Evaluation of Customer Care Standards and Strategy: Singapore Airlines

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Singapore Airlines' customer care strategy. It begins with an introduction to the airline and its subsidiaries, highlighting its reputation for excellent service and numerous awards. The report then evaluates the suitability of SIA's customer care standards by comparing them to those of Emirates, focusing on areas like baggage handling, refund policies, and services for passengers with disabilities. The analysis assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of SIA's customer care strategy, acknowledging its high service standards and customer satisfaction while also pointing out inefficiencies in the refund process. The report concludes with suggestions for improvement, including reducing refund processing times, implementing online refund requests, introducing baggage tracking technology, and displaying seat availability information during booking. The report references several sources to support its findings.

Ccustomer Care Assignment
(Singapore Airlines)
Assignment Front Sheet Version 1.0

Contents
Introduction to the organization................................................................................................................5
Suitability of customer care standards of Singapore Airlines....................................................................7
Effectiveness and efficiency of Customer Care strategy............................................................................9
Suggestions to improve the customer care strategy................................................................................10
Customer Care Strategy document of Singapore Airlines........................................................................11
References................................................................................................................................................12
Assignment Front Sheet Version 1.0

Introduction to the organization
Singapore Airlines (SIA) is the national airline of Singapore, with its hub at Singapore Changi
Airport. Notable for using the Singapore Girl as the central figure in its corporate branding, it has
been ranked as world's best airline by Skytrax four times and has consistently topped Travel &
Leisure's best airline rankings for more than 20 years (Reference for Business, 2021).
Singapore Airlines Group currently has more than 20 subsidiaries which include Singapore
Airlines Cargo, SIA Engineering Company, SilkAir, Scoot, and Tradewinds Tours and Travel. It also
has code-share, strategic alliance, and joint venture partners under the global airline
partnerships, and under the Star Alliance network. Singapore Airlines has also launched
myKrisWorld, the first personalized in-flight entertainment system across all classes in 2018. Also
56% of Singapore Airlines is owned by Singapore state investment firm Temasek Holdings (Roll,
2021).
Assignment Front Sheet Version 1.0

Suitability of customer care standards of Singapore
Airlines
Singapore Airlines Emirates
Singapore Airlines will offer the lowest best price
available for the passengers.
Emirates offer the lowest fare for which passengers
are eligible for the flight, date and class of service
requested.
Deliver the baggages on time, return mishandled
baggage within 24 hours, and compensations are
paid for passengers if they have incurred any
expense for delayed delivery of baggages.
Baggages are delivered on time, misplaced or delayed
baggages are delivered within 24 hours when flying
with Emirates, and compensations are paid if
passengers have expenses because of baggage delay.
Singapore Airlines allow customers to cancel a flight
free of charge within 24 hours after booking the
ticket, but this applies when tickets are purchased at
least 7 days or more prior to earlier than the flight’s
departure date.
For passengers booked on Emirates, where the
booking is made 7 days or more prior to flight
departure, a request should be done to refund within
24 hours of booking without penalty.
Singapore Airlines will provide prompt refunds for
cancellation of flight tickets within 7 business days
for credit card payments and within 20 business days
for cash and cheque payments.
Emirates will provide prompt refunds for cancellation
of flight tickets within 7 business days for credit card
payments and within 20 business days for payments
done by cash or cheque.
Provide disable customers and other special needs
passengers, including during lengthy tarmac delays
such as providing boarding assistance, and
wheelchair assistance for disabled passengers.
Passengers with disabilities or special needs will be
accommodated with special assistance during lengthy
tarmac delays. Emirates provide an Unaccompanied
Minor Service for minors who travel without an adult.
Passengers are informed if the flight they have
ticketed is overbooked, were airports are provided
information about the policies and procedures of
Singapore Airlines when all ticketed passengers
cannot be accommodate on the flight.
Passengers are treated fairly and consistently in the
case of overbooked where a written statement will be
given including the rights on how they determine
boarding priority for oversold flights.
Singapore Airlines will ensure responsiveness to
consumer complaints. And they will acknowledge a
complaint within 30 days and provide a response
within 60 days of receiving it.
Emirates will ensure responsiveness to customer
complaints and they will acknowledge written
complaints within 30 days and send responses within
60 days of receiving the complaint.
Customers are notified through the web site,
telephone reservation system, and at boarding gates
within 30 minutes of recording a delay, cancellation
Customers will be notified of known delays,
cancellations, and diversions, which information of
flight’s status will be displayed on airport gates,
Assignment Front Sheet Version 1.0

or diversion takes place. website, and notify via contacting.
(Singapore Airlines, 2021) (Emirates, 2021)
When considering about the suitability of customer care standards of Singapore Airlines, they
are providing prompt refunds for cancelled flight ticket within 20 business days for people who
do their payments via cash or cheque and within 7 business days for people who have done
their payments from credit cards. In which, the duration taken to refund money for cash and
cheque customers would be too long and the time period is not equal for both parties where
some passengers who has done transactions by cash or cheque might feel disappointment.
Therefore this might not be a better customer care standard.
Passengers with disabilities are accommodated well by Singapore Airlines, where wheelchair
assistance will be provided for the transportation to, from, and between gates. In which this
would be a better customer care standard as disabled people might not find difficulty in going
around the airport which could be a safe and comfortable journey to the passenger.
Singapore Airlines has been providing an efficient service on delivering passenger’s baggages
on time, and delivering misplaced or delayed baggages within 24 hours. And also they pay
compensation for passengers for reasonable, verifiable, and actual incidental expenses that
may incur while their bags are delayed. In which this could be a positive mark for standards of
customer care as it’s the airlines’ responsibility when a bag is delayed or lost where
compensation should be provided for passengers.
Assignment Front Sheet Version 1.0

Effectiveness and efficiency of Customer Care
strategy
Customer care strategy defines the standards of care and service that is offered to customers
and sets the requirements for meeting those standards. Singapore Airlines is positioned as a
premium carrier with high levels of innovation and providing excellent levels of customer
service. This airline is famous for luxurious flight experiences across cabin classes, with state-of-
the-art entertainment options, spacious cabins and a commitment to making flying a personal
experience (Passion Made Possible, 2021). Singapore Airlines has been providing the highest
cabin service standards for its customers. One of the highlights of the carrier’s service features
includes offering economy-class passengers a choice of meals, complimentary drinks and
headphone sets for in-flight entertainment (Chua, 2016). Moreover the airline has won many
awards for its efforts in maintaining customer service standards such as ranked 28th in the 2020
list of Fortune’s “World’s most admired companies”. And also it was awarded for the Best Airline
for the 28th consecutive year and Best Frequent Flyer Programme at the 2019 Business Traveller
Asia-Pacific Awards in September 2019, consecutively awarded Best Airline in the World by
TripAdvisor in 2018 and 2019, and many more awards they have been achieved (Roll, 2021). By
the above researched information it can be said as that the customers are provided with high
quality service which the customer care strategy of Singapore Airlines is effective and efficient.
According to information found from websites, it shows that Singapore Airlines has been named
as the Travelers’ Choice. According to the ratings and reviews given by the customers who has
travelled with Singapore Airlines it can be said that the customers are happy and the customer
service offered for them has been excellent. And those could be the indicators of effectiveness
and efficiency of Singapore Airlines. (Trip Advisor, 2021)
However, the service provided by Singapore Airlines in refunding process of cancelled ticket is
not efficient which is shown on the above review wrote by a passenger who has travelled in
Singapore Airlines. As the customer has been struggling more than 3 months to get the refund
money back. In which this results customers to be disappoint and this indicates of not being
much effective.
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Suggestions to improve the customer care strategy
The duration taken by Singapore Airlines in refunding process is too long where customers feel
disappointment with the service as they have to wait more than one month to get the money
back, therefore the airline could reduce this duration either to 1 week in order to improve the
customer care strategy. Also the airline company could fully computerize the refunding process
where customers can do the request of refund online and get their money back to their bank
account, in which customers might not want to visit the airline centre.
Also for the misplacements of the baggages, Singapore Airlines can introduce a small gadget in
order to track the baggages of the passengers via GPS technology. In which if baggages are
misplaced customers can quickly get know where the baggages are either via a phone app.
Therefore this method would reduce the duration of returning mishandled baggages which the
customer care strategy would be improved.
When passengers doing their bookings the availability of seating information should be
displayed, in which this information will be more comfortable and important for passengers
who is travelling with their family as they might require seats which is close to each other or
seats together. Therefore this would improve the customer care of Singapore Airlines.
Assignment Front Sheet Version 1.0

References
Chua, A., 2016. Singapore Airlines. [Online]
Available at: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1705_2010-08-10.html
[Accessed 07 February 2021].
Emirates, 2021. Our Customer Service Plan. [Online]
Available at: https://www.emirates.com/us/english/information/our-customer-service-plan/
[Accessed 06 February 2021].
Passion Made Possible, 2021. Singapore Airlines. [Online]
Available at: https://www.visitsingapore.com/travel-guide-tips/travelling-to-singapore/singapore-
airlines/
[Accessed 07 February 2021].
Reference for Business, 2021. Singapore-Airlines-Ltd.. [Online]
Available at: https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/38/Singapore-Airlines-Ltd.html
[Accessed 06 February 2021].
Roll, M., 2021. Singapore Airlines – An Excellent, Iconic Asian Brand. [Online]
Available at: https://martinroll.com/resources/articles/strategy/singapore-airlines-an-excellent-asian-
brand/
[Accessed 06 February 2021].
Roll, M., 2021. Singapore Airlines – An Excellent, Iconic Asian Brand. [Online]
Available at: https://martinroll.com/resources/articles/strategy/singapore-airlines-an-excellent-asian-
brand/
[Accessed 07 February 2021].
Singapore Airlines, 2021. Customer Service Plan. [Online]
Available at: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/travel-info/customer-commitment/customer-
service-plan/
[Accessed 06 February 2021].
Trip Advisor, 2021. Singapore Airlines. [Online]
Available at: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Airline_Review-d8729151-Reviews-Singapore-Airlines
[Accessed 08 February 2021].
Assignment Front Sheet Version 1.0