Dressed in their signature fuchsia pink uniforms, the Changi Experience Ambassadors (CEAs) are not difficult to spot. With their bright smiles and approachable demeanour, they help the thousands of passengers that pass through Changi’s doors every day. Be it providing directions, helping with flight details, or offering recommendations about the airport's myriad of facilities, these CEAs ensure that each passenger’s journey is as pleasant as possible. They embody the epitome of hospitality and service excellence to bring passengers the iconic Changi Experience.

As air travel continues to rise, the CEAs underwent training to enhance their skillset to ensure that they remain relevant and adaptable as their roles evolve.

Over the past three years, the CEAs took on various new responsibilities such as managing virtual information counters, especially during the peak of the Covid-19 period. They also underwent on-the-job training and peer learning to enhance their customer service skills at various passenger care touchpoints. These include information counters, virtual information counters, phone hotlines, email, live chat services, social media channels, and more.

Changi Journeys had the opportunity to speak with CEA Norazman Boryana Marinova (Boni) and Claude Lee (Claude), who participated in the training programme to learn more about their experience. 

Changi Airport’s CEAs now extend passenger care services across physical and digital touchpoints.

Boni is no stranger to Changi Airport and has been in service since 2019. Proficient in Bulgarian, English, German and Russian, she plays an integral role in managing passenger relations. Boni has undergone training over the past three years, and her current scope of work includes a wider range of passenger care options, such as the Changi Airport hotline and social media channels. During her initial tenure, Boni primarily served passengers at the information counters.

Boni was one of the first few CEAs who took up the role as a virtual CEA when it was first introduced in 2021. An initial challenge she encountered was the difficulty in providing wayfinding instructions to passengers in a virtual solution, limited by the inability to physically gesture and guide passengers as she would in person at information counters. Nonetheless, Boni quickly adapted to the change in mode of service. Leveraging the digital map of Changi Airport, she was able to effectively direct passengers to their desired location through screensharing.

Boni was one of the pioneering virtual CEAs serving the passengers at Changi Airport when the initiative was first introduced.

In contrast to her interactions at the information counters, serving passengers over non-visual platforms such as the Changi Airport hotline required Boni to exhibit active listening skills and increase her awareness of how she projects her voice and the clarity of speech.

Boni shared, “The varied experience from the expanded role pushed me to re-evaluate what more can be done to improve myself as a CEA. In addition, I also recognise the value in upskilling as we strive to go the extra mile for service.”

Claude is one of the team's newest CEAs. Like Boni, Claude also underwent training and is proficient in managing multiple passenger care channels. 

Claude is one of the many cross-trained CEAs who are stationed across channels to better serve the passengers at Changi Airport.

Sharing his experience, Claude highlighted that passengers are often pressed for time, which underscores the importance of CEAs to be proficient in their airport knowledge to deliver prompt and accurate responses. Additionally, Claude also noted that rendering assistance to passengers over the phone and email requires greater time investment and patience to assess and resolve their concerns.

He added, “The multi-faceted role of the CEA has trained me to be versatile when working with passengers. By engaging with the diverse range of inquiries beyond a single touchpoint, I am able to grow more attuned to the passengers' feelings and respond with greater empathy.”

Passengers can seek assistance over the virtual CEA counters available across the terminals.

Beyond their outstanding ability in delivering service excellence across a variety of passenger care channels, the team of over 100 CEAs possesses an impressive linguistic versatility to bridge language barriers. They are proficient in over 20 languages including Bulgarian, Chinese, Creole, English, German, Japanese, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Tamil, and more, catering to Changi’s diverse international passenger profile.

Mr Wilfred Sim, Manager, Customer Experience, Changi Airport Group, shared, “The adoption of new technologies has helped boost the skills and knowledge of our CEAs. Now, they have gained proficiency in leveraging technology and virtual communication tools to serve our passengers anytime and anywhere.  This has allowed Changi Airport to continuously innovate and improve the level of passenger care in an expeditious manner.”

The next time you visit Changi Airport, don’t fret when you need help! Hop on to the most convenient passenger care service platform and the team of CEAs will be ready to assist you at any hour of the day.