- Category Group:
- Customer Service Categories
- Category:
- Award for Innovation in Customer Service Management, Planning & Practice - Government
- Organization Name:
- Abu Dhabi Housing Authority
- Organization Description:
Abu Dhabi Housing Authority (ADHA), established in October 2012, leads the development and implementation of innovative housing programs to meet the diverse needs of Abu Dhabi citizens, regulate the housing sector, and support sustainable social development and family stability.
The "Senior Citizen Exemption" transformation represents a pioneering example of CX management planning and practice in the public sector, integrating policy reform, digital innovation, customer-centric design, and inter-agency orchestration to deliver an effortless life moment for citizens aged 60 and above.
Strategic Planning & Problem Definition
ADHA began with a clear strategic mandate aligned to the UAE's Year of Community 2025 and Abu Dhabi's digital government priorities. Human-centered research revealed deep pain points: a fully manual, paper-based application process; physical strain on seniors who had to visit 4-9 entities; high rejection rates (initially over 95%), long processing times; inconsistent communication; and emotional burden on elderly applicants. From 2023-2024, 4,296 applications were received, yet over 60% were ineligible, overwhelming staff and systems. These insights formed the foundation of a comprehensive CX improvement plan guided by empathy, accessibility, and operational efficiency. Innovative CX Planning & Governance
ADHA established a dual-track governance model combining Digital Transformation and Customer Service Excellence, supported by cross-departmental collaboration across over 36 government entities. Clear accountability, coordinated workflows, and unified communication plans ensured alignment from policy to service delivery. The blueprint emphasized proactive outreach, automated eligibility verification, and a fully digital "one-stop-shop" model through the ISKAN App - replacing fragmented systems and manual reviews. A robust action plan detailed outreach protocols, CRM integration, staff upskilling, journey redesign, and system interoperability requirements.
Human-Centered Design & Journey Re-Engineering
The before "AS-IS" journey exposed high effort, long queues, document burden, and months of uncertainty. The redesigned "TO-BE" journey introduced a dignified, intuitive, and proactive experience:
- Trained case managers, contact citizens upon turning 60 telling them about the exemption and support in putting their applications, by phone, video call or home visit.
- Application Process simplified: 65 API data points are pulled automatically from 35+ entities; Customers review pre-filled data and only upload missing documents. Automatic life stage notification is sent to the customer within the system. Once approved automatic notification sent to the bank to stop collection. No physical visits are required and approvals significantly accelerated. The shift reflects a fundamental redesign of a life moment with empathy as the central design principle.
Execution Excellence & Operational Innovation
Implementation was phased, monitored, and supported by change management, communication plans, technical testing, and staff training. The digital team created a secure, scalable platform integrated with government data sources, while the customer service team deployed field outreach, priority lanes, and community engagement initiatives such as town halls. An integrated CRM ensured end-to-end visibility and first-time resolution. Visual management tools (journey maps, swimlane diagrams, bottleneck overlays) guided continuous optimization.
Measurable Impact on Customer Experience
The transformation delivered dramatic improvements in CX outcomes:
- 70-90% reduction in physical effort for senior citizens.
- Application steps reduced by 75%.
- Initial review time cut by 75% (from one month to one week).
- Ineligible initial applications reduced by > 95% through automated checks.
- Service efficiency increased by over 75%, fully paperless.
- Approvals increased from 15% in 2024 to 80% in 2025.
- Satisfaction levels now exceed 90%, with high ratings for transparency, clarity, and communication.
These results demonstrate not only an improved service but a strengthened institutional CX maturity, with increased trust, reduced effort, and more consistent outcomes.
Organizational Impact & CX Maturity Growth
The initiative addressed major institutional priorities: rebuilding trust, reducing administrative burdens, and aligning with Abu Dhabi's CX expectations. The redesigned life moment is now influencing ADHA's broader CX ecosystem, reinforcing digital-first practices, staff readiness, and service coherence across channels. The initiative proved that operational efficiency and compassion can coexist, transforming a traditionally bureaucratic experience into one of dignity and respect.
Sustainability & Future Roadmap
Long-term sustainability is anchored in ADHA's Customer Experience Quality Framework. Continuous monitoring, data analytics, user feedback loops, and leadership dashboards ensure that performance remains stable. The future roadmap includes, expanded inter-emirate data integration, automation enhancements, and advanced verification tools. Ongoing training ensures staff maintain high empathy and technical proficiency. The model is designed to evolve with citizen expectations and government innovation agendas.
Entry Sources & Additional Supporting Information
This presentation outlines Abu Dhabi Housing Authority's (ADHA) transformation of the Senior Citizens Exemption service, showcasing an innovative, technology-enabled approach to customer service management in the public sector. It presents how ADHA redesigned a critical life-moment service for citizens aged 60 and above by combining policy reform, digital integration, and human-centered design.
The presentation contrasts the former manual, paper-based process-characterized by multiple physical visits, long waiting times, and high rejection rates-with the redesigned digital journey delivered through the ISKAN one-stop-shop platform. It explains how the new model integrates data from more than 35 government entities using APIs, enabling automated eligibility checks, pre-filled applications, proactive outreach, and real-time status notifications, eliminating the need for physical visits.
The presentation highlights the role of trained case managers, video calls, home visits, CRM integration, and interagency coordination in delivering a seamless and dignified experience for senior citizens. It also presents measurable outcomes, including a reduction of customer effort by over 75%, near elimination of ineligible applications, approval rates increasing from 15% to 80%, and customer satisfaction exceeding 90%.
The presentation concludes by demonstrating how this initiative strengthened institutional CX maturity, transparency, and trust, and established a scalable, sustainable model for citizen-first, technology-driven service delivery aligned with Abu Dhabi's digital government vision.