The Department of Economic Development, DED, in Dubai has stepped up co-ordination with retailers as part of Arabisation drive to use Arabic in purchase invoices and customer relations management in the emirate.

The DED officials have visited many shopping malls explaining the best means of Arabisation and improving relations with customers.

As per the initiative, announced by DED earlier this year, all commercial establishments should use Arabic as the main language in invoices and price tags as well as in their call centres and at reception desks, by the beginning on 2017. The transition will be monitored by the Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection, DED , sector in DED.

Ahmed Al Zaabi, Senior Manager, Consumer Education in DED, said the visits are intended to help speed up the transition, which is in line with the directives of Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to make the UAE a centre of excellence for Arabic language, and aimed to improve customer satisfaction.

"The department seeks to encourage traders and retail shops in Dubai to use Arabic as the language, along with any other language of their choice, while dealing with consumers, and thus improve customer satisfaction and loyalty," he said.

Ahmed Al Awadhi, Director of the Department of Consumer Protection in DED said the documents to be Arabised include price tags and price lists displayed in shops in addition to purchase invoices showing the product sold, quantity, and price.