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A new car showroom dedicated to luxury supercars has opened near the Equiti metro station on the busy Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai.

Set up by the accomplished automobile stalwart Sarabdeep Singh Bassi with his Man Friday Walid Al Balushi, the showroom opening witnessed a range of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens, Mercedes and Bentleys along with some top options in the Land Rover range as well for a rich sampling of the showroom’s USP. The inauguration ceremony was graced by UAE businessman and SJM Group chairman Sheikh Juma bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum as the chief guest.

Bassi is a veteran of Dubai’s automobile circuit with showrooms for used and mid-range cars in three emirates – Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi – since 2004 when he landed from the United States, where too he operated in the similar industry but around trucks and transport for a brief while.

According to Balushi, now is as good time as any to have a cars showroom for the upper echelons of the society. “Our Emirati folks are always a keen, regular market, but we also see a lot of Russians and people from the adjoining regions looking up high-end cars.”

An attendee poses in front of a grey McLaren and red Ferrari at the Oscar Cars showroom in Dubai. Photos Joy Dasgupta / Headline.ae

This showroom is the latest addition to their Advantage Motors brand which deals in mid-range levels of cars in the three emirates.

“Already the response is very good,” Bassi said on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony amid much fanfare. “We have more expansion plans like opening other automotive businesses after this. Our customers are from all over UAE and from other countries as well like Russia, Middle East countries, China, All Over Africa, and others. We are also promoting electric vehicles sale which are environment friendly.”

The vast showroom on the Sheikh Zayed Road, diagnonally across the Mall of Emirates, is laid out over 7,000 square feet and separate parking, with the best of knowledgeable staff at hand to help buy and sell the cars, along with other services like buying premium number plates, etc.

The region’s top customer-centric solutions provider, Data Direct Group, and SurveySparrow, a leading customer experience (CX) management platform, have partnered to revolutionise the customer experience landscape in the Middle East.

Through the strategic alliance of the Dubai-based Data Direct Group and SurveySparrow, the objective is to provide outstanding CX solutions for brands, enabling them to craft remarkable experiences for their customers, according to Rajiv Dalmia, Data Direct Group (DDG) founder and chairman. DDG has been a pioneer in the CX domain with its advanced tech solutions for over two decades.

Rajiv Dalmia, Founder-chairman of Data Direct Group

“The customer experience industry is poised to embark on a transformative journey. This collaboration promises to redefine the very essence of customer satisfaction, elevating it to unprecedented heights. With innovation at its core, the partnership aims to revolutionise the way customers engage with businesses, fostering deeper connections and seamless interactions,” Dalmia said.

“For us, it felt like the perfect opportunity to join forces with a leading player in the Middle East as organisations in the region are increasing focus on enhancing their AI capabilities and CX infrastructure.

“By leveraging Data Direct Group’s proficiency in digital transformation services and solutions alongside SurveySparrow’s comprehensive omnichannel CX solutions, this partnership will empower organisations to promote loyalty, enhance brand equity, and offer more customer value”, said Shihab Muhammed, who founded the omnichannel experience management platform in 2017.

It has served over 200,000 clients across 149 countries so far. With the establishment of a custom data center in UAE, SurveySparrow has bolstered its commitment to ensuring top-notch security measures for the Middle East region.

“There’s no doubt that by harnessing these technologies, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of customer behaviour, enabling them to deliver personalised brand experiences and that is where this partnership comes in optimising customer journey mapping for an enhanced CX like never before,” he added.

Dubai-based leading BPO organisation Data Direct Group has urged the UAE’s private sector to follow the recent guidelines established by country’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) and hire more local talent to boost Emirati employment rates.

The Ministry earlier this month announced that around 79,000 UAE nationals were working in the private sector. In September 2022, UAE’s authorities set out quotas for hiring Emiratis for the first time and gave private companies deadlines to reach them.

Private sector companies with at least 50 employees needed to ensure 3 per cent of their workforce was made up of Emiratis by July 7. Four days later on July 11, MoHRE announced a new update to the rules, whereby private companies with 20 to 49 employees are now included in the government’s Emiratisation drive with the new rules now applicable to companies across 14 economic sectors including property, education, construction and health care.

“This is the time to infuse the current market with a great new talent pool that is homegrown and localised. Emirati employment rate is projected to increase to 10 per cent in 2026 with a steady growth every year and it is the time for private businesses of the country to step up by reaching targets laid down by the MoHRE,” said Rajiv Dalmia, the chairman and founder of Data Direct Group that today employs close to 1,500 professionals from over 25 nationalities working in four countries.

“We achieved outstanding results in going beyond to fulfill the government’s targets for hiring Emirati talent. A major part of that success is due to the fact that Emiratisation has always been a part of our role to keep local clients happy while enhancing the customer experience.”

Rajiv Dalmia

As part of the company’s commitment to support the nation’s vision and foster local talent, Data Direct been implementing strategic initiatives since the company’s inception in 2002, and much before the UAE government started ‘customer happiness centres’ across the country to serve the local population. An internal audit by DDG after the first half of 2023 has shown staff representation among Emiratis at nearly 5-7 times the minimum required, especially in certain departments.

“We do not see Emiratisation as a minimum quota to achieve just for the sake of representation,” added Dalmia. “The more the merrier, and there is a constant endeavour to seek out local talent first before we look at other options.”

Elaborating on the MoHRE data, recruitment consultancy Qureos has said sectors such as business services (14% growth year on year), construction (13%), and commerce and repair services (10%) are among the new frontrunners in Emirati hiring, coming neck-to-neck with the traditional BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) sector. Data Direct serves many clients in the services and banking sector.

Qureos data also suggests a massive 75% increase in college enrolment for banking studies. The graduates are due to be incorporated in the near future where the HR departments of companies such as Data Direct stand to benefit. “Employees within our team setup and familiar with the work culture at Data Direct Group provide good referrals to future employees. References are our best sources for talent,” said Nona Sharma, HR head at DDG.

“The accomplishment in surpassing Emiratisation targets is a testament to our commitment to the UAE’s socio-economic growth and vision for a prosperous future. By empowering local talent, we also strengthen our own organisational capabilities.”

DDG has been working with many government entities to enhance the customer experience during interactions. Meanwhile, the rise of Gulf countries’ economies has also seen a surge in hiring local talent. “A collaboration with Talabat in Bahrain, for instance, has happened due to our track record on this and their requirements to keep 100% staff local. In Oman, it is 80% of our strength while the highly cosmopolitan nature of UAE means we have about 35-40 locals who cater to clients, including key government agencies. Having talented local colleagues is not tokenism for us. They are, in fact, the guiding light for us in many cases,” Dalmia added.