A five-day joint training program by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to improve government services began in Riyadh on Sunday. The program, titled "UAE-Saudi Capacity Building Program," aims to build the capacities of government services employees from the two countries, according to specialized services criteria and as part of their partnership, as represented by the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council. The training program will address a range of concepts related to providing excellent customer services, as well as how to apply specialist tools to support customer service centers of government authorities. The program will also explore several examples of best practices in the private sector and how to benefit from them, as well as how to involve customers, ask effective questions, and utilize the best communication methods and latest technologies. The program will feature a range of practical applications and interactive workshops focusing on several topics, such as the definition of customer happiness, the experience of users, methods of training, and how to make employees happy. Many Saudi officials from different sectors are participating in the program, including those from the ministries of defense, interior, social affairs, education, finance and Islamic affairs. Ohoud Bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Emirati Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing, stated that the program reflects the directives of the leaderships of the two countries to promote overall integration and cooperation, and is part of their joint efforts to improve government services, adding that their joint initiatives aim to exchange expertise in various areas of government work. "The training program for customer service employees of the Saudi government aims to build their capacities and reinforce the partnership between the two countries in the area of government development," noted Mohammed Bin Taleea, Deputy Director-General of Government Services at UAE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future. Many qualified Emirati experts and certified trainers participated in the program, who exchanged their expertise and experiences with the participants, he added. The Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council was established as part of an agreement signed in May 2016, upon the directives of Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman and UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
