The virtual tool will gauge the level of customer satisfaction via secret visits to agencies.

Super-quick internet and an accelerated digitisation of the public service infrastructure during the pandemic, has enabled online services for a smart lifestyle in countries like Saudi Arabia along with its neighbours including the UAE. The new normal has opened doors for integration of innovative solutions powered by AI, cloud storage and virtual communication channels, into everyday operations of government agencies for facilitating state-of-the-art customer care across the kingdom.

Over the past year, Saudi Arabia has successfully organised the annual Hajj pilgrimage with social distancing in place thanks to digital access, and has also rolled out online registration of biometrics for pilgrims in the future. To make sure that everything from remote healthcare to digital payments and registration of new business works swiftly, authorities in the kingdom have activated a virtual spy to measure the quality of service offered by each agency.

The tool called a 'Mystery Shopper', will be sent out for secret visits to government bodies via online channels, and check the level of customer satisfaction, each of them is able to deliver. The accurate analysis of the services, generates insights for the administration, which can be used to enhance compliance, in order to meet international standards.

After zeroing in on services which are known to have a low satisfaction rating or have complaints raised against them, the tool screens electronic communication, websites and call centres of those agencies. In order to evaluate the performance of each department, the digital inspection mechanism either asks questions about a service or just places a request.

Parameters to measure the efficiency of each body include ease of access, electronic service, design and the interface offered for online resolution of queries. The overall knowledge of employees about the issues they are addressing, and the user-friendly nature of a system are also under the scanner during the secret evaluation.

After gathering all the relevant information, the Mystery Shopper processes the data, provides detailed conclusions and compares the results to existing quality standards. The insights generated from this procedure are ultimately meant to assist decision makers.