Case Studies
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Muqeem
Dilemma & Challenge
Technological capabilities may seem to be the biggest challenge in the transition to electronic services. However, this is not correct.
Developing digital services does not imply the conversion of manual actions into electronic ones, then reintroducing the service to beneficiaries. In fact, it first involves dismantling the traditional procedures in place, then analyzing the purpose and significance of each procedure, and reconstructing these procedures according to the electronic service. In the business world, this process is called the “Re-engineering of procedures”.
The exit and re-entry visa service at the General Directorate of Passports is the most widely used compared to other services, so it was selected to become the first service transformed into an integrated electronic service. However, the task was not straight forward, and faced many challenges, including:
The service must be requested at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Passports and only during official working hours. This means that a resident must apply for a visa well in advance of their travel, and they will most likely not receive the visa on the same day of application, which poses problems in emergency cases.
The demand for this service peaks during the holiday season, especially since one resident may request it several times per year, resulting in a human overcrowding at the Directorate’s premises.
This was the first e-government transition project in Saudi Arabia in cooperation with the General Directorate of Passports, which posed a challenge of another kind and raised the level of change resistance.
All the procedures of the General Directorate of Passports were paper-based, not to mention the complexity of government transactions, coupled with the difficulty of obtaining approvals and issuing ministerial and financial decisions.
The service is requested by manually filling in the required data, which leads to errors that may be detected only at the border port, and at a critical time.
The files and information being processed are highly sensitive, and the need to maintain privacy and information security is paramount.
There is a lack of technological infrastructure and communication between government agencies concerned with the project.
Linking with the systems of other countries through travel ports (passports).
Innovation & Solution
We obtained all the necessary legislation to approve the new service in cooperation with all interested parties, governmental (headed by the General Directorate of Passports) or civil, and we concluded the following:
- The employer issues the exit and re-entry visa through a website connected with the General Directorate of Passports, allowing online verification of all the requirements and conditions of issuance.
- The employer prints and stamps the issued visa.
- The resident receives a copy of the e-visa attached to their passport. Then the data recorded on the visa is matched with the data in the system. Finally, the exit is recorded in the system, and the visa and passport are stamped.
Getting to this three-step procedure was not straightforward because the idea of canceling the visa print on the passport was not an option. After months of using alternative solutions, there was an agreement on the adoption of the visa printed by the employer based on the information on the system, as a legally binding and official document.
Transport companies requested an innovative process for verifying the validity of the visa, and a website was developed to provide such access.
Tests of the new service were conducted according to a phased plan across several countries (Dubai, Damascus, Cairo, Amman, India, and Bahrain). Problems that have emerged were solved by sending telegrams in cooperation with the General Authority of Civil Aviation.
Some passengers were accompanied during this stage (departure and return) to ensure they successfully complete their travel procedures, as well as pro-actively solving problems.
An integrated escalation plan has been developed to address various emergency scenarios, and it is phased up to the director of the General Directorate of Passports, if necessary.
Outcomes & Benefits
Issuance, cancellation, or reprinting of an exit and re-entry visa or final exit visa
Printing and delivery of Iqamas to the resident, by cooperating with local carriers to deliver documents without referring to the General Directorate of Passports
Filling forms online, where basic information is automatically entered by typing the Residence Permit (Iqama) number directly
Iqama issuance or renewal, transfer of services, and change of profession
Muqeem service offers the potential of reviewing and printing passport reports, interactive services, subscriptions, transactions, and payments
Serving over 40 thousand customers across Saudi Arabia
Performing over 52 million e-transactions since the service launch
Natheer
Natheer
Dilemma and Challenge
Risk is an integral part of banking, especially in view of intense competition, technological acceleration, and the increasing volume of banking transactions. Besides, correct and accurate information in banking is the main pillar on which banks’ risk management departments rely; it ensures their success and continuity in the banking market with satisfactory returns and low risks. Such information includes the proper development of a department’s own credit standards, such as the identification, measurement, monitoring, and control of credit risks.
The bank’s credit decision-makers cannot predict the results of their decisions with complete accuracy. However, they can analyze the risks associated with credit operations to estimate specific objective probabilities of the decision they intend to make. They cannot do this without accurate information, and therein lies the challenge.
Innovation & Solution
Process
Under the Natheer service, establishments and institutions first provide the service with a list of individuals whose data change requires monitoring. Natheer then promptly sends real-time updates on changes in the data of these individuals or alterations in their official records. This includes scenarios such as a client’s passing away, the final exit status for residents, the cancellation of an exit visa after issuance to a resident, or the issuance of an exit and re-entry visa to the resident who has not returned.
Design
Introduced in 2018, Natheer serves as a tool for establishments and institutions to seamlessly update the data of individuals they engage with, encompassing customers, auditors, and employees. The service is digitally connected with official records documented by government entities, such as the National Information Center (NIC), the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), and Saudi Post.
Excellence
Natheer is distinguished by its ability to update individuals’ data to match the data available from official authorities. It also boosts the quality of personal data, eliminating the defects found in most databases, such as errors resulting from failure to update outdated data.
Outcomes & Benefits
The Right Information at the Right Time
With the Natheer service, banks can coordinate in a timely manner with international reinsurance companies. The terms of these companies stipulate the need to report certain changes in the insurance status within a certain period, such as death, which limits the losses incurred in the event of late reporting of such information.
Information Validity & Continuity
Natheer service provides automated and real-time monitoring of updates, giving the bank enough time to take appropriate actions in a timely manner and base its decisions on correct and accurate information.
Intelligent Reporting & Analysis
Banks can now harness features, such as intelligent reports and results comparison, to study the customer’s case, charting future perspectives based on clear grounds.
