Business & Money | Monday 16 November, 2015 4:01 am |

Dubai Customs on Sunday, November 15 organised the annual client awarding ceremony at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, in presence of H.E. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, DC top officials and 200 of DC’s clients from all business sectors and domains.  

H.E. Sultan bin Sulayem and H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih awarded 85 of DC’s premier clients; including importers, exporters, FZ companies, customs brokers, express couriers, handlers, shipping agents, Virtual Corridor users, DC Consultative Council members, top e-services users and constructive complaint submitters.

H.E. Sultan bin Sulayem thanked the clients for being their partner in success and excellence. He underlined that the globally acknowledged spearhead status of Dubai at the forefront of  almost every field of modern progress and growth indexes should not be perceived as a conventional  success story nor as a product of coincidence. 

This acclaimed success, he added, is the fruit of a long journey of excellence, entailing multiple layers of initiatives, future insights and determination. Bin Sulayem emphasised that this could not have been achieved without the insightful directives and vision of our wise leadership, towards the setup of integrated and advanced infrastructure, the diversification of our national economy, the implementation of cutting-edge business-friendly legislations, and the economic security and stability of the emirate – all of which has strengthened Dubai’s regional and global competitiveness.

“All of Dubai Customs accumulated successes are attributed to the kind care and unwavering support of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to the Department’s efforts and the vital role it assumes as a catalyst for boosting national economy by facilitating global trade flow.” 

H.E. Bin Sulayem said: “We attach paramount importance to delivering superior client services. Dubai Customs processes as many as 9 million transactions annually, and if we add to that the number of transactions being delivered by Dubai Ports and Jafza, the total is 18 million per year – that is 1.5 million a month and 50,000 a day. Had we not developed electronic and smart services, we  couldn’t have handled such huge volume of transactions in the three entities. For such digital transformation has considerably increased both the speed of service submission by clients and efficient delivery by Dubai Customs, Dubai Ports, and Jafza.”    

Bin Sulayem underscored Dubai Customs’ deep interest in addressing customer complaints and making best use of their feedback in developing services. “Clients are the end users of our services and, hence, are their best critics. We thank everyone who submits a complaint or a suggestion regarding our services. Paying utmost attention to customers’ feedback is the secret behind Dubai Government’s excellence and progress.” 

“Work at Dubai Customs continues non-stop 24/7, thanks to our 100% smart services available on all smart platforms. Clients can now track their transactions anytime and anywhere, and submit requests and inquiries through smart apps. The fuel of economic development in Dubai is the innovative government initiatives that support business creation and the wheel of sustainable growth,” he said.

 “Dubai Customs is the largest business community. It  enjoys the widest clientele base of traders, service providers, manufacturers and more. Our clients make up the majority of the business community,” Bin Sulayem added. 

He also called for DC clients to support the nomination of Dubai Customs in local and international awards. “Our success is your success and our ultimate goal is making you happy.”

“We are surely keen on attaining our clients’ happiness, as we conceive this goal as an ultimate priority. In this regard, we have launched numerous initiatives to ensure the adequate engagement of our clients in our endeavours towards the improvement of customs services and facilitations,” Bin Sulayem added.

The Director of Dubai Customs H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, addressed the audience with words of appreciation for the paramount role assumed by Dubai Customs’ clients  as key associates in development. “We assure you that without your trust and support to our services, we wouldn’t have made it this far on both the regional and international scenes. This is a source of pride as well as a catalyst for developing customs work, with the aim of delivering top-notch, world-class services that can make you happy, facilitate global trade movement and enhance the country’s international competitiveness. Keeping in view EXPO 2020, we are firmly determined to make the upcoming exhibition one of the best in history,” he said.

H.E. Musabih announced the launch of the Clients Forum; as a recent addition to Dubai Customs’ array of innovative communication channels with clients. Clients’ feedback and suggestions will help tailor more focused services for them.

Musabih indicated that through service improvements and launching of client-oriented initiatives, Dubai Customs has attained higher client satisfaction levels, scoring 91.2% in 2014 compared to 89.2% in 2013, according to a survey conducted by the Executive Council of Dubai Government, in cooperation with an external research company. 

“We strongly believe that effective partnership and interaction with DC’s 183,668 registered clients are key to our success.”

The Director of Dubai Customs called for clients to utilize the smart applications that provide access and submission facility to customs services. “Let’s all be part of transforming Dubai into the smartest city in the world. Our target here is to deliver 80% of customs transactions via smart apps by the year 2018.”