As an expert speaker, I usually share tales and examples of firms that ship nice service. One firm that is simple to speak about is Singapore Airways. It has developed an amazing customer support tradition.Worthwhile yearly for the reason that starting, Singapore Airways (SIA) continuously wins worldwide awards for high service and in-flight high quality. Here is how they do it:1. Readability and Dedication.
SIA’s concentrate on its customer support tradition is obvious. The mission assertion and core values set up, with out query, that high quality service is a elementary goal and aspiration of the airline.
Each main subject, query or determination is taken into account in mild of the dedication to offering a world-class customer support tradition.2. Steady Coaching.
Coaching shouldn’t be a one-time affair on this customer support tradition. SIA understands that day by day buyer contact will be draining and that buyer expectations are at all times on the rise.To satisfy this problem, 4 coaching divisions inside the firm (Cabin Crew, Flight Operations, Business and Administration Growth) provide a variety of academic applications to bolster the customer support tradition.Whether or not within the classroom, by full-scale simulations or on the job, SIA employees members are regularly motivated to improve, uplift and enhance their efficiency and uphold the customer support tradition.Coaching to construct the customer support tradition shouldn’t be performed simply throughout strong financial instances. Even throughout the downturns, SIA’s funding in coaching and constructing its customer support tradition goes on. This offers the airline a twofold benefit.First, it permits SIA to surge forward in high quality service when different carriers in the reduction of. Second, it demonstrates to all SIA employees that steady studying and enchancment are important rules for fulfillment, not simply nice-to-have bonuses.3. Profession Growth.
SIA employees are commonly appraised for efficiency and potential. Excessive-flyers (excessive efficiency and potential) are recognized early and given each alternative to be taught and develop inside the firm’s customer support tradition.Senior managers are successfully developed with frequent rotation by high positions within the firm. This results in a administration group with nice breadth and depth, with a shared understanding of “the big picture,” and with a dedication to do what’s finest for the shoppers and the enterprise, not only for one division or one other.4. Inside Communication.
SIA is a big group, with greater than 28,000 employees (together with subsidiaries) positioned world wide. Folks from totally different cultures work collectively to supply a seamless and constantly optimistic buyer expertise. Within the pilot pool alone greater than 25 nations are represented!To maintain everybody on the identical wavelength and bolster the customer support tradition, SIA publishes quite a lot of division newsletters, web sites and a month-to-month company-wide journal.Common dialogue periods between administration and employees preserve communication flowing. A program referred to as “Staff Ideas in Action” ensures that new recommendations for enchancment are consistently put ahead to construct the customer support tradition. Semi-annual enterprise conferences present one other discussion board for sharing and evaluating ends in gross sales, advertising, yields and buyer satisfaction ranges on this customer support tradition.5. Constant Exterior Communication.
Whether or not their commercial is about new locations, new airplanes, onboard delicacies, or new seats and leisure companies, the legendary “SIA Girl” is at all times featured.Why? As a result of the underside line for SIA shouldn’t be the airplane, seat, leisure or vacation spot. The underside line is delivering high-quality service, and the “SIA Girl” is the model id, the personification of that service and the corporate’s customer support tradition.After all everybody is aware of it takes the whole SIA group to ship glorious service, however displaying an image of a smiling engineer, a reliable pilot or a pleasant phone reservations agent wouldn’t carry the identical consistency in exterior communication: The “SIA Girl” represents impeccable high quality service and is the face of the corporate’s customer support tradition. Within the airline’s exterior communication, she is at all times there.6. Reference to Prospects.
SIA makes a concerted effort to remain in contact with prospects by in-flight surveys, buyer focus teams and fast replies to each praise or grievance they obtain. SIA then consolidates this enter with different key information to create a quarterly “Service Performance Index” that may be very intently watched all through the airline.Frequent flyers are stored well-connected with particular messages, engaging gives and publications despatched commonly to Precedence Passenger Service (PPS) members. And really frequent flyers obtain an elite “Solitaire” standing with a variety of worthwhile privileges: most handy check-in, further baggage allowance, precedence seating and wait itemizing, and extra. (I’m a kind of very frequent flyers, and I take pleasure in it!)7. Benchmarking.
The airline business is very aggressive with each provider searching for new methods to “get ahead of the pack.” SIA tracks rivals’ progress intently. Even exterior the airline business, SIA seems for brand spanking new methods to enhance and develop its customer support tradition. When accommodations, banks, eating places, shops and different service industries take a step ahead of their facilities, comfort or consolation, SIA watches intently to see what will be adopted or tailored for the airline business.8. Enchancment, Funding and Innovation.
From the earliest days, SIA has constructed a strong status for taking the lead and doing issues in another way, introducing free drinks and headsets, fax machines onboard, particular person video screens and telephones in each seat, cutting-edge gaming and in-flight leisure, “book the cook” service for particular meals in First and Enterprise Class, phone, fax, e-mail and web check-in, progressive cargo services – the checklist goes on and on.This dedication to steady enchancment is coupled with a cultural willpower to attempt it out, make it work and see it by. Not each innovation succeeds and a few are finally faraway from service (the fax machines are lengthy gone), however SIA makes each attainable effort to search out the important thing to success – or to create it by the customer support tradition it has created.
9. Rewards and Recognition.Whereas glorious employees efficiency is rewarded with elevated pay and positions, probably the most prestigious award is reserved for really superior service.The “CEO’s Transforming Customer Service Award” is given yearly to groups and people who reply to distinctive buyer conditions with exceptionally optimistic, progressive or selfless acts of service. This award carries no monetary profit, however it’s the most revered accolade within the airline. Winners and their households are flown to Singapore for a particular dinner celebration, the story of their efforts is revealed within the month-to-month journal, and their private standing as a “Managing Director’s Award Winner” stays a badge of distinction for all times, which additional builds the corporate’s customer support tradition.10. Professionalism, Pleasure and Income.
The results of these efforts is a customer support tradition that’s vigorously dedicated to prospects and steady enchancment.Employees pleasure and sense of possession are evident in the way in which they shield the airline’s status and take part in applications just like the “aircraft adoption” scheme.Good earnings are additionally achieved, however not as an finish in themselves. Quite, SIA’s earnings are “the applause we receive for providing consistent quality and service to our customers.”Does all this imply that SIA is ideal? After all not. Even SIA can’t fulfill each buyer each time. Baggage go astray, phone strains change into congested, and meals at 39,000 toes will not be at all times completely deluxe. There’ll at all times be room for enchancment, even in the most effective customer support tradition.With a monitor document of success, SIA should work doubly onerous to keep away from turning into complacent and dropping sight of its dedication to a optimistic customer support tradition. Managers should be open to alter and never change into boastful or defensive. Employees should be pleased with the airline but stay anticipating passenger recommendations, suggestions and constructive criticism to consistently construct the customer support tradition.The definition of a very loyal airline buyer is somebody who’s happy with the service, flies with the airline once more, recommends the airline to others and takes the effort and time to level out methods the airline can nonetheless enhance.I sit up for my flights on SIA and I take advantage of the provider two or thrice every month. My speeches and coaching applications are peppered with optimistic tales from the airline’s historical past and lore. And my mail to SIA consists of loads of concepts and recommendations to assist them enhance and additional construct their optimistic customer support tradition.Singapore Airways has earned my loyalty on the bottom and within the sky. They have a good way to fly – and to run a extremely profitable enterprise with a unbelievable customer support tradition.