Diriyah, known as the jewel of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a major development entity in Saudi Arabia. As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, the Diriyah Company has a unique and exciting mission to transform the historical site of Diriyah into a global hub for culture, heritage, and tourism. Built in the Najdi-inspired architectural style typified by the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 14-square-kilometre development is part of a USD 63.2 billion giga-project. In addition to being a historical landmark, Diriyah is also a rapidly growing organization, evolving to nearly 3,000 employees workforce in three years. In this customer story, we meet Basant Elzonfoly, Senior Director of Digital Experience and Partnerships at Diriyah, whose passion for technology and innovation lies at the core of this digital transformation journey.
With a clear focus on an optimal Digital Experience
As a leader in Diriyah's Digital Experience Team, Basant oversees technology adoption and user experience. This involves transitioning from legacy systems to a cloud-first architecture, primarily utilizing Microsoft Azure. The strategy is to improve the overall digital experience for employees, contractors, vendors, and partners by implementing intuitive technology, enhancing processes, and increasing employee productivity.
Finding the perfect partner: Storyals' role in Diriyah's transformation
Diriyah's search for a high-caliber Microsoft partner led them to Storyals and Storyals’ local partner in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, SMART Technology Solutions. Storyals' impressive track record in delivering technology adoption services in the Middle East, along with Storyals' understanding of the regional demographics and ability to provide hands-on support in both English and Arabic, influenced the decision.
Introducing a Digital Hub for all employees
Together with Storyals, Diriyah’s Digital Experience team implemented a central “Digital Hub” in SharePoint Online, with a tailored content library with continuously updated story-based learning on smarter ways of working with Microsoft 365. All learning content is available for users in both English and Arabic to ensure inclusiveness.
Weekly tips and Q&A via the “Digital Hub” community team in Microsoft Teams encourage continuous engagement and learning. In addition to the on-demand, video-based training provided for all employees, live webinars and online group coaching sessions are arranged focusing on various digital topics of interest to build a culture of continuous digital upskilling.
“Building digital skills is an ongoing journey, not a one-time project. Diriyah’s Digital Experience team is modern and strategic in their approach to end-user adoption. With their long-term- and sustainable structure for employee upskilling, they serve as a role model not only in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but also globally.”
– Ulrika Hedlund, CEO of Storyals
Diriyah's path to digital excellence
Like any transformation journey, Diriyah encountered resistance when introducing new digital ways of working with Microsoft 365. However, through demonstrating positive business impact and the consistent efforts in engaging and educating employees, this resistance was overcome. The migration to the cloud was successfully completed within 12 months; in addition, a 30-40% reduction in service desk incidents was achieved due to enhanced technology adoption and self-service capabilities.
Diriyah's ambitious vision for the future
One of the most exciting aspects of Diriyah's digital transformation is the adoption of generative AI. Diriyah has implemented AI agents to assist with on-site customer service employees. This innovative approach has improved the overall customer experience and positioned Diriyah as a leader in emerging technologies. Looking ahead, Diriyah is continuing its engagement with Storyals with plans for broader adoption of Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Driving change: Basant's advice for successful tech adoption
The incredible talent and eagerness of young Saudi professionals have highlighted Basant's experience in Saudi Arabia. The blend of local talent and diverse experiences has created a unique and inspiring technological ecosystem. Basant emphasizes that technology alone cannot drive change.
“It is important to remember that technology alone will not make a difference. You need to ensure that you understand the challenges and pain points your organization is facing and make sure to work on upskilling before applying the technology.” – Basant Elzonfoly, Senior Director of Digital Experience and Partnerships at Diriyah
Storyals products
- Storyals Lite with Custom premium branding, included in LMS
- Storyals Digital Upskill Program
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Kickstart Program
- Microsoft 365 Empowerment Program