Amid a growing preference for tailored experiences, Asian inbound travel agencies appraise the level of personalised service in their markets and share how that can be enhanced

Judy Lum
group vice president for sales and marketing, Tour East Group

How do you rate the level of personalised service in Singapore?
On a scale from one to 10, it is at four.

What does Singapore need to improve its level of personalised service?
A national campaign to focus on social grace – how good it feels to be nice and thoughtful to others. Once this message gets through, good personal service will come naturally from the heart and customers will be able to feel the warmth and sincerity from us.

An example of best personalised service by a partner or supplier
My most memorable experience of service beyond one’s expectation was a staycation at a five-star hotel in Singapore.

My daughter was about 10 years old then, and when we entered the room we saw the hotel’s signature teddy bear and a jar of jelly beans waiting for her. She never stopped talking about the hotel stay for months after. It was the little thoughtful things that really impressed me.

Also, about three hours after checking in, my husband and I went down to the lobby and were greeted by our name (my husband’s family name) by the staff. I can’t tell you how good it made us feel. – Paige Lee Pei Qi

Silvana Leung
operations manager,
Hong Kong Foodie

How do you rate the level of personalised service in Hong Kong?
The level of personalised service is average. The market is very competitive nowadays with the ease of booking tours and packages online. Customers generally prefer instant confirmation and automated processes which minimises the personalised element in the services provided.

What does Hong Kong need to improve its level of personalised service?
Inbound agencies could learn more about customers from different countries to find out more about their characteristics and general interests to provide tailor-made tour services.

An example of best personalised service by a partner or supplier
Hotel concierge teams are travel agencies’ best partners. When guests are on the road, they may not have Internet access or have trouble booking local tours. This is where hotel concierge staff come in to help liaise between guests and travel agencies, ensuring tours are booked and paid for. – Prudence Lui

Ratna Ning
president director, PACTO

How do you rate the level of personalised service in Indonesia?
Indonesia currently offers a remarkable level of personalisation, not only when compared to western countries, but also when compared to other Asian countries. Indonesians are traditionally committed to personalised service.

What does Indonesia need to improve its level of personalised service?
There is always room for improvement, and I think we need to understand the importance of customer profiling prior to providing services.

An example of best personalised service by a partner or supplier
At Le Méridien in New Delhi, you don’t need to compile a laundry list, you just hand over your clothes. The staff know perfectly well which clothes belong to which customer despite the size of the hotel. And they greet you by name too. – Mimi Hudoyo

Joanna Altomonte Abrera
Director,
Intas Destinations

How do you rate the level of personalised service in the Philippines?
For the high-end resort and people who deal with high-end clients, I think it’s quite personalised. It’s in our nature to do so. We’re personable, and go out of our way to be pleasant and solicitous, and that adds up to personalisation.

What does the Philippines need to improve its level of personalised service?
Suppliers can try to find out as much as they can about their clients. They can also improve the background research on their clients.

An example of best personalised service by a partner or supplier
Discovery Shores Boracay is among our partners that’s the most consistent in providing the best personalised service.

They make the extra effort to reach out and obtain as much information as possible about guests – such as preferences or allergies – and provide the extra service touch by offering perks like a foot spa upon arrival. – Rosa Ocampo

Micky Gan
managing director, Alpha International Service Corp

How do you rate the level of personalised service in Japan?
Japan has a highly evolved and deep-rooted culture of service and this is very clearly visible in the hospitality sector. Many high-end travellers really like the excellent service culture.

I would go as far as to say that Japan has a unique service culture that is above and beyond any other country in the world.

What does Japan need to improve its level of personalised service?
The only criticism I would have is that Japan is less globally minded than other destinations. Staff may want to help but they do not always understand what a foreign customer wants or expects of them in a given situation. From the industry point of view, I feel that more employees in the hospitality sector need to go abroad, see what is happening in other parts of the world and learn from that.

An example of best personalised service by a partner or supplier
I think you only have to look at the initial encounters that you get at Tokyo’s top hotels, like ANA InterContinental, Four Seasons, and Imperial Hotel, for an example of excellent service. The doormen and bellboys at those places really know their stuff. – Julian Ryall

Arun Anand
managing director,
Midtown Travel
How do you rate the level of personalised service in India?
The level of personalised service in India is quite high, which is important for a diverse country like ours. The industry here is a matured one and it understands that different guests look for different experiences. From tours to hotels, tourists can expect that their standard for a particular service will be fulfilled.

What does India need to improve its level of personalised service?
If we can have more trained guides who are also well versed in another language, it will help to ensure that the level of personalised service is further improved.

An example of best personalised service by a partner or supplier
Chomu Palace in Rajasthan. One of our groups was staying there and during a camel ride, two clients fell off. Our guide took them to the hospital, and they were admitted. The tour leader, a lady, stayed at the hospital with them but she felt uncomfortable staying alone with the two patients.

Chomu Palace went out of the way and sent two of their female staff to stay in the same room as the tour leader. They also sent breakfast for the three of them from the hotel. When they were transferred to Delhi by ambulance, the hotel – on their own accord – packed lunch, some fruits and mineral water for them which they never charged us for. – Rohit Kaul

Anthony Hayes
global managing director,
AAT Kings

How do you rate the level of personalised service in Australia?
Offering a high level of personalised service is something that Australia is getting better at, but we still have a long way to go. There are still a number of industries that are stuck in the one-size-fits-all mindset, which is neither realistic nor sustainable.

What does Australia need to improve its level of personalised service?
Whatever the industry, understanding and listening to your customers first and foremost is the key to offering a personalised level of service.

From a tour operator’s perspective, we try and find out as much about our travellers before they join us to give us an idea of who they are.

On the road, our incredible “travel directors” endeavour to know each and every guest so they are able to provide them with personalised service, helping them to achieve their individual idea of a dream holiday in Australia.

An example of best personalised service by a partner or supplier
We only work with the best of the best in the industry who also embodies these values. It would be impossible to pick just one of the incredible suppliers we work with. – Rebecca Elliot

Shafraz Fazley
managing director,
Viluxor Holidays

How do you rate the level of personalised service in Sri Lanka?
There are many types of agencies; some cater specifically to the budget or luxury clienteles, and certain segments like adventure or wellness. These agencies have a deep understanding of their target market and are able to provide a high level of personalised service to their guests. There are also agencies that specialise by country or region and are mostly geared towards fulfilling the needs of that market.

Sri Lanka has a good repeat rate from Europeans. The challenge now is how to handle a large emerging market such as China which is developing at a very fast pace. Their travel patterns, likes and behaviours were only revealed recently and the influx is already overwhelming.

What does Sri Lanka need to improve its level of personalised service?
What we need to further develop is the follow-through service from hotels, other suppliers, national guides and improve the country’s infrastructure.

Basically, inbound agencies can bring in tourists, but consistency from booking to after sales and everything in between, such as providing above and beyond service whenever possible, will advance the tourism industry in Sri Lanka.

An encounter of best personalised service by a partner or supplier
None. – Feizal Samath

Ally Bhoonee
executive director,

World Avenues

How do you rate the level of personalised service in Malaysia?
Malaysia is known and blessed to have hospitable people and by nature Malaysians are courteous and helpful. This is the best quality that we possess – the human touch. We always treat our clients like our own family.

What does Malaysia need to improve its level of personalised service?
Clients usually have very personal requests when it comes to personalised service. They also seek acknowledgement, appreciation, and want to know that they are cared about and valued.
This is where we have to keep training and educating our frontline about what is expected from them in order to fulfil the needs of clients. Not every client is the same and they do not want to be served in a robotic manner. Knowing the client’s name alone is not enough.

An example of best personalised service by a partner or supplier
The best personalised service that I have encountered is at Club Med Cherating Beach. There, I witnessed the general manager accompanying guests to their rooms and welcoming guests to the restaurant for their meals. The management-level staff are always with the clients and they are very attentive. This builds loyalty and retention of clients. – S Puvaneswary

This article was first published in TTG Asia, December 11, 2015 issue, on page 14. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe

Additional reporting from Prudence Lui, Mimi Hudoyo, Rosa Ocampo, Julian Ryall, Rohit Kaul, Rebecca Elliot, Feizal Samath and S Puvaneswary