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Towards A 24-Hour Service Day For Singapore
by Ron Kaufman
To stand out in the global competition, Singapore must take the
lead in round-the-clock business convenience.
The Stock Exchange of Singapore recently decided to extend
trading hours by an additional hour each day. This is another
move in the right direction for Singapore. My comment is: Keep
moving.
I am writing this article at 1:00am. Moments ago I completed some
banking transactions with Citibank via its 24-hour telephone
service. And I've just finished making a flight reservation to
Hong Kong with SIA's round-the-clock reservations. But I have
another long list of calls which can only be addressed after
9:00am tomorrow, after the relevant government and business
offices re-open.
But by 9:00am tomorrow I will be working with my clients. Time to
handle my personal matters will be limited. Too bad more agencies
and businesses do not provide the convenience of true 24-hour
service.
The issue of "Service Singapore, 24-hours a day" is becoming more
urgent. Cities around the world are promoting themselves
aggressively as "24-hour centers for your business". Japan's
Kansai International Airport wants to be "your non-stop window to
the world". London joins New York in claiming to be "the city
that never sleeps".
The Economic Development Board promotes Singapore as "Your Global
Business Architect". But this claim will not stand up to scrutiny
if Singapore does not implement global hours, or does so only
after other cities have set the eager pace.
To stand out in the global competition, Singapore must take the
lead in round-the-clock business convenience. We must be ready to
do business whenever our customers and service partners are ready,
whatever time zone they may be in.
Singapore recognizes that the future lies in being a value-added,
service-based economy. While manufacturing moves offshore, what
must remain and grow are high-end services which do not close
their doors every time the clock strikes 5:00pm.
Many people and organizations are familiar with long working
hours. Quitting at 10:00pm is often the norm; working past
midnight is not unheard of. Even now, at 1:32 am, there are
others on this busy island who are telecommuting and working on
the Web. But if you need access to government or business
services? Sorry, you must wait until 9:00am!
Australia is one example of an economy that has been running the
clock race backwards. How can Australians complain about economic
distress when insisting in the next breath that shops close up at
5:00pm? That is exactly the hour when businesses release their
workers into the shop-lined streets, eager and ready to buy. The
volume of retail transactions in Australian cities might double
if shops were allowed to freely and competitively remain open
beyond 5:00pm, when people have leisure time for shopping.
In today's accelerating business climate, leading companies will
not wait for countries to catch up on their working hours. Intel
has chip development teams working round the clock, split by
shifts and location between Austin, Texas, and Tel Aviv. The
Texas-based teams work on new chip designs all day and then "hand
over" their progress electronically to colleagues in Israel; the
Israelis put in the next 12 hours and "hand back" further
improved designs to their counterparts in Texas for another round
in a continuous and vigorous cycle. How can chip developers with
only one shift ever hope to compete?
Is Singapore moving aggressively enough towards a real 24-hour
economy? Are other businesses taking their cue from the Stock
Exchange of Singapore?
Many hotels in Singapore still close their "Business Centers" at
6:00pm. That's not most convenient for visitors from overseas.
Must the phone company always close business offices promptly at
5:00pm? Must the tax office always close "on-time"? Whose time!?
The now Post Office stays open late on Wednesday nights, and
that's a good idea. Could we benefit from such a service every
night of the week?
What about your business, your company, or your department? What
enhancement of service could you provide by extending your
service hours? Federal Express recently implemented a 24-hour
pick-up service. Should you do the same?
Automated dial-in systems, fax-on-demand, information on the
World Wide Web, 24-hour customer support hotlines: all these
technologies support customers and business partners doing
business with us at their convenience. Is your organization up to
date?
Of course we can anticipate the social debate: "The evening is
for relaxation." "What about changes to family life?" "It's just
not right to be working at such odd hours."
Fortunately Singapore is a highly-pragmatic society. Before we
find ourselves too quickly defending the habits of our past, we
must take a level-headed look at the present and realize that the
demand for 24-hour business is already here.
Singapore should take seriously this business phenomenon and
provide excellent business, cultural and government facilities,
24-hours a day. It's only a matter of time before other cities in
the region surely do.
Copyright, Ron Kaufman.
Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed innovator and motivator for
partnerships and quality service. For a FREE Newsletter, visit:
http://www.RonKaufman.com
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Mr. Ron Kaufman
Speaker/Author
Customer Service Expert
Singapore
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