Sheikh Sultan al-Qasimi participates at SDL Innovate 2015

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, SMC, has participated with a delegation at SDL Innovate 2015, held yesterday in Amsterdam, showcasing client and research results in the field of customer experience for multinational brands.

Members of the delegation included Osama Samra, Director General of Sharjah Media Centre; Jean Feghali, Editor-In-Chief of Sharjah24.ae; and Monther Atout, Head of IT at Sharjah Media Centre.

As a speaker of the panel discussion titled "Brand Relationships: The good is expected; the bad goes viral. Lessons from the trenches of customer experience", Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed elaborated on governments engaging with their citizens and the ways they represent brands.

Moderated by Paige O'Neill, Chief Marketing Officer – SDL; one of the questions of the panel discussion looked into the aspect of ‘Customer Experience (CX)' for governments and Sharjah Media Centre's mission in particular. Sheikh Sultan stated that the objectives of a private organisation on costumer experience are in no difference to the public sector. "If you substitute the word ‘Brand' for ‘Government' and ‘Customer' with ‘Citizen', you will then notice that many of the strategies and tactics are in fact very similar to the corporate world. We as a public organisation try to think and operate like private entities to engage with our citizens, and for our citizens to engage with the government," he pointed out.

He shared the example of the Majlis (an old UAE tradition, where the Ruler frequently gathers in his premises to engage with and listen to his people), saying, "There is for example the concept of Majlis that is part of our culture, and this gathering is initiated by His Highness the Ruler for many years. We carried this practice and modernised it - though His Highness does hold his Majlis till date - and are broadcasting a daily live show where we listen to the citizens and try to resolve obstacles they might face in their daily lives that affect the community at large. When we solve an issue, we try to think for the benefit of the wider community, which you would interpret as a solution for many costumers."

When asked by Paige O'Neill on blending newest technology with very traditional customer – or in Sharjah's case, citizen – communications traditions in effective ways, Chairman SMC pointed out, "Sharjah is putting considerable effort into becoming a smart city, linking the best in digital experience technologies with our broader goals of education, which include to provide students with smart e-tablets in a project time frame of four years. Those tablets will have educational applications embedded within the tablet system and allow the young digital generation to learn content in new methods that are applicable to their needs. The promotion of Islamic culture via new innovative channels has a high rank on our agenda as well."

He added: "We have a tremendous amount of content going online, and are in extensive conversations with educators on how best to engage with Sharjah's citizens to optimise their ‘Citizen Experience'. With Sharjah24.ae, which is an electronic newspaper, published and operated by the government, we tell our story without offending others and make the world understand where we are coming from."

As part of Sharjah Media Centre's endeavours to expand the partnership with SDL, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi held a meeting with Mark Lancaster, Chief Executive Officer of SDL. The meeting included a brainstorm on ideas to keep Sharjah24.ae innovative and ahead of its competitors with unusual content and individualised solutions.

Mark Lancaster noted: "It is very crucial to keep on innovating. Innovating in volumes and content creation by taking small steps, but those that make the difference. In marketing, the cost of customer retention is higher than customer acquisition. You have to understand what makes your customers come back to you."

A key component for Sharjah24.ae will be to invest further in its human resources and establish the next phase of the site. Sharjah Media Centre is looking into a number of collaborations with SDL and to leverage on Lancaster's experience during the upcoming IGCF 2016.