Complaints and Reports Window

Source in Arabic: ENACT Case Study - Complaints and Report Window, Oman

The complaints and reports window was developed as a website and smart phone application in Arabic and English, with the aim of enhancing communication with the community. The State Audit Institution aims to strengthen the principle of partnership in protecting public funds and ensuring the quality of performance and services provided by entities under its oversight. This electronic window also helps in detecting administrative and financial violations, and contributes to reducing abuses and violations. It also helps to identify important issues that need additional study and analysis. It is worth noting that the reporting window received the United Nations Public Service Award in the Prevention and Combating of Corruption category in 2013. Work is currently underway to improve the window and the OTP feature, a complaint feature was recently added and a Chatbot feature is currently under development.

Principles supported

Responsiveness
Trust
Transparency
Inclusiveness
Effectiveness

Technology focus

Artificial intelligence

Purpose

This initiative aims at providing an easy electronic means for citizens and residents to submit their complaints and reports for reducing administrative and financial violations and ensuring the quality of services provided by regulatory authorities. It includes a safe and free window for submissions with complete confidentiality and in both Arabic and English. The initiative uses advanced technology that complies with the requirements of digital transformation.

Contributors/ Partners

State Audit Institution

Functions and/or Features

The initiative provides an easy electronic form for receiving complaints and reports, and the service includes range of features, including:

Possibility of sending rights-related complaints.
Ability to anonymously report on issues of public interest.
Follow up on the status of submitted complaints.
User manual for the service.
Email notification of a reference number for tracking the status.
Confidentiality of the data on the submission and the complainant.
Service provided in both Arabic and English.
Providing the service on the website and mobile phone applications.
Provide the services over 24-hours.
Enable all segments of society to benefit from the service, with an exception.
Technologically advanced and align with the requirements of digital transformation.

Outcomes, impacts & changes

This service has been continuously developed since 2011, and the by working team was able to gain multiple experiences, including:

Skill of handling the challenges faced by service users.
Ability to simplify procedures.
Flexibility in developing the service in line with digital transformation.
Prepare plans for continuous development.
Capability to benefit from the experiences of others.
Applying technology for serving society.
Engagement and responsiveness to public feedback.
Developing programming skills.
Continuously improving the user experience.

In addition, this service contributed to

Improving users experiences and satisfaction.
Raising awareness on the use of e-services for personal transactions.
Providing a window for individuals to complain or report financial and administrative violations.
Simplify procedures that does not require in-person submission of complaints.
Reduce paper use as the service is available in electronic form.

Challenges

The challenges that face users include:

Citizens' fear of electronically submitting complaints and reports, which was addressed through awareness campaigns.
Users face difficulty in using e-services, and user guide was provided together with raising awareness on the service.
Older adults face difficulty in using technology, which requires adding features that rely on artificial intelligence to enable them to use the service.
Accessibility to people with special needs was enabled through the provision of voice readers and compliance with digital accessibility guidelines.

Other challenges face service programmers, and include:

Difficulty in separating complaints from reports as they were not classified.
Difficulty in adopting advanced technologies, which requires cooperation with specialized technical companies.
Difficulty to provide digital accessibility to all users, including persons with special needs, as well as the limited choices and high costs for integrating sign language.

Lessons learned

Assessing the needs of users: Understanding the needs of users is essential for providing effective services.
Simplifying and optimizing processes: Operations must be simple and more accessible and effective.
Convenient design: Provide a user-friendly interface for easy interaction.
Security and privacy: The need to protect users data and commit to the best security practices.
User Support: Provide support to users to help them resolve issues and queries.
Respond to feedback and comments: Respond to opinions can improve the service.
Continuous development: This improves the service and keeps pace with technological advancements.
Performance Monitoring and Measurement: Regular monitoring of performance based on key performance criteria is essential.

Useful links

State Audit Institution
Access complete case study in Arabic