December 2020
The global Covid-19 pandemic has hit the aviation sector hard. With fewer flights, Changi Airport continues to innovate and pivot to new areas to make sure staff continue to contribute meaningfully to airport operations. One group of staff doing so is Changi’s team of public broadcast announcers, more affectionately known as ‘The Voices of Changi.” In this story, Changi Journeys checks in with them to see how their work has changed during this period.
Delivering information to passengers and visitors continue to be key role
PAOs “in action” in their new role in the Changi Call Centre.
Since June this year, our Public Announcement Officers (PAOs) took on the additional role of “Customer Service Representative” in our Changi Call Centre (CCC). They were a natural fit for this role, due to their background in customer service. Most of them were previously Customer Service Officers at information counters, before they took up the PAO role. In fact, the most senior PAO in the team used to be a Service Hostess back at Paya Lebar Airport in 1977!
At their new role in the CCC, our PAOs now handle phone calls to Changi Airport’s hotline, as well as leverage a specialised social listening tool to sieve through Changi’s social media platforms and respond to compliments.
Some PAOs taking a group photo during a recent team bonding lunch.
To enable them to take on this new role, the PAOs went through several weeks of staggered and intensive training, which saw them picking up soft skills, such as addressing queries via the phone, as well as technical skills, such as how to use customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, and familiarising themselves with managing social platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
There were some initial challenges for a few of the PAOs, as they need to learn some of the systems quickly, as well as keep themselves up-to-date with the dynamic changes to travel policies and procedures due to the evolving Covid-19 situation.
Facing the challenges head-on
Despite the challenges in their path, the PAOs adopted a positive growth mindset and their “can do” spirit shone through, as they persevered in this change journey.
Kirk Chua, Senior Manager, Ground Ops & Customer Service, Airport Operations Management, who oversees CCC said, “It has been more than six months, and the team has now settled in very nicely in their new role. It was great to see the PAOs showing strong support for one another, as they stayed resilient and resourceful throughout this period. We will keep our regular communications with them flowing, to ensure that they stay engaged, and continue to thrive in their new role.”
Even though the PAOs had taken on a different element of customer service in their new role, they continue to be the all-important ‘Voices of Changi’, helping to upkeep Changi Airport’s image to the world.
For readers who are keen to know more about what the PAO’s role entailed previously, check out our earlier Changi Journeys article on them.
Other Articles
Ensuring the effective delivery of Covid-19 vaccines
With strict handling conditions needed to effectively transport Covid-19 vaccines, coupled with the current air cargo capacity crunch, Changi Journeys finds out how Changi Airport and the air cargo community is rising to the challenge to ensure the safe, timely and effective transport and distribution of vaccines when they are ready.
Staying prepared for an airport emergency
Though Covid-19 has resulted in fewer planes flying in and out of Changi, the airport has not lowered its guard when it comes to aircraft emergency preparedness. Changi held its annual full-scale aircraft emergency exercise to allow CAG, airport partners like airlines and ground handling agents, and government agencies to test the robustness of their emergency procedures.
How businesses at Changi Airport are adapting to Covid-19
At Changi, the airport community has stepped up to the plate to keep visitors and staff safe amidst the pandemic. Businesses in the airport have also played their part to keep visitors safe, all while adapting and innovating in order to survive. We take a closer look at how some businesses at the airport have transformed the way they operate.