The Slow Service Centre

Officer productivity at a municipal service centre has fallen by a quarter and waiting times have doubled. The director wants time-management training.

The requestClaim

Transactions per officer have dropped from 38 to 28 a day and citizens now wait over 40 minutes. My officers are spending too long on each case and too much time on their phones. I want a time-management and productivity course for all 45 officers next month.

From Abdullah Al-Zahrani, Director, Citizen Services Centre

Organisation: Al-Nakheel Municipality: Citizen Services Centre

Sector: Local government
Size: Centre of 62 staff serving 1,700 visitors a week

The centre handles licences, building permits and certificates. In March the municipality launched online appointments and extended opening hours to 9 pm. Two months later an internal audit found errors in fee waivers.

Strategic priorities

Average waiting time under 20 minutes
Citizen satisfaction of 85% or above
Digital-first services with no rise in headcount

Who you can interview

Abdullah Al-Zahrani
Director, Citizen Services Centre
Dr. Mona Al-Harbi
Deputy Mayor for Citizen Services
Fahad Al-Otaibi
Digital Services Manager
Reem Al-Shehri
Shift Supervisor
Service Officers
Focus group: 6 officers from both shifts
Saad Al-Ghamdi
HR Business Partner