changi airport's customer centric initiatives

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CHANGI AIRPORT’S CUSTOMER CENTRIC INITIATIVES

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Initiatives Page

1. SWIFT – Service Workforce Instant Feedback Transformation 2-4

2. VOTES – Valuing Our Tenants’ Excellent Service 5

3. Workforce Survey 6

4. New Tourist Refund Scheme 7-8

5. iChangi (mobile application and interactive kiosk) 9-10

6. Care@Changi 11

7. CHANGI Identity 12

8. Speedpost@Changi 13

9. Fast Tray Return System 14

10. Workforce Skills Qualifications and Service Literacy Test 15

11. Passenger Reconciliation System 16

12. Taxi Management System and Carpark Information System 17

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SWIFT – Service Workforce Instant Feedback Transformation

To ensure high service standards for the services and facilities at Changi Airport,

feedback gathered from passengers and airport users is important and crucial to help

CAG monitor and maintain service performance levels. Today, feedback is received

through various channels including feedback kiosks in the terminals, feedback forms,

Changi Airport’s website and even verbally over the telephone and information counters.

CAG is taking feedback management one step further with SWIFT, an initiative that

engages and empowers Changi’s customers who can now swiftly make known whether

performance standards at Changi are meeting their expectations. Incorporating

innovation and technology, SWIFT is a new integrated feedback management system

developed to harness the transformative power of instant feedback.

SWIFT provides the respective airport agencies and CAG with real-time data that can

be used to address service deficiencies and allows instantaneous rating of services

rendered by Changi’s frontline staff. SWIFT is made up of two components, namely ‘e-

Inspection’ and the ‘Instant Feedback System (IFS)’. The e-Inspection function

incorporates capabilities to track and monitor airport maintenance activities and initiates

recovery action by Changi’s appointed contractors for service lapses or facility faults –

all these carried out through seamless electronic means. The IFS enables passengers

to provide their immediate feedback at key customer touch points.

e-Inspection

This component of SWIFT ensures timely response to faults and improves the

productivity of the service workforce including washroom cleaners, estate management

officers and aerobridge technicians. With the use of smartphones, the system facilitates

timely maintenance and facilities inspection by the staff, and tracks the working

condition of facilities at Changi Airport.

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In the event a fault or service failure is discovered during inspection, the system enables

the inspecting staff to report the fault instantaneously using a smartphone. Visual aids

such as photos and videos can be included in the smartphone message to provide

better clarity. The fault reported will automatically trigger an alert to the maintenance

supervisor’s smartphone, for him or her to decide on immediate corrective action and to

deploy resources to repair the fault.

It is envisaged that the e-Inspection system will facilitate faster response times to

correct faults and hence minimise service disruptions to passengers and airport users.

The system also serves as a management tool to analyse maintenance productivity and

performance.

The e-Inspection system has been implemented to track and monitor estate

management inspection and maintenance activities within Terminal 3. The system is

being progressively developed to cover other aspects of airport operations such as

aerobridge maintenance and terminal operations.

Instant Feedback System (IFS)

This second component of SWIFT serves as a motivational tool to encourage Changi’s

frontline staff to consistently deliver excellent customer service. Introduced at key

airport touch points, such as at check-in, immigration, information counters and retail

outlets, the IFS offers a much easier means for passengers to register their satisfaction

level instantaneously after their service encounter with the frontline staff.

Passengers indicate their satisfaction ratings through interactive touch screen devices

at the counters. With this simple tool, CAG is able to collect substantially more

feedback on the service rendered at the airport’s touch points, compared to what it

receives through current channels.

The ratings provided by passengers are instantaneously transmitted through the IFS

system for access by the respective agencies’ supervisors. This enables immediate

assessment of the service level being provided by individual staff at the counters. It

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gives the duty supervisor the immediate opportunity to commend staff who show

exemplary service or to encourage those who may need to improve.

Instant feedback empowers Changi’s airport partners, enabling them to be more

responsive to feedback from passengers and visitors. Like the e-Inspection system, the

compiled IFS ratings will enable airport agencies and businesses to conduct monthly

trend analysis and identify service performance gaps.

The IFS has been implemented at selected check-in, immigration and information

counters, as well as at some retail and food and beverage outlets. The IFS has resulted

in an increase in the amount of feedback received from passengers – 54 times more

across all participating touch points compared to the pre-trial situation. This has

provided more data for the airport agencies and businesses to assess on how best to

respond to customers’ needs.

The IFS will be progressively implemented at other areas of Changi such as the GST

customs inspection / refund counters, transfer counters and other retail outlets in all

terminals.

SWIFT at Changi Airport’s washrooms

CAG takes pride in the cleanliness of the washrooms at Changi Airport. To ensure that

the highest standard of cleanliness is maintained at all times, SWIFT has been

introduced at selected washrooms in Terminal 3.

Passengers are invited to rate the cleanliness of the washrooms via an interactive touch

screen based on a five-point scale. For less satisfactory ratings, passengers are then

prompted to indicate the reasons for their rating by selecting on-screen icons to indicate

their dissatisfaction, e.g. ‘wet floors’, ‘no toilet paper’, ‘dirty basin’ etc. Once any of

these options is selected, a mobile alert is immediately transmitted to the smartphone of

the cleaning supervisor, who will then initiate the necessary corrective action.

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VOTES – voting to reward great service

Changi Airport has about 110 food and beverage (F&B) establishments located across

its four terminals. Passengers and airport visitors can choose from a wide range of

international cuisines including authentic Singapore delights, Chinese, Thai, Japanese,

Korean and Indian food, and diverse dining concepts from full service restaurants, cafes

and bistros, bars and lounges, to fast food outlets and food courts.

Synonymous with Changi Airport’s high standards of service for its airport operations,

CAG has turned its focus on raising the service standard in the area of F&B as dining

forms an important part of the overall Changi Experience.

CAG is embarking on a trial scheme to motivate staff at full-service restaurants to serve

with their best at all times. Called ‘VOTES’ (Valuing Our Tenants’ Excellent Service),

this initiative empowers restaurant patrons to vote if the restaurant’s staff deserve to be

rewarded, based on the service rendered and the overall dining experience. The

monthly accumulation of positive votes is converted into a monetary incentive based on

a scale, to be equally distributed to all the service staff in the restaurant. The incentives

for the initial phase are co-funded by CAG and the restaurant.

Feedback from the restaurant patrons are collected instantly through the Instant

Feedback System (IFS) under Changi Airport’s SWIFT initiative. Patrons are presented

with a touch screen device upon bill payment to rate the overall level of service at the

restaurant and to indicate if the restaurant’s staff deserve to be rewarded.

In restaurants, the service of the whole team, rather than individuals, plays a crucial role

in delivering the best dining experience that is expected of them. VOTES serves to

encourage greater teamwork, including among staff in the kitchen, and motivate the

whole restaurant team to consistently provide good service and exceed their customers’

expectations.

Two Japanese restaurants at Changi’s Terminal 3 – Sakae Teppanyaki and The Pasta

Shop by Sakae – are participating in the VOTES trial.

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Workforce Survey

CAG believes in the importance of an engaged workforce and works closely with its

airport partners to ensure that all airport staff are committed to providing quality service.

This is in line with Changi’s Service DNA to provide personalised, stress-free and

positively surprising service to passengers and visitors.

The Workforce Survey is an employee engagement initiative to strengthen two-way

communication between CAG and the wider airport workforce, and is part of an effort to

implement deep sourcing at Changi Airport. The survey is a pulse check taken of those

who work at Changi Airport, covering a variety of factors, including the work

environment, relationship with supervisors and colleagues and the individual’s sense of

contribution to Changi’s overall success.

For a start, CAG worked with one of Changi’s larger service partners to conduct the

initial survey with over 300 of the partner’s staff. The survey was conducted in

anonymity and in multiple languages to encourage response. The staff responded

enthusiastically to this initiative and the response rate was over 95%. An overwhelming

number of them were satisfied with their work environment and most felt that they

contributed to Changi Airport’s success.

The survey findings have been shared with the company, which has introduced

measures to improve teamwork and communication, such as the conducting of daily

staff briefings by supervisors. On its part, CAG has agreed to additional short rest

breaks at critical junctures during shifts and responded to requests for hot water

dispensers for use by staff as refreshment and during meal breaks.

The Workforce Survey is part of CAG’s overall effort to engender a cohesive and

motivated airport community. CAG will conduct the survey across a broader spectrum

of airport agencies and business partners.

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New Tourist Refund Scheme

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) is developing a new tourist refund

scheme which will offer tourists in Singapore a hassle-free and seamless shopping and

refund experience. The electronic system will simplify data capture at the point of sale,

and make it easier for tourists to claim their Goods and Services Tax (GST) refunds at

Changi Airport. IRAS, CAG and Singapore Customs are collaborating to facilitate this

new process at Changi.

Currently, the tourist refund scheme is either operated by the retailers themselves or

through two central refund agencies (CRAs), Global Blue and Premier Tax Free. The

paper-based record keeping system is burdensome and inconvenient for both tourists

and retailers at the point of purchase. Tourists have to complete their particulars in the

GST refund application form each time they make purchases at different retail outlets.

Before checking-in at Changi, tourists claiming GST refunds have to present their

purchases with the invoices and the GST refund application forms for inspection by

Singapore Customs at the GST refund inspection counters located in the departure

halls. Upon validation, Singapore Customs will endorse the forms.

If the tourists bought goods from retailers who operate the refund scheme on their own,

they have to mail the endorsed refund forms to the respective retailers for processing of

the refund claims and in most cases, will have to wait for their cheque refunds by post.

If the tourists made purchases from retailers affiliated with any of the CRAs, they will

have to queue at the respective refund counters operated by the CRAs when they claim

their GST refunds at Changi. The current system results in some hassle and longer

queuing time for tourists.

The new tourist refund system will do away with the paper refund forms. When tourists

buy goods at a retailer, the details of their purchases will be captured into an electronic

system as well as tagged to a token (e.g. credit card) carried by the tourist. At the

airport, the tourists simply swipe their passport and token at the self-help kiosk to

retrieve their purchase details and select their preferred refund mode (either cash or

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credit card). Generally, they have to queue only once if they opt for credit card refunds

and are not selected for goods inspection. If they opt for cash refund at the kiosk, they

will proceed to the centralised cash refund counter, to be operated by Global Blue, in

the Departure Transit Lounges to collect their cash refund. Singapore Customs will

inspect the tourists’ purchased goods based on random selection by the kiosks.

The pilot for the new tourist refund system will commence in mid-2011. When it is fully

implemented, tourists can enjoy a consistent experience when they make purchases at

different retailers in Singapore, and expect a faster refund process at Changi. This will

further reinforce Singapore's position as a shopping paradise and boost tourism and

retail sales.

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iChangi

Mobile application

Flight information is one of the essential and crucial information for passengers as well

as meeters and greeters. Today, there are various options to obtain the latest flight

updates:

- Changi’s telephone flight enquiry service (TELEFIQS – 1800 542 4422)

- Changi Airport website (www.changiairport.com)

- Download information on mobile phones via Wireless Access Protocol application

The increasing popularity of smartphones has made mobile applications a preferred

channel for passengers to keep abreast of the latest information while on-the-go.

Recognising this, CAG has developed a mobile app for iPhone and iPad users. The

new app offers many features to meet the varied information needs of passengers as

well as airport visitors.

The iChangi app allows users to quickly search for real-time information for both arrival

and departure flights. In addition, users will be able to locate departure check-in rows,

boarding gates and arrival baggage belts for their flights as well as key airport amenities

through the maps of Changi Airport.

App users can also subscribe to real-time updates such as changes to flight timing,

boarding gate and baggage belt, thus allowing them to adjust their schedules

accordingly.

The app, of course, comes with other useful information about Changi Airport, including

the many retail outlets and dining options available. Details of the various airport

facilities and services also create greater awareness among users of all there is to enjoy

at Changi.

The iChangi mobile app is downloadable from the Apple iTunes Store for free.

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Interactive kiosks

For passengers without smartphones, Changi Airport is leveraging the use of touch

screen and multimedia technology to provide one-stop self-service kiosks for

passengers and visitors to do quick searches on flight information and view interactive

maps to ease navigation within the terminals.

Providing integrated flight information with 2D and 3D way finding capabilities, the new

interactive kiosks complement the airport’s flight information display boards in the

terminals. These self-service touch screen kiosks also serve as a visitor guide for

passengers, providing clear step-by-step walking directions to amenities (such as GST

refund counters and boarding gates) based on the current location of the users.

Visuals of key facilities are displayed in the maps for passengers to get familiar and

identify with. The walking distance and time required are displayed to give passengers

a gauge of the time available for them to indulge in shopping or dining, or simply to

enjoy the use of the facilities before their flight.

The interactive kiosks are expected to reduce directional requests made at the

information counters, allowing Changi’s customer service officers more time to assist

passengers in other areas.

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Care@Changi

The Care@Changi (CaC) service initiative aims to enhance passengers’ experience at

Changi Airport by providing seamless and priority service for passengers with special

needs. These include passengers who are wheelchair bound, elderly passengers with

visible mobility difficulty, expectant mothers and passengers travelling with infants-in-

arms.

CaC reaches out to these passengers at various touch-points along the departure and

arrival flow such as at immigration counters and pre-board security checks. CaC priority

queuing lanes have been set up at these touch-points. There will also be service

ambassadors in the airport terminals to guide passengers. In addition, CAG will deploy

specially-made wheelchairs and baby strollers for the convenience of passengers.

Similar to baggage trolleys, these will be provided free of charge and will be available at

strategic locations throughout the airport for easy pick-up and return.

CaC is a collaborative effort with a number of airport agencies and teams, including the

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Certis Cisco, ground handling agents, customer

service officers, taxi coordinators and trolley retrieval service.

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CHANGI Identity

CAG is promoting a one Changi culture to cultivate a stronger sense of belonging

among all staff in the Changi community. It therefore seeks to establish a strong and

common Changi identity and, as part of this objective, has undertaken a makeover of

the uniforms worn by frontline staff at Changi.

Presently, Changi Airport’s frontline service staff don different sets of uniforms,

displaying diverse branding and identity systems. New uniforms, with a distinctive style

and design reflecting the Changi identity, have been designed for various frontline staff

including customer service officers, duty terminal managers, service ambassadors,

cleaners, taxi coordinators, trolley retrievers and carpark attendants.

The new uniforms, designed by home-grown designer Wykidd Song, have a consistent

and striking identity synonymous with Changi Airport’s branding, and will carry the

Changi Airport logo. Beyond their functional purpose, the uniforms project a more

cohesive look, and reflect a more professional, personable, approachable and friendlier

image for passengers to identify with.

This image is supplemented by a Changi signature greeting which frontline staff at

various service touch points will use to welcome and greet passengers.

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Speedpost@Changi

Departing passengers have to go through pre-board security screening before they are

allowed into the gate holdroom. To ensure the safety of passengers, a number of items

are not allowed on board aircraft such as sharp and blunt objects as well as liquids,

aerosols and gels (LAGs) of more than 100ml each. Confiscated items are

subsequently disposed of.

CAG and Singapore Post (SingPost) launched a two-month Speedpost@Changi service

trial from June to July 2010 in the transit area of Changi Airport’s Terminals 1 and 3.

The service provided departing passengers with an option to post their hand-carried

items which were disallowed on board aircraft due to security restrictions or which did

not comply with guidelines on LAGs.

The joint service by CAG and SingPost, the first-of-its kind in an Asian airport, gave

passengers a solution to ‘save’ disallowed hand-carried items which they did not check

in. These are typically items with sentimental or high commercial value such as

perfumes, liquid cosmetics (of more than 100 ml), Swiss knives, grooming kits with

scissors/clippers, etc. which would otherwise be confiscated at pre-boarding screening

checks.

The two-month trial offered SingPost’s Speedpost service to passengers who wished to

post prohibited hand-carried items to an address in Singapore or overseas. Dedicated

counters were set up to assist passengers using the service.

The trial saw passengers giving positive feedback. About 60% of the deliveries were for

overseas. Items delivered included pen knives, Swiss Army knives, abalone, skincare

products, cosmetics, scissors, grooming kits, honey, canned food and sauces.

CAG and SingPost are currently exploring launching the Speedpost@Changi service

across the airport’s three main terminals by the end of the year.

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Fast Tray Return System

During pre-board security checks at Changi’s gate holdrooms, passengers are required

to deposit their personal belongings into individual trays which pass through X-ray

screening machines.

Previously, a security screening officer positioned before the X-ray machine (known as

the “front loader”) will hand one tray to each passenger at a time. After each completed

check cycle, the security screening officer at the other end of the X-ray machine will

hand the trays back to the front loader by stacking the empty trays above the X-ray

machine.

In consultation with the Airport Police Division and together with the Certis CISCO

auxiliary police, CAG considered how this screening process workflow could be further

improved. The study team arrived at a simple, yet effective, solution – a gravity-based

roller system, which automatically guides the trays to the front end of the screening belt.

With the new system, trays can be handed out to more passengers at one time,

enhancing the flow and reducing the time needed for screening.

The new system has already been introduced in Terminal 3, with plans to extend it to

the other passenger terminals. In all, more than 180 tray roller systems will be installed

across Changi’s gate holdrooms. New screening trays have also been introduced to

complement the roller system.

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Workforce Skills Qualifications and Service Literacy Test

CAG provides a comprehensive Quality Service Management (QSM) programme for all

its airport concessionaires. The QSM framework plays an important role in ensuring

that all airport frontline staff understand the importance of quality service and delivering

it according to Changi’s standards.

Under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications programme, Changi Airport has

instituted two training programmes, namely ‘Provide GEMS Service’ and ‘Deliver

Service Excellence’. The former programme is targeted at new staff and focuses on the

importance of having the right service mindset and projecting the good and professional

image of Changi Airport. The ‘Deliver Service Excellence’ programme trains staff to

enhance their customer service skills according to Changi’s service values.

In dealing with passengers from all over the world, it is important for frontline staff to be

able to communicate effectively in English. The Service Literacy Test is developed for

work permit holders in Singapore’s retail, hotel and food & beverage industries, where

the ability to communicate in English is essential for delivering good and effective

service. This is in line with efforts to improve service quality and productivity in

Singapore. Foreign staff employed by tenants in Changi Airport take the test to ensure

their English proficiency level is of a suitable standard.

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Passenger Reconciliation System

Passengers at Changi Airport now enjoy a more hassle-free and user-friendly travel

experience as CAG has launched a new innovative feature – the Passenger

Reconciliation System (PRS), in partnership with ARINC, a leading transport

communications provider. The PRS simplifies the airport experience for passengers

and improves the flight check-in process.

With this new system, participating airlines can connect their own check-in systems with

the PRS to allow real-time automated checks on self-printed boarding passes. With

PRS, departing passengers with no check-in baggage can enjoy a seamless journey as

they no longer need to queue at the check-in counter to get their self-printed boarding

passes verified by counter staff. They can instead proceed straight to the immigration

access point where their passes will be verified automatically by security officers using

2D barcode scanners.

Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines are the first two airlines at Changi Airport to

leverage the advantages of the PRS and have rolled out this service to their passengers.

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Helping taxi drivers and motorists

Taxi Management System

The Changi Airport Taxi Management System (TMS) was commissioned as part of

CAG’s continual effort to improve the airport’s operations and passengers’ experience.

The TMS aims to improve the distribution of taxis across the four terminals at Changi by

supporting the matching of taxi supply with passenger demand.

Five information boards display information on the number of taxis queuing at each

terminal and the number of flights arriving at each terminal in the prior 15 minutes and

subsequent half-hour. In addition to the display boards, ground sensors are also

installed beyond the taxi holding areas at Terminals 1 and 2 to give a more accurate

count of the number of taxis in queue.

Taxi companies and drivers were consulted on the design of the TMS to ensure its

relevance to their needs. Since its implementation in December 2009, there has been a

reduction in the average queuing time for taxi drivers.

Carpark Information System

Changi Airport’s four passenger terminals, including the Budget Terminal, have a total

of more than 5,300 parking spaces. To inform motorists driving to Changi of the

availability of parking spaces at each of the terminals, CAG has implemented the Car

Park Information System (CPIS) along Airport Boulevard. The CPIS receives

information from the respective terminals’ Parking Guidance System and displays the

number of parking spaces available at each terminal. The CPIS has saved motorists

time in finding a parking space.

changi airport's customer centric initiatives

Documents

board security checks

workforce skills qualifications

changis gate holdrooms

tourist refund scheme

tourist refund system

restaurants staff deserve

instant feedback system

airport agencies