Dubai Electricity & Water Authority | Sharp rise in customers using DEWA’s smart services, with 15,000 smart transactions over 5 days

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) took part in the ‘Week without Service Centres’ initiative, which was launched by the Department of Finance in Dubai, to enhance digital transformation in government transactions. The move is part of DEWA’s efforts to support the Smart Dubai initiative launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest and happiest city in the world.

DEWA’s smart and electronic services saw a spike in use by customers who commended the ease of using the smart services, which saved their time and effort. Customers made around 3,000 smart transactions daily.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, received a delegation from the Department of Finance headed by HE Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh, Director General of Dubai Government’s Department of Finance, at DEWA’s Future Customer Happiness Centre in Dubai Festival City Mall. The delegation was briefed about the smart services that the centre provides using artificial intelligence (AI). These include smart self-service booths to help customers easily complete their transactions; Rammas, the virtual AI employee to answer queries round the clock in Arabic and English; Tayseer smart bill payment platform; remote support through live chat using robots;  and the Future Services section, for customers to design and develop DEWA’s future services, according to the highest and best international standards.

Al Tayer commended the ‘A Week without Service Centres’ initiative, highlighting its role in encouraging customers to using smart services to get government services and complete their transactions. He also noted that the initiative coincided with the 20th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2018) and the 3rd Dubai Solar Show, which emphasises the concerted government efforts to achieve the vision of the wise leadership to promote sustainability and the transition to a green economy.

“At DEWA, we work in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai that a smart government is one that goes to the people and does not wait for them to come to it. We also work to achieve the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, to build an integrated paperless government framework by 2021. Adoption of DEWA’s smart services reached 92% in the third quarter of 2018, before the deadline set by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to reduce visits to government centres by 80%. Customers can complete all their transactions anytime, anywhere, using DEWA’s multiple smart channels, which saves their time and effort,” said Al Tayer.

DEWA opened the Future Customer Happiness Centres at Dubai Festival City Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall, and Dragon Mart 2 and its Centres in Al Twar and Burj Nahar. These centres use AI and robotics in their provision of smart and innovative services, with customer satisfaction in the centres reaching 97% during Q3 of 2018. DEWA services are available on its smart app, website, and on Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as Samsung Home Theatre System, Samsung Gear, and Apple Watches.