Customer Relationship Management of the UAE Government IT System - Case Study Example

Customer Relationship Management-UAE Government IT System Name: Customer Relationship Management-UAE Government IT System Course: Tutor: Institution: Date: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Abbreviations 3 Introduction and History 4 CRM Components 4 Providers and Comparisons 5 Strengths 6 Weakness Analysis 6 Opportunities 7 Threats 7 Future Trends and Recommendations 8 Verticalisation 8 Technology Security Concerns 9 Strategic Alliances 10 Conclusion 11 References 13 Abbreviations CRM- Consumer relationships Management UAE-United Arabs Emirates SWOT- strengths, weakness, opportunities and Threats GITR- global Information technology report Introduction and History The global market is experiencing changing consumer dynamics. In this case, the consumers buying behaviors are essentially and significantly hanging. Moreover, increasing global competition and the need to enhance consumers’ satisfaction has necessitated and led to the introduction of CRM approaches and policies. In this regard, the practices focus and aim at increasing the established understandings and relationships with the consumers as an approach to increase and facilitate their satisfaction (Baran, Zerres and Zerres, 2008, p.4). In addition, the adoption and use of CRM practices increases the overall enterprises competitiveness through the increased consumers appeal and regard in the market. This essay develops a review of the UAE CRM practices. In particular, the essay evaluates the UAE government application and use of the CRM practices to increase its service delivery quality and efficiency to its citizens. Moreover, the essay compares the system with international practices and subsequently develops a range of recommendations through which the government CRM systems can be improved and efficiency enhanced. CRM Components CRM as already discussed is the approach and systems through which relationships are established between providers and consumers in the market. Unlike other organisational systems, Baran, Zerres and Zerres (2008, p.7) argued that CRM is a market approach through which market segments are joined into one. Traditionally, the concept application was perceived in relation to the need by organisations to edge out competition as well as increase their profit gains. Therefore, in this regard, CRM application was perceived as a reserve for the profit oriented organisations in the market. Thus, not for profit ventures as well as government agencies held no regard to the concept application. However, as Han-Yuh (2007, p.16) argued, the global service dynamics have changed. This is especially with the emergence and development of the servicescape concept. In this case, the theory applies and places much emphasis not only on service delivery but also on the environment and nature through which such services are provided in the market. Consequently, this brought on board government agencies as well as not for profit ventures. The CRM systems have and posses a range of components. One among them is technology use and application. The technology industry is one among the most developing and radically changing industries across the globe In this regard; statistics indicate that the industry, besides being the most drastically changing has had the most influence on other industries through the incorporation of the destructive technology changes in diverse business and industries operations systems. Through technological developments, business ventures as well as market industries have revolutionized their operations through the establishment and development of new marketing platform. One among them is the online marketing platform. The UAE federal government applies and relies on the application of the technology online platform as its key CRM component. In this case, the government in a bid and effort to increase the overall citizens’ satisfaction as well as the need to increase its service delivery quality applies the online platform through which a wide range of government services, traditionally acquired physically from government offices and agencies, are available online to the population on a self service and convenient basis. Through the application of this approach, the UAE federal government has increased its interactions with the citizens who form its consumer base. In this context, the Federal government serves as the provider, through offering services, and the citizens as the consumers, through their need and the eventual consumption of the availed government services. Providers and Comparisons In order to critically evaluate the UAE CRM strategies, this essay offers an internal systems audit. In this regard, the essay applies the SWOT analysis approach. In this case, the essay evaluates the system’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A review of these tools establishes an appropriate environmental audit approach through which the federal government CRM system is evaluated. Strengths The region has strong providers of CRM services such as Walfaa IT providers in Dubai who offer CRM specialised services to organisations in the region as well as the selling of the CRM software. This can be further evidenced through an evaluation of the UAE government CRM approach evaluates the extent and nature through which the system is successful. (Al-Khouri, 2013, p.83). Therefore, this establishes the fact that the system is specifically designed with a consumer orientation approach, a major sustainability and system long run success rates enhancement. In addition, the system success and strengths can be evaluated and established against the numerous awards the online service delivery UAE federal government system has received over the years. For instance, according to the global Information technology report (GITR) 2010-2011, the UAE consumer online portal was ranked first among the Arab countries as well as 24th amongst the reviewed 138 nations services and consumers delivery systems. In this regard, the report analysis establishes that the level, nature and quality of the used and applied technology in the market serve as a key consumer management system. In its operations, the UAE CRM system offers the government with increased consumer information and data allowing for eventual strategic management and planning in the society. Weakness Analysis Baran, Zerres and Zerres (2008, P.9) argued, the development of a successful CRM relies on proper identification of touch points and data collection rules that majorly relies on increased capital requirements, a virtue absent in UAE.. In this case, IT services providers are majorly based in Dubai due to its strong IT infrastructure, thus segregating the other UAE regions. Further, an evaluation of the Government CRM system establishes that the government relies on the presented information online for statistical planning and management. For instance, through the ministry of finance management and developed portal the government acquires information on tax returns and remissions. Consequently, such services are applied and used in strategic government planning such as the evaluation of strategic organizational aspects and tools in the industry in trade and commerce. Through the local services as well as the investors’ portal, the government acquires enough trade related data for its strategies development. However, the overreliance of the technology platform as the only CRM approach weakens its executions. Despite the fact that the society has a high technology rates use that rate into over 1.4 million internet subscribers, the economy has a wide range of members who adopt and use the manual and physical government agencies services provision platform. As such, this indicates the existence of both operational frameworks. However, the lack of a CRM integration framework between the physical and online platform weakness the efficiency and potential success rates for the CRM approach used. Opportunities A comparison of the UAE CRM strategy in the provision of services to its citizens with other CRM strategies in the commercial market establishes an increased growth potential and opportunities. Traditionally, CRM was applied to enhance and facilitate increased earnings. This is a virtue and approach that the government can incorporate in its system. In this regard, the system can be designed and developed to reduce on operational and maintenance costs. Consequently, through reduced costs, the system will acquire increased funds to expand its scope as well as improve on the quality of the provided and supplied and delivered services and subsequently on the consumers’ satisfaction rates. In addition, the system has increased opportunities in the establishment of alliances with other industry service providers a move that would expand its service base as well as opportunity to acquire increased consumers data into the future. Threats A threat analysis evaluates the implications of the external forces in the market on an existing operational strategy and system. An evaluation of the federal government CRM system establishes its increased risk of failure due to increased information and privacy threat that has increased in UAE due to low capital infrastructure on IT. In this case, the rise of hackers as well as unauthorized access of citizens’ information supplied and offered online increases the potential for system resistance. For instance, business organisations would be unwilling to supply and offer the required data in the fear that such information, such as tax returns would be illegally accessed by industry competitors. Therefore, the existence of information privacy and security issues on the established CRM online platform, risks the willingness by the consumer base to interact and relate with the government through the existing framework. As such, in order to avert the challenge, it is imperative for the system to develop appropriate security enhancement measures. Future Trends and Recommendations Similar to the global industries in the market, the CRM systems and approaches are bound to change into the future. In this regard, the industry is increasingly adopting and resulting to the application of alternative CRM strategies in the market. In particular, among the emerging issues include verticalisation, technology security issues as well as strategic alliances. This essay section evaluates the developing and changing trends as well as the alternatives through which the UAE government can enhance and improve its existing CRM strategies. Verticalisation Traditionally, CRM was developed based on single business models. As such, the CRM strategies were based on an overall fitting system for respective organisations. In this regard, organizational structures, systems and operational models were required to readjust in order to fit and support the established CRM strategies. However, this traditional concept has received an increased range of challenges in the market. One of the organizational challenges is the development and existence of diverse business models making the CRM systems inefficient and unsatisfactory. Consequently, the merging trend one expected to project into the organisations in the industry are increasingly developing diversified future is verticalisation. Under the verticalisation management approach, organisations develop CRM based on a variety of the platforms to support the diverse business models. In this respect, organisations develop systems to integrate the established data and information that support and develop the required organizational consumer relationship enhancement data in the organization. For instance organisations that interact directly with their consumers have a variety of the feedback communication systems. As such, consumers can respond through mails, emails, the website or physical presentation of grievances to the organisations consumer desks. As such, the verticalisation CRM approach encourages and advocates the development and establishment of a consumer information integration platform. Based on the above future changes expectation on CRM systems and practices, this essay offers a series of recommendations to improve the UAE CRM systems. One among them is provision of alternative CRM support systems rather than through the online platform alone. Therefore, the system should focus on establishing alternatives such as physical agencies services data incorporation. Through such an approach, the governmental consumer data collection would be enhanced subsequently facilitating increased relationships development between the government and its citizens, who constitute its services consumer base. Technology Security Concerns Today a majority of the global organisations rely on modern technology as their key driving tool in CRM systems development. In this case, organisations in the global platforms have resulted to the application and development of ideal technological systems to integrate and store respective consumers’ data and information. As such, CRM performance and eventual success relies on the presence and establishment of quality and sufficient technological systems support. In this regard, CRM has received increased support and success rates due to the radical and spontaneous technology change nature, characterized by destructive technology features. As such, the industry relies on systems such as automation of sales records, online selling and customer feedback portals as well as organizational customer interactions profiles development. However, increased technology changes especially under the destructive technology tag have led to increased management challenges based on the online platform challenge and issues. Pike (2013, p.69) argued that aamong the key destructive technology challenges include unauthorized access as well as hacking. On one hand, unauthorized access to consumers’ records can be by the organizational employees or managers without the mandate to access them. Such exposure and access implicates on consumers information and data privacy, a major pillar in successful CRM systems success. In order to control this information privacy breach, organizations into the future will be required to ensure technology use safety through access control tools such as the Medium access control (MAC). Through the use of these tools that require passwords and identification to access respective information, the access challenge would be substantially restricted. In addition in order to overcome the external unauthorized access and hacking challenges, organisations need to increase their technology investment son firewalls developments as well as a qualified human resource. Through such an approach, the nature and extent of information insecurity in CRM would be reduced considerably (Baran, Zerres and Zerres, 2008) Therefore, based on the above analysis, this essay recommends that the UAE should consider increasing investments on its CRM approach. In this case, the government should focus on recruiting external IT agencies. As such, through this approach, the government will increase the overall systems quality and security measures. Subsequently, increased technology changes and quality of the features will enhance increased CRM efficiency and success rates of the UAE government. Strategic Alliances One strategic development measure and approach in CRM into the future is the development of strategic alliances. One major organizational CRM challenge is information and data deficiency. In this regard, the development of appropriate organizational strategies relies on the availability of respective consumer data. Therefore, organisations have in the recent past developed and adopted an increasing approach into strategic alliances development. Through the strategic alliances, corporations share data on consumers needs, purchasing behaviours and trends and market survey findings among others. Through the development and establishment of these relationships and alliances, organisations subsequently increase their information sources. Therefore, through this approach, this essay concludes that the application of strategic alliances As such, this essay recommends that the UAE government in a bid to increase the overall CRM systems success rates, through increased alliances with private investors and partners in the society. Through this approach, the government will acquire increased consumer data and information. Such acquired information on the consumers’ services consumption trends and approaches in the society will eventually increase to the existing pool of information to allow for increased services delivery quality and CRM approaches success in the long run. Through the development and incorporation of these systems increases the overall CRM data availability. Conclusion In summary, this essay develops an evaluation of the existing CRM systems, their challenges as well as overall future trends to overcome the challenges. In this case, the essay develops the argument that unlike in the past when CRM was a reserve of the profit oriented organisations, the recent past has encountered increased government and not for profit organisations involvement. In this review, the essay establishes that through increased organizational systems as well as focus on satisfaction, the UAE federal government has resulted to the use of CRM as a measure of enhancing increased services quality to their citizens. In a components evaluation, the essay establishes the main functional feature and component of the UAE federal government. The essay establishes that the government applies increased technology apparatus and tools as a measure to provide online services in the nation. In addition, the essay develops an internal systems analysis through a SWOT analysis. In this case, a strength review establishes that the system has key strengths in increased data quality as well as increased technology quality. However, a weakness analysis establishes that there is an increased challenge on data security a component that forms part of the overall system threat. However, opportunities for improvement emerge in strategic alliances. Subsequently, the essay develops the argument that CRM is bound to change into the future based on increased verticalism, information technology security and increased strategic alliances. References Al-Khouri, A. M. 2013, Critical thoughts from a government mindset. Chartridge Books Oxford, Oxford. Baran R., Zerres, C., & Zerres, M., 2008, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Ventus Publishing Aps, Holstebro, London. Han-Yuh, L. 2007, "Development of a Framework for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the Banking Industry", International Journal of Management, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 15-32. Pike, R.E. 2013, "The "Ethics" of Teaching Ethical Hacking", Journal of International Technology and Information Management, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 67-75. Read More