The Food & Beverage sector improved significantly from the previous year. The Hotels, Cafes & Snack Bars, and Restaurants sub-sector saw significant improvements in their performance. Attractions was the only sub-sector that saw a significant drop in satisfaction score. The other sub-sectors did not see any significant change.
The latest numbers are based on a face-to-face survey of 6,109 resident and 4,351 tourist respondents conducted between July and September 2015.
Engaging employees through training
Mr Andrew Tjioe, Executive Chairman of Tung Lok Group, said that changes in the F&B industry have been rampant with globalization. As such, movements of F&B establishments have been fast, and concepts and cuisines are constantly changing. However, the engagement of employees remains a key component of a successful business model. And an example of engagement would be the training of staff.
Mr Tjioe elaborated that while training in processes and systems are important, it is not as important as training staff about the heart of service, which is humility. He recognized that there is no template for “good service”. The heart of service is the meeting of consumer needs with a mindset of empathy.
Engaging employees through new perspectives
Professor David Jones, Professor and Programme Director of Hospitality Business in Singapore Institute of Technology, noted that the challenges of the manpower crunch are further heightened by the lack of a strong middle management. He attributed the absence of a sound middle management to the Millennials to who do not seem to stay in a role or company long enough to develop and form the middle management.
Rather than a personality or personal characteristic, Professor Jones sees the greater issue as people viewing companies as entities that carry out trades. If the Millennials are able to see companies as interconnected interactive parts instead of an asset on a paper, they are more likely to be engaged in the business.
Professor Marcus Lee, Academic Director of the Institute of Service Excellence at SMU, shared that remuneration of employees should also be based on both performance as well as their alignment with the values of the organisation.
Engaging customers through social media
The survey results showed that respondents who had accessed social media for more information prior to their experience with the F&B outlet or tourist attraction had significantly higher expectations than those who did not. At the same time, customers with high satisfaction tend to also have high expectations as well.
Mrs Janet Tan-Collis, Chief Executive Officer of East West Executive Travellers, noted that customers are increasingly discerning and demanding. However, even as the industry and market players continue to evolve, there is still a sense of loyalty that resides in consumers. The social media then becomes an impetus for companies to explore as a tool of engaging customers and providing information for them to make informed choices.
Engaging customers through feedback channels
Based on the survey, respondents who complained to their friends and families had low repurchase intent and low likelihood of recommendation, regardless of whether they complained to the company or not. At the same time, respondents who did not complain to their friends and families had high purchase intent and high likelihood of recommendation even if they complained to the company.
Professor Lee added that companies needed to relook at their key performance indicators to allow for front line staff to not fear complaints. Instead companies should see complaints as feedback and a chance for service recovery and improvement of processes.
In conclusion
The panel discussed how engaging employees via training and changing their mindset of what a company is helps to improve employee performance and involvement in the business. They also looked at how engaging consumers via social media and effective feedback channels can help to shape expectations and experiences respectively. With the right engagement of employees and consumers, companies will be able to better support the growth of the business.
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