Abu Dhabi Finance pjsc
Company: Abu Dhabi Finance pjsc, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Company Description: Abu Dhabi Finance was launched in November 2008, with the goal of becoming the leading provider of mortgages to those purchasing property in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE.Abu Dhabi Finance offers attractive mortgage products to a wide range of clients, with outstanding client service sitting at the heart of everything it does.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Awards Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year - Financial Services
Nomination Title: Abu Dhabi Finance
Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
Abu Dhabi Finance - Service at the heart
Abu Dhabi Finance (ADF) was conceived in 2008, at a time when consumer
financing for residential property in the UAE was expensive, complicated and
confusing, while customer service was virtually non-existent. ADF saw the
opportunity to create a new mortgage brand with service at the heart of the
organisation.
Outstanding service means getting the basics right, the first time. That is
why in the past year ADF has invested in staff training, reward and
recognition for service excellence, and feeding client comments back into the
organisation for continuous improvement.
Since July 2009, detailed feedback has been collected from more than 35% of
all new clients. Out of 170 clients polled, 97% of clients said they would
definitely or probably recommend ADF to others, while the remaining 3% were
not sure. None said they wouldn’t recommend ADF. The top reason quoted when
asked why they would recommend ADF was service.
Ambassadors for service
The focus on service is not an added nice-to-have; it is ingrained in the
fabric of the organisation. The customer service department comprises 24
members of staff from the Call Centre, Mortgage Advisors, Mortgage Companions
and the Client Ambassador Team (CAT), which aims to monitor, benchmark, and
continuously improve service. Reporting directly to C-level management, CAT
acts as the client champion inside the organisation.
Each member of the team has had more than 50 hours of training in the past
year, and have in-depth knowledge of the full end-to-end mortgage and credit
process. Monthly repayment and product update meetings ensure the service
ethos is underpinned by a solid understanding of the business.
The wow factor
ADF goes the extra mile – quite literally. Its roving Mortgage Advisors and
Mortgage Companions will meet clients at their convenience, night and day,
sometimes travelling up to 200km to meetings at a client’s home. Significant
events in clients’ lives, birthdays and newborns etc, are recognised with
gifts and a personal note from CAT.
ADF is the first mortgage company in the Middle East to link service
excellence to remuneration, rewarding customer-facing staff based on CAT
observation of a minimum of two client meetings per month. The observed
Mortgage Advisor is scored using standardised forms with more than 100
observation points, which include fully understanding client’s needs and
expectations, clear explanations, and transparency.
Staff that go above and beyond the call of duty to provide the Wow-factor are
recognised by peers and managers at monthly meetings to inspire and sustain
the client-centric spirit.
Since July 2009, the Client Ambassador Team has handled 485 customer
interactions.:
• 10% are complaints
• 4% significant events
• 20% unsolicited compliments
• 66% are comments and suggestions
Although complains are rare, 99% of complaints are satisfactorily resolved
within 48 hours as per ADF’s service guarantee.
The wow-factor service has been recognized – more than 97% said they would
recommend ADF based on its service.
“I am very happy with the rate and service provided. I moved my mortgage from
First Gulf Bank because ADF provided me with a much better service and rate.”
“I can find better rate but won’t find better service.”
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
http://www.emirates247.com/2.308/q-a/we-aim-to-be-the-largest-mortgage-lender-in-uae-2009-04-27-1.97855
http://www.tradearabia.com/news/real_184957.html
http://www.ameinfo.com/235721.html
http://thestevies.com/SASCS11Attachments/AbuDhabiFinance/
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated customer service organization:
Henry Bacha, Chief Commercial Officer
Henry joined Abu Dhabi Finance’s Business Development Division in 2008 as Head
of Marketing, Product Development & Strategy. He brought to this role more
than 11 years of all-round experience in financial services in Europe and the
Middle East and a passion for client service. After 18 months of delivering
clear strategies and exceptional results for Abu Dhabi Finance, he was
appointed Chief Commercial Officer.
In this role, he holds responsibility for the overall revenue stream and
customer strategy, heading up all client facing operations.