by Dalia Darweesh
The increased quantity, variety, and quality of restaurants, cafés, and food outlets such as Starbucks prompted employees to vote it the most-improved service.
Dhahran — The employees have spoken, and the most improved service for Operations and Business Services (O&BS) in 2019 was dining and cafés.
The increased quantity, variety, and quality of restaurants, cafés, and food outlets such as Chili’s, ACAI restaurant, Paul Café, Fuddruckers, and Bran Basket Bakery prompted employees to vote it as the most-improved service.
The O&BS Most Improved Service Competition, which was launched on Dec. 9, was designed to better understand customers’ perception of the services provided by Saudi Aramco and its partners that employees, their dependents, and contractors have benefited from the most.
An iPhone 11 Pro Max winner was chosen randomly from employees who voted for the winning service. More than 7,000 employees participated by voting from a selection of 34 improved services.
Other services recently recognized among the most improved included ID and sticker waiting time, Aviation’s Umrah flights, introduction of five new fitness centers in work areas, and the operation of women’s driving centers.
Rounding Out the Top Five
Employees had nearly three dozen services to choose from, and a number of services finished closely behind the winning dining facilities, which were recognized for their diversity and quality.
ID and sticker waiting time, benefiting from the introduction of one-stop shops and efforts to reduce the waiting time to only eight minutes, was voted the second most improved service.
Aviation’s Umrah flights was voted third. In 2019, Aviation started monthly, free same day roundtrip Umrah flights for Aramcons, with an average of 230 users a month taking advantage of the service.
The introduction of five new fitness centers in work areas and the upgrading of five existing gym facilities earned the fitness centers category a fourth place.
Women’s driving centers received the fifth most votes, as the offering of a comprehensive quality driving program for company employees and their dependents in Dhahran and the al-Hasa communities (with a total capacity of 26,000 users per year) giving it a strong nudge in the most-improved category.
Feedback From The Winner
Asma M. Alahmadi, a gas reservoir engineer in the Reservoir Description and Simulation Department, was chosen randomly from the service that received the most votes — Dining and Cafés — and won a new iPhone 11 Pro Max. She wanted to learn more about O&BS services, and was surprised to see a list of 34 services. Alahmadi noticed a major improvement with different locations, cuisines, and options.
Striving to Provide the Best Services
During the last three years, O&BS has held many initiatives, enhancements, and quality checks that would match services with customers’ expectations. Services provided have gone through many enhancements to know exactly where the customers exist, and what services they preferred. O&BS always strives to deliver the best quality services to employees, dependents, and retirees — closing the gap between operational requirements and the expectations of customers.
— The Arabian Sun: January 29, 2020 | Vol. LXXV, No. 5