Friday, 2 July 2010
MEDIA RELEASE: NR/10/2010
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore's Customer-Centric Initiative Proves The Best Can Still Be Better
Hotel Empowers and Engages Employees to create Mystique Moments
1. The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore proves even the best can still do better. The hotel topped the Customer Satisfaction Index for Singapore (CSISG) 2009, beating not only its hotel competitors but 7 other industries which took part in the national survey. Its score of 78 was significantly higher than the hotel industry average of 68.9 and national average of 68. A top CSISG scorer for 2 years running, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia is not resting on its laurels but is focusing on creating exceptional ‘WOW’ experiences for its guests.
2. Termed Mystique Moments, this is a new initiative under the Customer-Centric Initiative which the hotel embarked on in May 2009. It aims to propel existing high service standards to a greater plateau, transforming the service levels from satisfaction to engagement and ultimately to mystique. This will up the ante for the hotel to be the industry leader and trendsetter in service delivery, fulfilling their vision of becoming the finest provider of exceptional experiences. 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.
3. The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia identified 10 key impact areas which had high levels of guest contact and formed a Mystique Moments team around each of these business units. This comprised all levels within the hotel from the leader of each unit to the frontline employees who discussed ways of creating exceptional memories and moments for their guests at every touchpoint.
4. An exceptional memory was definitely created for a tourist couple who stayed at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia. They had approached an employee at The Ritz-Carlton Club for some sight-seeing spots in Singapore. Instead of directing the couple to the concierge team who is in charge of queries on Singapore, he took it upon himself to come up with an itinerary which focused on the heartlands rather than the usual tourist destinations. He personally invited the couple to his home to join his family in a Hari Raya celebration to immerse them in one aspect of the Singapore culture. The final lasting impression he made was when he presented the couple with a set of Malay traditional attire, Baju Kurung, which he purchased in the female tourist’s favourite colour- purple, something he had noted in his interactions with them.
5. Recognising that timely service recovery is paramount to achieving world-class guest engagement, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia embarked on an “All Aboard” programme – to equip employees with effective problem resolution skills. “Radar On-Antenna Up” was rolled out to equip its ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ with the necessary skills to anticipate and fulfill the expressed and unexpressed wishes and needs of its guests. If any dissatisfaction is sensed, the employees are taught to break away from their duties and address the problem immediately. The incident would then be recorded and made available for future reference to ensure that the guests would not experience the same challenge during future visits.
6. This was done by the Greenhouse Restaurant Mystique Moments team. A guest at the restaurant had kicked up a fuss because he did not like the way the restaurant did his cream brulee and was disappointed that they did not serve cold flower crab. The employee took note of his preference and keyed it into their Customer Relations Management System. The next time he came, the chef ran out to get flower crab for him and prepared cream brulee the way he liked it. This most impressed the guest who then decided to hold his sister’s 60th birthday celebration there. The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia had turned a negative feedback into an opportunity to earn a long-term loyal guest.
7. To internalize the service values and philosophy amongst its employees, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia practises a daily Line-Up. The session, lasting between 15 and 20 minutes, is done before the employees start their shifts and prepares them on what to expect for the day. Unlike other hotels which list the VIP guest arrivals first, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia chose to make its Line-Up employee-centric. While they share their service credo and quote for the day, employees are first given a quick snapshot of what the daily special at the employee dining room, birthday recognition and employee events for the day are, before they talk about the VIP guests arrivals. Through an internal newsletter called Commitment to Quality, employees also get to read about other service experiences at The Ritz-Carlton hotels worldwide.
8. The Ritz-Carlton Club was ranked 1st among The Ritz-Carlton Asia Pacific properties in the Gallup’s Customer Engagement Survey for overall satisfaction top-box score during the CCI Learning Journey. Greenhouse Restaurant, on the other hand, was honoured The Singapore Service Star by Singapore Tourism Board in 2008 and 2009 for achieving 92% and 99% respectively in the overall service star score. The average industry score was 84%. The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore is also ranked amongst the best in the world by Condé Nast Traveler U.S.A., Travel + Leisure U.S.A., DestinAsian as well as Asiamoney. Last November, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia was also honoured with “Best Hotel Experience” at the inaugural Singapore Experience Awards organised by the Singapore Tourism Board.
9. “We are constantly challenging ourselves and looking for ways to create experiences that are unique and innovative for our guests as providing legendary service is an ongoing process. We believe the opportunity to wow our guests lies in our hands. As such, to ensure that we continuously raise the bar and achieve higher standards of excellence for our guests, we embrace the opportunity to be part of the CCI programme as it provides another platform to further enhance our service excellence and commitment towards our guests.” said Director of Human Resources, Cecilia Chia.
10. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Co-Chairperson of the CCI Committee and NTUC Director (Quality Worklife) said, “The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia’s commitment to service is remarkable. It is constantly enhancing its processes to deliver exceptional service to guests. By empowering its staff to anticipate the needs of its guests, it is increasing "customer productivity" and the outcome is the hotel has seen increased repeat business. The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia knows that if it can provide the best service, guests will continue to patronise the hotel.”
11. Ms Choy Sauw Kook, Co-Chairperson of the CCI Committee and SPRING Assistant Chief Executive said, “The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia shows that in order to deliver outstanding service to its guests, its employees have to believe in the values and the philosophies behind it. The level of engagement invested with its employees has reaped rewards for the hotel, and created an environment for more guest-centric initiatives.”
12. 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.
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Rozlin Farid Vanzandt
Manager, Corporate Communications
SPRING Singapore
T : +65 6279 3894
M : +65 9476 2502
E : rozlin_vanzandt@spring.gov.sg
Ms. Tina Chia
Public Relations Manager
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
T : +65 6434 5017
M : +65 9742 7143
E : tina.chia@ritzcarlton.com
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