SmartAge
How We Rectified a Governmental Error During License Acquisition
UAE’s governmental systems often exhibit an element of imbalance — various types of requests take a long time to process, and the speed of these processes is influenced by religious and cultural holidays like Ramadan. We’ve come to understand that it’s usually the quirks and glitches of the system, not us or the customer, that cause these delays. We can now reassure, support, and explain to our customers that everything is proceeding as expected.
However, it wasn’t always this way. For instance, while working with SmartAge, a beauty product supplier, we faced a significant error from a government body. Ironically, this was also our first customer in the Emirates. Here’s what transpired and how we tackled it.
The Customer and the Challenge
SmartAge is a company that trades in cosmetics and cosmetology equipment. They provide branded cosmetics and state-of-the-art equipment to spas and other businesses in the beauty and wellness sector.
Our task was to assist them in establishing a presence on the mainland and securing a visa.
The Outcome
― The company was established within 2 weeks, despite a glitch in the government system.
― The visa was obtained in 2.5 weeks.
What Was Done
Throughout the company establishment and visa acquisition stages, we followed our tried-and-true algorithm. Everything went smoothly until we reached the licensing stage. However, even standard procedures can sometimes present unexpected challenges. Here’s an example of one such issue we faced and hope to never encounter again.
The issue arose during the company registration stage when the licensing authority overlooked one of SmartAge’s business activities. This crucial detail got lost amidst the paperwork, routine processes, and bureaucratic hustle and bustle. This happened during Ramadan, a period when devout Muslims focus more on spiritual matters than worldly ones. As a result, officials sometimes take a step back from their daily duties, which is understandable.
We discovered the error after the license had already been approved and issued. However, it only included two out of the three business activities, which was unacceptable for SmartAge.
We had to explain to the customer the unique workings of the Emirati government bodies, and they were understanding — for which we are thankful. The main challenge was making amendments and compensating for the oversight, which delayed the process. Nevertheless, we were destined for success: the company was successfully established within two weeks.
In conclusion, our work with SmartAge serves as a prime example of swiftly resolving complex issues and rectifying others’ mistakes, even when those mistakes are made by the government.
The challenges we faced helped us to streamline our processes and eliminate dishonest contractors. Additionally, we automated some tasks and selected service centers that met our time and quality requirements. While this doesn’t completely shield us from the unpredictability of UAE bureaucracy, it provides excellent insurance and supports both our service and customers.
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