel, leisure and tourism.

“The Dubai Service Excellence Scheme has seen increasing participation since inception, particularly from retailers eager to place customer service quality as a key business driver. Simultaneously, Dubai’s reputation as a shopping destination has also grown, attracting a growing number of shoppers to the malls and retail outlets in the city,” Al Qamzi said.

La Moda, Dubai Festival City – Opticals category;  Al Jaber Optical, Al Ghadeer– Opticals; Levis, Dubai Mall – Clothing; Birkenstock, Dubai Mall – General Retail; Majid Al Futtaim Finance (Prepaid Cards) – Contact Centre; Al Rostamani International Exchange, Al Fahidi Street - Money Exchange Services; Pure Gold Jewellers, Gold Centre GCB Branch – Jewellery; aafaq Islamic Finance, Al Twar Centre Dubai – Services; aafaq Islamic Finance Al Mustanad Services Branch, Al Fujairah – Services; India Palace, Deerfield’s – Restaurant; Cold Stone Creamery, Mega Mall- Café  are among the winners in various categories in the 2014 cycle.

The other winners are: Arabian Automobiles Company (Renault) - Automobile showroom; Simmons, Al Garhoud – Furniture; Nine West, Fotouh Al Khair – Footwear; Nine West, Madinat Zayed – Footwear;  HRG, Dubai Airport Free Zone - Travel Services; Jumbo Electronics Co. Burjuman Shopping Centre – Electronics; Eros Digital Home, Mall of the Emirates (SME) – Electronics; ASTER Rafa Pharmacy – Pharmacy; Commercial Bank of Dubai, Al Maktoum Branch - Retail Banking; Commercial Bank of Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road - Retail Banking.

DSES has steadily expanded to include more business categories and outlets with Leisure & Entertainment being the latest addition. Presently, the scheme has 18 categories and close to 2,000 outlets registered.

“The most outstanding success of the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme is in bringing about a positive change in consumer confidence and relations between consumers and retailers in Dubai. Retailers registering in DSES are able to competitively enhance the customer experience they provide in line with best practices followed worldwide,” said Shaikha Al Bishri.

To enrol in the DSES Scheme, contact the Business Excellence Centre on 04-4455833 or send in enquiries to [email protected].