Customer-Centric Initiatives to elevate Taxi Industry Service Standards
22 February 2008
MEDIA RELEASE
The taxi industry will be embarking on an industry redevelopment plan by adopting a holistic suite of Customer-Centric Initiatives (CCI) to elevate industry-wide service standards. This was launched by Mr Lim Swee Say, Secretary-General, NTUC and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office today, 22 February 2008.
Although some taxi companies already have their own customer service programmes, there are different service standards. With recent announcements on changes to buses and rail services, there is also a need to distinguish the taxi industry, and service will be used as the key differentiating factor. To strengthen existing initiatives and do even better, the taxi industry came together to strategise and synergise efforts under CCI.
The CCI for taxi industry is a tripartite effort led by Taxi Operators’ Associations which are affiliated to NTUC, taxi companies , Singapore Taxi Academy, e2i, NTUC Learning Hub and government agencies such as the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and SPRING Singapore.
It aims to redevelop the taxi industry through training, recognition and rewards and performance measurement. There are currently 24,000 taxis plying the roads and 45,000 active taxi drivers.
Training
The first phase will see taxi drivers trained to be Service Champions who pride themselves in providing quality service so that they can be role models for fellow taxi drivers.
The tripartite taskforce aims to see 5,000 drivers trained in the first year (in 2008), with another 5,000 trained the following year. This training will eventually be extended to cover all other taxi drivers.
The taxi drivers are trained under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) by the Singapore Taxi Academy (STA) and NTUC Learning Hub in e2i under the CCI. As part of their training which contains a high level of interaction between the trainer and participants, taxi drivers are instilled with the right service mindset, equipped with tools to anticipate customer needs and provide personalised service. Under WSQ training, drivers undergo four sessions, each lasting four hours. Each batch comprises 100 trainees spread over five classes. With the WSQ certification, participants pick up skills that are portable across the service industry and this would enhance the employability of drivers.
Part of the training cost for the Service Champions is provided by the NTUC Job Re-creation Programme (JRP) and WDA. The total funding for the training amounts to $1.7 million.
Recognition and Rewards
As part of the recognition process, Service Champions are given collar pins and car decals that serve as visual identification so that the public can easily identify them as the preferred service providers. The pilot batch of 100 taxi drivers received their collar pins and car decals during the launch event.
In addition to company incentives, the taskforce will organise an taxi industry-wide award ceremony to recognise exemplary Service Champions. The first award ceremony is expected to take place in 2009.
Performance Management
In fact, training is only one of the components under the CCI. To ensure drivers put to practice what they have learnt after the training, they will be encourage to maintain a high performance standard through the following:
Mystery Commuter Audits
The taskforce will co-ordinate the efforts carried out by the taxi companies and publish the consolidated results of the audit periodically.
Commuter feedback hotline
Commuters can tap on existing customer service hotlines to give their feedback on drivers’ service.
National Customer Satisfaction Index – Singapore (CSI-SG)
The taskforce will use the National CSI-SG by the Institute of Service Excellence at Singapore Management University to track and measure customer satisfaction under CCI. (Annex B)
It is hoped that with CCI for Taxi, both the passenger and driver can "enjoy the journey" all the way as taxis continue to be the premium point-to-point service provider. For taxi drivers, this would mean better income through providing value service while commuters can look forward to better service.
With the success of CCI for taxi industry, the next step would see the public transport industry – buses and rail – embarking on CCI.
Seng Han Thong
Chairman for CCI for Taxi Taskforce
Advisor to Taxi Operators’ Associations
Assistant Secretary General of NTUC
Annex A
CUSTOMER-CENTRIC INITIATIVES TO ELEVATE TAXI INDUSTRY SERVICE STANDARDS
TRAINING
Course: Offer Customised & Personalised Service
A 16-hour training programme was jointly developed by the Singapore Taxi Academy and NTUC Learning Hub under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) in e2i. It aims to help taxi drivers to provide good taxi service that is equivalent to having a private car. “Taxi is My Next Car” is the theme of the programme and how to go about achieving that collectively is the objective of the programme.
The programme helps taxi drivers understand the realities and challenges of taxi service in the light of the current land transport policy, and to see the imperative need to convince customers that taxi service is their next car in order to stay relevant and viable.
They will master the generic flow of taxi service, and learn from fellow taxi drivers in the class to identify the steps at each point of the service loop that will improve their taxi service standards. They will also learn to differentiate customers’ needs and wants, to sharpen the tools and equipments they already have, and to be mentally prepared to serve different customers with different needs.
Annex B
ABOUT SINGAPORE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION INDEX (CSI-SG)
- To track and measure Singapore’s service standards.
- Adapted from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)
- Measures key service sectors, such as retail, F&B, tourism, healthcare and finance, and identify areas for improvement.
- Sample size of over 20,000 consumers – comprehensive overview
- First set of results is projected to be ready by first quarter of 2008.
