Tue, Jul 12, 2011
my paper
Swee Say to firms: Emulate Gaga
By Gwendolyn Ng
COMPANIES in the service industry here should emulate Lady Gaga.
That was the advice Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, had for business owners and industry representatives at an event marking the fifth anniversary of the national service-excellence movement, Go the Extra Mile for Service (Gems).
Though Mr Lim admitted that he knows next to nothing about the 25-year-old popstar, he is impressed by the emotional attachment she inspires in her "little monsters", or fans.
He said: "Somehow, Lady Gaga is able to engage her fans all over the world, not just with her songs... but also with experiences.
Every (company) ought to find a way such that more of you will become like the Lady Gaga of your respective sectors."
To continue developing the service capabilities of companies in Singapore, Mr Lim announced an $84-million boost for the movement over the next five years.
The amount has been set aside by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and Spring Singapore, which are part of the Gems Up committee. Gems Up is the second phase of the Gems movement.
The funds will help companies to train staff and embark on projects under Gems' Customer- Centric Initiative, which provides funding assistance to companies for developing service strategies and employee skills upgrading.
More funding is expected to be pumped into the movement later in the year by the Singapore Tourism Board and the Institute of Service Excellence.
At the event, Mr Png Cheong Boon, chief executive of Spring Singapore, also said that they hope to extend their reach to small retailers.
He said many of them do not come on board as they believe they do not have the time or resources to do so.
Gems will be offering simplified solutions for training and consultancy to these small and medium-sized enterprises. Tenants in the same mall can also sign up for the initiative as a group, which will reduce costs.
Mr Lim said: "The gap between the very-good and not-sogood is quite wide... Not because those at the bottom are not good, but rather those at the top are running faster and faster.
"We hope to help those who are running fast to run even faster.
We (also) hope to reach out to the majority."
[email protected]
my paper
Swee Say to firms: Emulate Gaga
By Gwendolyn Ng
COMPANIES in the service industry here should emulate Lady Gaga.
That was the advice Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, had for business owners and industry representatives at an event marking the fifth anniversary of the national service-excellence movement, Go the Extra Mile for Service (Gems).
Though Mr Lim admitted that he knows next to nothing about the 25-year-old popstar, he is impressed by the emotional attachment she inspires in her "little monsters", or fans.
He said: "Somehow, Lady Gaga is able to engage her fans all over the world, not just with her songs... but also with experiences.
Every (company) ought to find a way such that more of you will become like the Lady Gaga of your respective sectors."
To continue developing the service capabilities of companies in Singapore, Mr Lim announced an $84-million boost for the movement over the next five years.
The amount has been set aside by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and Spring Singapore, which are part of the Gems Up committee. Gems Up is the second phase of the Gems movement.
The funds will help companies to train staff and embark on projects under Gems' Customer- Centric Initiative, which provides funding assistance to companies for developing service strategies and employee skills upgrading.
More funding is expected to be pumped into the movement later in the year by the Singapore Tourism Board and the Institute of Service Excellence.
At the event, Mr Png Cheong Boon, chief executive of Spring Singapore, also said that they hope to extend their reach to small retailers.
He said many of them do not come on board as they believe they do not have the time or resources to do so.
Gems will be offering simplified solutions for training and consultancy to these small and medium-sized enterprises. Tenants in the same mall can also sign up for the initiative as a group, which will reduce costs.
Mr Lim said: "The gap between the very-good and not-sogood is quite wide... Not because those at the bottom are not good, but rather those at the top are running faster and faster.
"We hope to help those who are running fast to run even faster.
We (also) hope to reach out to the majority."
[email protected]
