Dubai Ruler shares government 'secret shopper' results

Services were checked at various departments including the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid praised a CEO found to be serving customers to help speed up transactions in the latest Dubai secret shopper results. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid / Twitter

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, shared the results of a 'secret shopper' initiative carried out at one of the government's service departments.

A group of 'secret shoppers' were sent to a number of service counters, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment.

The report showed that the chief executive of the establishment was present at the customer counter, assisting the staff on duty.

“Today, I received a group of secret shoppers' reports, one of which was for the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted on Friday.

“We found its CEO at the service counters, receiving customers, speeding up procedures, and contributing to clearing transactions.

“The secret shopper assured us that providing the service did not exceed five minutes.

“Thanks to the work team and to the CEO, Omar Bou Shehab.”

Secret shoppers are often used as a method of testing service quality, by sending undercover staff to pose as customers and experience first-hand what the public encounter.

Sheikh Mohammed frequently sends secret shoppers to government offices to test services.

In April 2019, he criticised poor standards at an Emirates Post office after he was sent a picture of long queues by one of the shoppers.

“A message to all: The clients and the public are the reason for the entity's existence,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“And they are the reason for hiring its staff, and their satisfaction with the services is an authentic right and a noble principle in the work of any entity.

“No matter how developed our country is, our eyes will continue to monitor the level of basic services provided to our citizens.”

In 2020, an online application that allows Emiratis and residents to rate a government service was launched by the UAE Cabinet.

The app, named UAE Mystery Shopper, is available in eight languages and asks users to input information on their experiences with a service at a government office.

The app, developed by the UAE government, can be downloaded from the Google Play or App Store. Alternatively, users can scan a QR code on the website.