August 19, 2025
SEWA’s Award-Winning Virtual Assistant Streamlines Customer Service Across Sharjah
Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) has introduced a digital assistant that is changing how customers interact with utility services. Nafa’a, an AI-powered virtual assistant, has handled over 228,000 interactions in six months, assisting with bill instalment requests, outage reporting, and service complaints. Khaled Yousef Ahmad Diab, SEWA’s Customer Service Operations Consultant, shares more details of how the initiative has affected both customers and internal operations.
“Customers have engaged with Nafa’a far more quickly than we anticipated,” Diab notes. “Rather than using it only for simple questions, many are completing full transactions through the assistant.”
As a result, processes that once required weeks, such as approving bill installments, now take under a minute. SAP integration, machine learning, and AI-driven decision-making allow Nafa’a to analyse customer eligibility and approve requests instantly, while streamlining outage management.
When a customer reports an unexpected outage via the app, Nafa’a identifies the location using account data and routes the case to the correct service centre immediately. Technical teams can respond faster, while call centre traffic has decreased by approximately 30%. For customers, these improvements mean faster resolutions and 24/7 access to essential services.
Smarter Service, Happier Customers
Diab explains that the transition from Nafa’a 1.0 to 2.0 brought multilingual support and deeper integration with internal systems. “Analysing more than 200,000 interactions allowed us to optimise conversations, reduce errors, and expand the assistant’s capabilities,” he says. Services such as complaint tracking, outage reporting, and instant bill approvals were added, enhancing the overall customer experience.
Staff adoption was an important consideration when developing the assistant. SEWA implemented workshops and practical demonstrations to help employees understand how automation complements their work rather than replacing it.
“It was critical to show the team that AI can reduce repetitive tasks and free them to focus on analysis and decision-making,” Diab explains. Alongside this, paper-based processes have been gradually phased out, replaced with digital signatures and electronic records, supporting a fully digital workflow.
Looking ahead, Nafa’a 3.0 is set to introduce predictive analytics, additional languages, and proactive engagement features, allowing the utility to anticipate customer needs and deliver tailored solutions before issues arise. Diab says the next stage is focused on combining efficiency with foresight to further enhance customer service.
Recognition for the initiative came in the form of a gold award for Best User Experience at the Gulf Customer Experience Awards 2025. The government utility also picked up gold in the Best Digital Transformation – Government and Best Use of AI categories.
Nafa’a is a practical example of how AI can be applied to utility services by leveraging smart technology, staff engagement, and data-driven insights to reduce operational burdens while providing a seamless customer experience.
