Publication: The Business Times, p 16 Date: 13 December 2011 Headline: Service in Changi Airport's DNA

Service is in Changi Airport's DNA For its dedication to service excellence, it is awarded the inaugural Singapore Service Excellence Medallion. By TEH SHI NING

r OR an international air- port where, roughly eve- ry 100 seconds a flight to 7 r or from some place round the world takes off or lands, it is fitting that what's most eye-catch- ing about Changi Airport

Group's logo are the vibrant coloured ribbons encircling a globe-like sphere.

Less obvious though, is the globe's positioning and the symbolic iMent behind it, one which has at root a fo- cus on individuals - both passengers and staff - so as to drive service excel- lence.

Receiving the inaugural Singapore Service Excellence Medallion on be- half of the Changi Airport Group (CAG) at the recent awards ceremo- ny, chief executive officer Lee Seow Hiang explained how the globe was deliberately positioned above the last letter of Changi to form a huge "I".

" 'I' stands for the Individual - a re- minder to us that despite the more than 40 million passengers we serve each year at Changi, every individual counts. Every compliment and every complaint matters to us," he said. When Changi Airport Group was cor- poratised, we decided to enshrine this focus on the 'individual' into the new logo," he said.

The move to corporatise CAG as the operator of,the airport and sepa- rate it from regdator, Civil Aviation Aubolity of Singapore, was hailed as ong that would "sharpen Changi Air- port's business focus" and stay ahead of the competition.

But the logo is not merelv coroo-

'At .Changi, we, are privileged to be in the business of Connecting Lives. Each day, Changi is blessed with many heart-warming stories of individuals, whether they are our service

rate brandhiand the company does cleaners, our tiud not pay mere lip-service, to service ex- cellence.

"For Changi Airport, service is not coordinators, frontline

an add-on activity. ~t is at the core of helpers Or backroom who we are and everything we do.

- CAG is first and foremost a service planners, each stepping company, " Mr Lee said.

This claritv of ouroose has heloed up and touching the the group to ""build strong ser;ice lives of individuals+' culture, because everyone knows it is our DNA and our raison d'htre," he - Lee Seow Hiang, CAG CEO added.

So much so that the wo~ld's most decorated airport, with more than 380 accolades to its name, recently picked up yet another - the inaugural Singapore Service Excellence Medal- lion.

Customer satisfaction And with good reason too, says Mar- cus Lee, Singapore Management Uni- versity assistant professor of market- ing practice and a member of the Me- dallion Management Committee.

Changi Airport has performed well on the Customer Satisfaction In- dex of Singapore for the past three years, with consistent improvements in its sgore too, Dr Lee notes.

Its current score of 78.6 points is bested only by five other organisa-

tions ranked on the CSISG - all of which are prominent hotels.

Satisfying the customer involves more than just pleasantries ex- changed over infarmation desk countdrs too.

Dr Lee points out that CAG "also continually aligns its value psopo~i- tion with partners and systems, meet- ing operational demands in a very prescient fashion".

"This nimbleness, despite its scale and complexity of operations and nu- merous alliances, makes CAG deserv- ing of its internatiopal fame and acco- lades, andindeed, the 2011 Organisa- tion Medallion," he says.

CAG's chief executive Mr Lee said that the "I" for individual drive to cre-

Source: The Business Times O Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

LV SMU Publication: The Business Times, p 16 Date: 13 December 2011 Headline: Service in Changi Airport's DNA

Swift response: The SWIFT (Service Workforce Instant Feedback Transformation) sdstem provides small monitors at counters to allow customers to offer feedback immediately, and help ensure a timety response to any faults

ate a "Changi Experience" extends to Service rendered by staff who con- Small monitors at counters and in Agents" plan to deploy roving custom- the companies and agencies CAG col- stantly consider what they can do for the toilets allow customers to offer er service officers airport-wide to as- laborates with too. each customer, and how to make feedback immediately, and help en- sist visitors and passengers, as well

"CAG has about 1,300 employees, each passenger's experience at,the sure a timely response to any faults. as the Changi Contact Centre, a but to run the airport well, Changi airport a memorable one is just one This has also served to improve round-the-clock one-stop centrafised needs a community of over 28,000 aspect of overall service excellence, the productivity of service providers. call Centre cOnsOfidating people," Mr Lee said, acknowledging and falls apart without seamless and such as toilet cleaners, trolley retriev- ~~~~~~~ the a*ort into a 'Om-

the crucial support of airport staff efficient operations and systems, in- ers, estate management office and This centre will also be equipped from the more than* 200 organisa- cluding "cutting-edge and innovative other service workforce staff too. with a new customer relationship tiOns at S1nga~Ore s alr- terminal facilities" to back the people The SWIFT system, CAG says, also management system that integrates port. UP. allows for monitoring of the condi- feedback and enquiries via various service he One of the aims of the Medallion is tions of facilities, detailed incident re- platforms, and also tracks staff inter-

said' is about a firm the to sieve out exemplars of service ex- porting and alerting of cohtractors. action with customers to personalis0 Power of One - One rLslng cellence locally, oiganisations that We service and promote efficiency.

the making a differ- &, be held up as role models for 0th- Roving off ice6 But it is not just about efficiency ence for another". Hence, the "I" in ers in Singapore to aspire towards, CAG's logo "also symbolises the But it is not the only initiative - others Per "At Changi, we are privileged

many individuals who serve at On that front at least, Changi Air- include the passenger reconciliation to be in the business of Connecting

Changi". port has already been identified as system to enable automatic valida- Lives. Each Changi is blessed one of four service excellence icons tion of self-printed boarding passes, a with many heart-wamung stories of

More than magic under the government-led Custom- taxi management system to optimise individuals, whether they are our service cleaners, our taxi coordina-

-whenever one ofthem takes the initi- er-Centric Initiative, and tasked with the distribution of cabs across the air- tors, frontline helpws or backroom ative and reaches out to a passenger the challenge of pushing the frontier port's terminals, and a carpark infor- planners, each stepping up and touch- or visitor, a moment of magic is treat- of service excellence for other service mation sys tem displaying the ing the lives of individuals,j9 Mr Lee ed," said Mr Lee. players here. number of parking spaces at each ter- said.

Magical as it may seem, there is In September 2010, the POUP un- mind along the main road leading to H, accepted the Medallion "on be- no instant spell or potion to trans- veiled a series of service initiatives, in- the airport. half of these many individuals, who form an organisation into one that cluding the SWIFT (Service Work- Some of the more recent initia- work selflessly and often behind the can claim to be at the pinhacle of serv- force Instant Feedback Transforma- tives, launched in August this year, in- scenes to make the 'Changi Expexi- ice excellence. tion) system. clude the "Changi Experience ence' a daily reality".

Source: The Business Times O Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.