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HOW DOES SINGAPORE
AIRLINES FLY SO HIGH?
As a professional speaker, I often share stories and
examples
about companies that deliver great service. One company
that’s
easy to talk about is Singapore Airlines.
Profitable every year since the beginning, Singapore
Airlines
(SIA) frequently wins international awards for top
flight quality
and service. Here’s how they do it:
1. Clarity and Commitment. SIA’s focus on service is
completely
clear. The mission statement and core values establish
without
question that quality service to customers is a
fundamental
objective and aspiration of the airline. Every major
issue,
question or decision can be considered through the prism
of this
commitment to providing world-class customer service.
2. Continuous Training. Training is not a "one time
affair." SIA
understands that daily customer contact can be draining,
and that
customer expectations are on the rise. To meet this
challenge,
four training centers within the company (Cabin Crew,
Flight
Operations, Commercial and Management Development) offer
a wide
range of inspiring and demanding educational programs.
Whether in
the classroom, on the job, or through full scale
simulations, SIA
staff members are continually motivated to upgrade and
improve
their performance.
Training is not just conducted during robust economic
times. Even
during the downturns, SIA’s investment in training goes
on. This
gives the airline a two-fold advantage. First, it allows
SIA to
surge ahead in service quality when other carriers may
be cutting
back. Second, it demonstrates to all staff that
continuous
learning and improvement are essential principles for
success,
not just "nice to have" additions.
3. Career Development. SIA staff are regularly appraised
for
performance, and potential. High-flyers are identified
early and
given every opportunity to learn and grow. Senior
managers are
uniquely well developed with frequent rotations amongst
top
positions in the company. This leads to a management
team with
great breadth and depth, with a shared understanding of
"the big
picture," with a commitment to do what’s best for the
customers
and the business, not just for one or another
department.
4. Internal Communications. SIA is a large organisation,
with
more than 28,000 staff located in cities and
subsidiaries
throughout the world. People from different cultures
must work
together to produce a seamless and positive customer
experience.
In the pilot pool alone more than twenty-five countries
are
represented!
To keep everyone on the same wavelength, SIA publishes a
variety
of department newsletters and a monthly company-wide
magazine.
Regular dialogue sessions between management and staff
keep
communications flowing. A "Staff Ideas in Action" scheme
ensures
that new suggestions are constantly put forward for
improvement.
And semi-annual business meetings provide the forum for
evaluation of hard results in sales, markets, yields and
customer
satisfaction levels.
5. Consistent External Communications. Whether the
advertisement
is about new destinations, new airplanes, new cuisine on
board or
brand new seats and video services, the legendary "SIA
Girl" is
always featured in the advertising layouts and copy.
Why? Because
the bottom line for SIA is not the plane, the seat, the
video or
the destination. The bottom line is delivering quality
service,
and the "SIA Girl" is the brand identity - the public
personification of that service.
Of course everyone knows it takes the entire SIA team to
deliver
excellent service, but showing a picture of a smiling
engineer, a
competent pilot or a friendly telephone reservations
agent would
not carry the same consistency in external
communications. The
"SIA Girl" represents impeccable quality service. In the
airline’
s external communications, she is always there.
6. Connection with Customers. SIA makes a concerted
effort to
stay in touch with customers through in-flight surveys,
customer
focus groups and rapid reply to every compliment or
complaint
they receive. SIA consolidates this input with other key
figures
to create a quarterly "Service Performance Index" that
is closely
watched throughout the airline.
Frequent flyers are especially well connected with
special
messages, offers and publications sent regularly to
members of
the priority passenger "PPS Club." Very frequent flyers
achieve
an elite "Solitaire" status, with a wide range of
valuable
privileges, including most convenient check-in,
additional
baggage allowance, priority seating and waitlist and
more.
7. Benchmarking. The airline industry is intensely
competitive
with every carrier seeking new ways to "get ahead of the
pack."
SIA introduces new innovations, and tracks competitor’s
progress
closely.
Even outside the industry, SIA keeps an open eye for new
ways to
improve and grow. When hotels, banks, restaurants,
retail outlets
and other service industries take a step forward in
their
amenities, convenience or comfort, SIA watches closely
to see
what can be adopted or adapted for the airline industry.
8. Improvement, Investment and Innovation. From the
earliest
days, SIA has built a reputation for taking the lead and
doing
things differently than the others, including free
drinks and
headsets, fax machines on board, individual video
screens and
telephones in every seat, leading edge gaming and
in-flight
entertainment, "book the cook" service for special meals
in First
and Business classes, phone, fax and e-mail check-in,
innovative
cargo facilities, the list goes on and on.
This commitment to continuous improvement is coupled
with a
cultural determination to try-it-out, make-it-work and
see-it-through. Not every innovation succeeds, and some
are
eventually removed from service (the fax machines are
long gone),
but SIA makes every possible effort to find the key to
success…or
create it.
9. Rewards and Recognition. While excellent staff
performance is
rewarded with increased pay and position, the most
prestigious
award of all is reserved for extraordinary acts of truly
superior
service.
"The Deputy Chairman’s Award" is given yearly to teams
or
individuals who respond to unique customer situations
with
exceptionally positive, innovative or selfless acts of
service.
This award carries no financial benefit, but it is the
most
revered accolade in the airline. Winners and their
families are
flown to Singapore for a special dinner celebration, the
story of
their unique efforts is published in the monthly
"Outlook"
magazine, and their personal status as a "Deputy
Chairman’s Award
Winner" remains a badge of distinction for life.
10. Professionalism, Pride and Profits. The result of
all these
efforts is a staff culture vigorously committed to the
airline,
to customers and to continuous improvement.
Staff pride and sense of ownership are evident in the
way they
protect the airline’s reputation and participate in
special
programs like the "aircraft adoption scheme."
And good profits are also achieved, but not as the end
in
themselves. Rather, SIA’s profits are "the applause we
receive
for providing consistent quality and service to our
customers."
Does all this mean that SIA is perfect? Of course not.
Even SIA
cannot satisfy every customer, every time. Bags go
astray,
telephone lines become congested, and meals at 39,000
feet are
not always deluxe. There will always be room for
improvement.
With a track record of success, SIA must work doubly
hard to
avoid becoming complacent. Managers must be open to
change, not
arrogant, high-handed or defensive. Staff must be proud
of the
airline yet remain eager for passenger suggestions,
recommendations and constructive critique.
The definition of a truly loyal airline customer is
someone who
is pleased with the service, flies with the airline
again and
again, recommends the airline to others, and takes the
time and
effort to point out ways the airline can still improve.
I look forward to my flights on SIA, and I use the
carrier two or
three times each month. My speeches and training
programs are
peppered with positive stories from airline history and
lore. And
my outgoing mail to SIA includes plenty of ideas and
suggestions
to help the airline improve.
Singapore Airlines has earned my loyalty on the ground
and in the
skies. It’s a great way to fly.
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- Ron's successful background includes high-impact special events at the
Rose Bowl, the Great Wall of China, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow and on the Capitol
Mall in Washington DC. His unique approaches to leadership and learning have been featured
in LIFE Magazine, the New York Times and frequently on TV. A graduate of Brown University,
USA, Ron is certified in Applied Neuro-linguistics and is a professional member of the
National Speakers Association. For more information please visit his web site: http://www.ronkaufman.com/
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