The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) – a research and academic institution focusing on governance and public policy in the Arab world – launched its first Professional Diploma in Customer Happiness, with employees from Dubai’s Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department making up the inaugural class.

The programme offers participants valuable access to theories, procedures, mechanisms and policies to achieve customer satisfaction, echoing the government’s official policy and resonating with the objectives of the Happiness Agenda, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai.

Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness, underlined the important role academic institutions play in embedding a culture of happiness and positivity in society, as they spread these principles and policies and offer them as part of their curricula. H.E. Al Roumi applauded the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government for taking the initiative to launch a professional diploma that specialises in customer happiness, tackling the subject from a scientific angle and allowing participants to hone their skills – through theory and practice – with regards to customer service and satisfaction.

The programme consists of four training modules, namely: an introduction to the “7 Star” system and its applications; international best practices and their role in improving customer satisfaction; the fundamentals of customer service from a fourth-generation-excellence perspective; and, finally, the role of creativity and innovation in customer happiness. Classes will be given in Arabic at the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government’s headquarters.

“We are proud to introduce the 1st batch from the Professional Diploma in Customer Happiness, and thank our partners in the Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department in Dubai for working with us to implement the aspirations of our wise leadership in spreading happiness,” said MBRSG’s Executive President H.E. Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri. “With this significant step forward, we hope to firmly establish Dubai and the UAE as a role model for the whole world for placing people’s happiness as top priority for government and private entities alike, all the while continuing to enhance global competitiveness and pursue excellence in government services.”

On the same note, Prof Raed Awamleh, Dean of MBRSG, said: “The main objective from the Diploma is to develop participants’ skills and knowledge regarding service and customer satisfaction. We let them in on the latest theories and applications in this regard, which will reflect positively on the overall performance of their respective institutions and ultimately help us move forward and make a positive impact among the wider public.”

Dubai’s Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department was chosen to pilot the programme, which trains participants to determine customers’ needs based on objective data, in addition to introducing them to optimal ways to maintain effective communication between an employee and the community. Participants study under human development experts and gain insight into the latest trends and global best practices for high-quality services, optimal efficiency and institutional excellence.

“The Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department in Dubai is proudly leading the way,” said Buti Abdullah Mohammed Al Jumairi, the Department’s CEO of Corporate Support, “as a number of our employees join the pilot class of the Professional Diploma in Customer Happiness to further upgrade our customer satisfaction policies. This echoes our core values as an organisation rooted in religious ideals that call for treating others kindly. The diploma equips our employees with the necessary tools to apply these values on the corporate as well as social levels.”

Activities around the fourth and final module of the programme will be wrapped up on August 15, and graduation projects will be presented in September by all 20 participating executives from the Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department in Dubai. This while the graduation ceremony is scheduled for October 2017.