14 May 2010
A joint media release by SPRING Singapore, NTUC, Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Singapore National Employers Federation.
Just 5 months into operation and 313@Somerset has received more than 14.7 million visitors, higher than its original target of 10 million. Its recipe for success can be attributed to its commitment to customer satisfaction. Recognising that customer satisfaction entails more than just good service quality, the mall has also focused on meeting the other two drivers of customer satisfaction- customers’ expectations and the perceived value of its services.
The mall had embarked on the Customer-Centric Initiative (CCI) in February 2009 to maximize its customer experience and to meet its vision of becoming Singapore’s leading retail destination for mid-market fashion, food and lifestyle. By focusing on the physical attributes of the mall and the interface between staff and customers, 313@Somerset had adopted a holistic approach towards impacting customer satisfaction. It shared its learning points during a CCI Learning Journey graced by Minister for Prime Minister’s Office and Secretary-General for NTUC, Mr Lim Swee Say.
Right from the start, 313@Somerset had their stakeholders in mind when they started planning the mall 3 years ago. A pre-opening research was commissioned to learn more about what customers desired in their shopping experience and what would help retailers ready themselves for the mall’s opening.
The mall set out to ensure that its physical attributes were designed with the customer needs and expectations in mind. The layout of the mall was designed in a T-shaped manner with anchor retailers and the vertical transportation (elevators and lifts) at the ends of the T to ensure that customers walk past all retailers to get to the ends. Even the air-conditioning temperature was specially customized to suit the needs of customers who often complained that it was too cold in shopping malls. In addition, public seating and rest areas were accommodated at the central atrium precinct on Level 1.
Another area of focus was to ensure that the interface between customers and staff was seamless. Queries by customers had to be attended to quickly through a dedicated concierge programme. Unlike the usual practice of placing the concierge counter at the corner to maximize rental space, 313@Somerset placed its concierge counter prominently at the centre of the atrium. The counter does everything from taxi bookings and shopping delivery to providing interpreters. When selecting Concierge Teams, staff who could speak multiple languages was also considered bearing in mind 30% of its customer base comes from neighboring countries. Its concierge teams are able to communicate in Mandarin, Cantonese, Bahasa Indonesia, Malay, Tagalog and English.
Recognizing that retailers were a key stakeholder in creating a superior customer experience, 313@Somerset also embarked on a retailer engagement programme. Focus groups were held with at least 50% of the mall’s retailers. The findings revealed the need for well-trained staff and for the training to be accredited.
The mall set up a dedicated training and career centre to offer in-house training on retail service excellence and business etiquette to the employees of its retailers six months before the mall was scheduled to open. With the aim of creating a service culture in Orchard Road, it extended the training to employees of other malls as well. In July 2009, 313@Somerset became the first retail mall in Singapore to be awarded Accredited Training Organisation (ATO) status which allows the mall to conduct its own training. To-date, over 1,000 employees have completed the accredited training.
313@Somerset is now the benchmark for all Lend Lease retail centres internationally in terms of service, with the CCI programme being a first for Lend Lease retail centres.
Lend Lease Asia, CEO Mr Ooi Eng Peng said “We commend the Singapore Government and their agencies with their support of the CCI programme and together with our combined leadership and commitment; we believe we are in a better position to achieve some of our service targets. We also encourage others to start taking positive steps towards creating a service culture in Orchard Road and Singapore retail.”
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Co-Chairperson of the CCI Committee and NTUC Director (Quality Worklife) said, “313@Somerset is an exemplary model to other retail malls in the way it engages both its customers and retailers to ensure that all needs are met, which ultimately leads to a superior customer experience. Even in the downturn, 313@Somerset has shown its commitment to customer satisfaction by investing in staff training and attaining its ATO status. This shows the mall as wanting to be Cheaper, Better, Faster as it pushes to be more productive in making every employee count so that they can ride the upturn faster.”
Ms Choy Sauw Kook, Co-Chairperson of the CCI Committee and SPRING Assistant Chief Executive said, “313@Somerset shows that planning with the customers’ needs in mind from day one is crucial in maximising the customers’ experience. By deliberately factoring in customers’ feedback into the design of the mall’s physical attributes and the interface between customers and staff, 313@Somerset has moved beyond service quality and provided a more holistic approach towards raising customer satisfaction levels.”
The CCI is a multi-agency initiative spearheaded by SPRING Singapore and the NTUC with representatives from the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and the unions (SMMWU, SISEU, and FDAWU). The CCI is part of the Go-the-Extra-Mile for Service (GEMS) movement to transform Singapore’s service quality in the retail, food & beverage, hospitality, healthcare and transport sectors.
