The Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) at the Singapore Management University (SMU) released the 2018 full-year results for the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG), alongside the announcement of results for the Finance & Insurance and Healthcare sectors for the 4th quarter (Q4) of 2018 on 27 Mar 2019.
The 2018 national score rose to 73.5 points (on a 0 to 100 scale), the highest on record in the CSISG’s 12-year history. The 2017 score was 72.9 points. This increase came on the back of marked improvements across several measured industry sectors, namely the Air Transport, Food & Beverage, and Tourism sectors.
The strong performance was also supported by the latest set of results from the Finance & Insurance and Healthcare sectors, both measured in the last quarter of 2018 and with year-on-year upticks to their CSISG scores.
The Finance & Insurance sector scored 73.9 points, a 0.6% increase over the previous year. Accordingly, its five constituent sub-sectors of Banks, Credit Cards, Health & Medical Insurance, Life Insurance, and Motor & Other Personal Insurance, also recorded higher scores.
The Healthcare sector scored 72.0 points, a slight 0.2% improvement from 2017; its three constituent sub-sectors, namely Polyclinics, Private Hospitals, and Restructured Hospitals also made similar gains.
For more details, please click here for the ISE Presentation.
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Staying relevant to the industries and sectors measured by the Customer Satisfaction Index is a pivotal role which the Institute of Service Excellence performs. This is to better facilitate platforms and opportunities in highlighting the importance of service excellence as a community.
The Institute partnered with Sodexo Singapore in organising the CSISG 2018 Q4 and full year results industry forum. Sodexo is a worldwide leader in food services and facilities management. In just 50 years, they have achieved presence in over 80 territories globally and have nearly 430,000 employees.
Before the announcement of the results, Ms. Grace Chung, Sodexo CEO Healthcare (Asia Pacific), delivered the keynote address. Grace joined Sodexo in September 2018 and she is a member of both the Sodexo Global Healthcare Executive Committee and APAC Regional Leadership Committee. Grace has more than 15 years of healthcare experience as a hospital executive. Prior to joining Sodexo, Grace was with Parkway Pantai for 10 years and helmed the role of Chief Operating Officer in Gleneagles Hospital. She was responsible for driving business strategy and operations, improving productivity, operational excellence and profitability. Tapping on Sodexo’s extensive experience of partnering with public and private healthcare institutions in Singapore and around the globe, Grace highlighted how Sodexo’s suite of integrated food and facilities management services can enhance quality of life with service excellence deeply embedded.
The keynote presentation was anchored on Sodexo’s six key dimensions towards achieving quality of life. Based on these factors, Grace posed different questions for today’s leaders and senior management to reflect upon.
SOCIAL INTERACTION
Employees devote a large proportion of time to work. Leaders need to instil a positive social interactive atmosphere which strengthens bonds among individuals and facilitate access towards culture and entertainment. Questions that management should assess is do we take good care of our staff and provide a conducive environment which facilitates their needs? In today’s globalised context where a hybrid model is adopted in hiring teams, organisations must also ensure that their norms and processes support a multinational and multicultural environment.
EASE AND EFFICIENCY
Are adequate spaces and a conducive environment created to allow our staff to do their jobs? Are we able to enhance an individual’s ability to carry out activities with minimal disruption? This empowerment also allows employees to better address the changing needs of customers, which extends to providing the right resources at the right time. Similarly, from a customer perspective, are we able to break down the internal obstacles to provide them with a seamless customer experience?
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
The physical environment relates to the factors that contribute to the comfort of individuals and making them feel safe. Sodexo’s work and interactive spaces are bright and open, facilitating a conducive discursive environment for better engagement. This also helps to break down barriers, both physically and socially.
PERSONAL GROWTH
Personal growth encompasses everything that allows an individual to learn and make progress. Especially in today’s context, our workforce is multi-generational. Particularly for the millennials, personal growth is a key aspect in considering which organisations to work for. Organisations must think of what they can additionally do to support career development aspirations, provide a holistic and cohesive culture with business outcomes that make positive impacts to society and the environment.
RECOGNITION
Besides remuneration, what are the other essential ways, e.g., rewards and recognition, to enable an individual to feel truly valued? How do we nurture individuals to feel committed and appreciated? Are recognition platforms shaped to recognise these employees for the good work that they have done?
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Nutritional value is a unique differentiation which Sodexo strives towards. Unlike other organisations in this industry, creating a healthy lifestyle through well-balanced diets and exercise is a model which is critical towards building quality of life and value to employees and customers.
Leveraging on the above six dimensions provide the foundations to improving the quality of life for Sodexo’s employees and its customers. Grace concluded her presentation by noting that if we take care of our employees who feel happy, engaged and motivated, their performance will definitely have an impact on how they serve and make a difference to their customers’ lives.
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