No compromise on training

Singapore - Singapore Airlines (SIA) will not cut back on staff training even as the bad economy forces it to control costs, says SIA CEO Chew Choon Seng.

Chew believes in the importance of having the support of loyal customers during the downturn, and he feels the slowdown of business has freed up resources for staff training and retraining, according to The Business Times.

"Even when business is slow there are demands to be met and customers to be served," he says.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Lee Yi Shyan, says the service sector, which accounts for 68% of Singapore's economy, needs more successes like SIA. "A high level of service, a consistent level of service doesn't happen by chance," says Lee. Local companies will need to be able to deliver high-quality products and services.

Singapore scored 67.8 out of 100 for customer satisfaction in the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore 2008 survey, which was a drop from the 2007 study.

Developed by the Institute of Service Excellence at the Singapore Management University, the survey also reported tourists having a higher level of customer satisfaction than Singaporeans.