| At Swissotel Merchant Court, general manager Mr Christian Schaufelbuehl, said the hotel received a total 4,077 of “Heartfelt Service” cards last year. “The objective of this programme is to encourage the staff to provide warm, responsive and professional service to the guests so that they would have a memorable experience from the hotel. Besides, we also aim to create a sense of recognition to the staff who have provided excellence service so as to increase staff morale.”
At Sentosa, beyond outlining broad service guidelines and key operating priorities, the management relies on the good judgement of service ambassadors to deliver quality service to visitors.
Karen cites one example. “The I Did Good” process was implemented in March 2004 to reinforce the message to staff that they are empowered, whether they are frontliners or support staff, to be proactive in guest service. This service initiative provides centralised on-the-spot cash refunds for staff who incur out-of-pocket expenses. Each claim is capped at $100. Staff are immediately reimbursed when they come by to make their claims at the Service Quality Department. “Important lessons were learnt – when you trust people and give them some leeway to learn and grow, they take great pride and responsibility for whatever they do.”
Most crucial though is that management must take a leadership role.
Says Karen, “It starts from day one when our CEO himself leads new hires in balloon sculpting segments during staff orientation programmes – all staff are trained to create at least two balloon designs so that staff can use this skill for service recovery or as a tool to delight guests. These balloon sculpting sessions allow us to demonstrate key points about creating a service culture within an organisation and also reinforces the message about Sentosa “being in the (serious) business of creating fun and pleasure”.”
At Giordano, Belle says, “In our efforts to maintain quality customer service throughout the organization, we emphasize on orientation program for new staff as well as continuous training programs such as OJT (on the job training) and WDA courses that are beneficial to business needs for all existing staff. “Our company’s quality service initiatives include participating in the Government Customer Centric Initiative (CCI) and GEMS. In addition, we have a Monthly Mystery Shoppers Evaluation System in place. It has stringent guidelines that require staff to lavish customer with care, involve them in discussion, nullify their concerns and keep them smiling.”
Each has her own definition of “great service”.
Carol says that “great service means exceeding the expectations of our customers constantly whilst anticipating their needs”.
To Belle, great service is about “impressing customers and touching their hearts with sincerity without asking for any rewards”. She says all service staff should have GST (Greeting, Smiling, and Thank you) genes “which should never go to sleep”.
It is also about taking the extra effort to help customers get what they want. “For example, I will specially take note of my customers’ colors or styles preferences and contact them whenever we have new arrivals. If a specific product is not available in my store, I will arrange to transfer from other stores and deliver to my customers personally if it is not convenient for them to collect. There was once when I personally delivered merchandise to a tourist customer at the airport just before his departure.”
To Benjamin, it is about exceeding customer expectation by going the extra mile. He recalls an incident. An Australian couple in their late 50s was in Singapore for a five-day holiday. “During a conversation with them at the Blue Potato, I realized that they had not gone for any sightseeing as they did not know where and how to get started. “I personally escorted them to places of interest and attractions after my working hours. They had a wonderful and memorable time in Singapore and wrote to the hotel expressing their heartfelt thanks for my exemplary service and promising to return. It’s how amazing that over the five days, the relationship changed from a guest to a friend.”
To deliver great service, Benjamin says you need to listening well, take time out to talk to guests, put yourself in their place to understand their needs and go the extra mile by giving personal attention such as remembering their preferences and birthdays. “A small personal touch can make a different.”
Serving people though, no matter how much you love your jobs, does come with its own set of challenges.
Says Nicole, “I think the biggest challenge in customer service is the conservative thinking of our customers that "Customers are KING and they are always right". “Customers and service providers must have mutual understanding and respect. The hospitality industry is often seen to be a glamorous one but can you imagine being on your feet for up to four hours at a go? Or like my bellman colleagues who have to lug very heavy luggage throughout the day? Or the room attendants who have to clean rooms that are extremely dirty?
“It will certainly motivate us to exceed every guest’s expectations if our guests understand and appreciate the effort we put in to make their stay as comfortable as it can be.”
Karen cites “the mindset of customer service providers and their customers” as the biggest challenge.
“Service providers need to appreciate their customers for giving them an opportunity to service them and customers need to appreciate their service providers. One must remember that whatever goes around comes around. Treat others the way YOU want to be treated.”
As for what advice they would offer new entrants to the service sector, Nicole shares her list of “must haves” – a passion to serve, be friendly and approachable, be knowledgeable and resourceful, be helpful, be reliable and genuine and be efficient and innovative.
“You must be able to serve with passion and patience the different type of customers, with their varying needs and temperament. A good service provider must have great patience. And it's the passion to make people feel good that keeps you going.”
Karen’s advice is simple: “Stay young! Open your heart to feel, your mind to learn and accept and your face to brighten the day of others.”
Benjamin believes the most important quality is humility. “With the right attitude, the return you’ll get is beyond words.”
Belle sees it as “national service”. “Service is definitely not just a job. It is also a contribution to our society. For Singapore to remain at the top, making incremental improvements here and there will not be enough. To succeed, we, together with the new entrants, must strive for a quantum leap in the level of service standards by better serving and delighting our customers.”
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