Al Shirawi Group has implemented Salesforce.com, one of the leading CRM and Sales Applications in the world. "Salesforce.com will allow us to leverage the sales process and provide faster response times on sales requirements. It will effectively allow us to monitor the sales cycle which is critical in today's environment." said MN Chaturvedi, Director of IT at the Al Shirawi Group.

Salesforce.com's flagship sales application gives businesses the upper hand with their sales data. Extensive training to over 50 Users and the management has been given in various group companies and the system has gone live in record time of 4 weeks including data migration and various customizations for the effective use of information.

Al Shirawi Group has realized that quick support, along with the use of the same language as a sales person's dictionary, is one of the key attributes for a successful life cycle on a CRM tool and therefore the Group has put in place a three level support structure of sales coordinators, systems administrators at thegroup level and finally the customer support at Salesforce.com.

The Group has invested in the product and services and hopes to recover this through improvements in the sales process improvement and bringing in the CRM culture at all levels of the sales staff.

In response to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority [RERA] strata legislation becoming effective in September 2009, the Al Seef Owners Association [ASOA] has today signed a 3 year contract with the Al Shirawi Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Company LLC [ASEME] for the provision of full Facility Management services in this building: a prestigious, 44-floor residential structure, located on the edge of Dubai Marina, United Arab Emirates.

Navin Valrani, CEO of ASEME said "The Owners Association is made up of forward-thinking individuals who are willing to put in the time and effort to make this partnership work, for the benefit of all owners of premises in Al Seef Tower 1. Working with a new combination of in-house teams and specialist subcontractors, including US Chiller Services, Al Shirawi FM looks forward to a long-term relationship with the ASOA, to make Al Seef Tower 1 a flagship of quality and service in Dubai, ready to comply with new strata legislation."

Al Shirawi FM was chosen by the ASOA, following a full open tender selection process, managed by the ASOA itself. The Al Seef Owners' Association stated that "Al Shirawi FM was chosen for their established technical reputation, coupled with a strong commitment to improve and integrate the building services, delivering innovation, along with transparency, integrity and passion: values which came across very clearly from their Facilities Management team."

Al Seef Tower 1 is one of the earliest towers to be completed in the Dubai Marina district. It has a high level of occupancy by Dubai standards, with over 150 apartments, six shops and three parking levels, making up a total of 534,000 billable square feet. The Al Shirawi contract is KPI-based, structured around ISO Quality-tested Method Statements and covers a comprehensive range of fully-integrated "hotel" services, including on-site Management to oversee the delivery of the Air Conditioning Technical Support Programme; Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and building services; Security of premises and car parks; General cleaning; Reception; Landscaping, utilities and sewerage; Swimming pool cleaning; Pest control; Lifts maintenance; and all Fire fighting systems and alarms; plus, of course, dedicated Customer Services.

Al Shirawi FM is a Division of Al Shirawi Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Company LLC [ASEME]. Established in 1974, this company is one of the premier mechanical contractors in the region. With over 2000 employees, the organisation is structured as to able to draw upon the strengths of the Group, whilst allowing subsidiaries to respond flexibly and promptly to meet client needs.

With a Hard FM, MEP and Building Services pedigree, ASEME is able to respond to a broad range of complex property arrangements, self-delivering technical services for a variety of public and private sector clients, to meet a variety of challenging of facilities management requirements. Based in Dubai and part of the Al Shirawi Group, a regional industrial conglomerate, ASEME company has been ISO:9000 certified since 1997. In-house support includes mechanical and electrical maintenance and repairs, specialist chiller services, civil works, joinery, waterproofing, security and cleaning services.

Al Shirawi Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Co completed the mechanical & electrical works for Aswaaq’s second complex in Al Mizhar. The complex was inaugurated by H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai on May 26, 2009.

Al Shirawi is proud to be associated with Aswaaq in its first 3 stores.Al Shirawi’s association with Aswaaq began with its first complex at Nad Al Hamar and it has moved on to be involved not only with its second store at Al Mizhar but has also involved in the fit out works at its third store at Al Sufouh. The Al Mizhar complex was completed under the supervision of Aswaaq’s own project team, BSBG consultants and Mario Associates.

Staff from around the got together in December 2003 for a relaxing picnic at Dubai's Safa Park.

Over 100 people attended. Games were played and prizes given out to the
winners, following which everybody enjoyed a buffet lunch.

"This was a great opportunity for staff, managers and senior management to come together and promote team work in a fun and relaxing way," said V. Ravikumar, Business Development Manager, Al Shirawi.

The get-together was such a success that the next one is already being planned.

What started as a surprise birthday party for the boss has turned into a monthly celebration for the staff at Al Shirawi. Each month, the entire company is invited to a party to celebrate with the staff who have had a birthday that month. "The idea came about in July when we held a surprise party for Navin Valrani, our Executive Director", said Human Resources Manager Ashfaq Kazi.

"Staff don't' usually get an opportunity to meet each other outside the scope of their official work. We decided it would be a nice idea to celebrate the birthdays that take place each month and invite everyone to join the fun."

Each month, Ashfaq sends out an email, inviting staff to meet in the company dining room on the last Wednesday or Thursday of the month. The party starts an hour before the office closes, so the impact on work is minimal.

"We decorate the dining room and provide a cake that is cut by the birthday celebrants, who also receive a card, flowers, and a gift voucher. We provide refreshments and snacks for everyone else," said Ashfaq. "Everyone comes, including the department managers and Mr. Navin.”

"The gatherings are a great opportunity for staff from all eight companies to meet each other in an informal setting, as well as to meet the senior managers."

When choosing a winner, it’s important to study the form, to know how well your favorite has performed over similar ground in the past.

Which is why Mr Fardan Ali Fardan Al Fardan picked Al Shirawi Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Company’s MEP division for his high profile Ascot 2 Hotel, a 2+G+7 storey property. Building on the success of previous contracts at the original Ascot and Extension in Al Raffa, the MEP division was again appointed to handle all mechanical, electrical and plumbing works on the new hotel.

Consultants were again M/s National Engineering Burea and M/s Construction and Reconstruction Engineering Co were the Main Contractors.

Al Shirawi MEP General Manager S Sekhar said “we were delighted to win this particular contract on the back of a string of previous successes, but we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and will be working extremely closely
with both client and consultants to ensure the perfect result.”

The multi-million dirham contract covered all MEP works, and was completed on schedule. Equipment supplied included AC chillers from M/S Wabco Standard Trane.

The Ascot 2 Hotel is scheduled to open in Autumn 2008.

Dubai Municipality employees can rest a little easier now thanks to electrical and plumbing work Al Shirawi completed in 62 new government villas in Hatta. The villas were completed late last year and Al Shirawi carried out its work over a 12 month period. All of the villas are two are two stories and have two,four or five bedrooms.

"This was a rewarding project we're very pleased to have worked with the main contractor Al Ashram Contracting Company", said S. Sekhar, General Manager, Al Shirawi Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.

Working on the large number of villas was challenging but ultimately very satisfying. It's always great to see a job come to fruition, especially after a year's hard work and dedication. Sekhar added that Al Shirawi hopes to work on further projects in the Hatta area as it continues to grow.

Al Shirawi Electrical and Mechanical Engineering has enhanced its commitment to customer satisfaction for its After Sales Service business with the recent creation of a customer service department. Managed by Pooja Rangwani, the customer service desk was established in December 2003 and monitors and responds to all customer feedback received for its service business be it positive or negative. Feedback is passed directly to the Executive Director, Which ensures all customer comments are heard at the top level of the company and acted upon immediately.

"Customers are free to tell me any small details," Pooja explained.

"Through the Customer Service Desk we can know how satisfied our customers really are and how we can improve our services for them."

Once maintenance is completed Pooja analyses the job report and contacts the customer directly to get feedback on the work done and overall performance of Al Shirawi. She also notifies customers when the next maintenance on their air conditioning system is due.

So far the customer feedback has been predominantly good, according to Pooja, however it hasn't all been positive.
"No-one's perfect, although we are striving to be," Pooja said.
As part of the dedication to customer service, all technicians now undergo a new training programme, given by supervisors, to teach them how to better deal with such things as maintenance work, technical details and interaction with customers.

Customers who wish to contact Pooja Rangwani at the customer service desk can email her at customercare@alshirawi.ae or call 04-3338700.