My Job at SATS: I facilitate seamless baggage claim procedures
Standing at the podium at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 Arrival Hall, Hiew Jar Fook, Customer Care Specialist at SATS, welcomes passengers with this greeting coupled with a warm smile.
He is part of the SATS Lost & Found Team, responsible for ensuring a seamless baggage claim process and retrieving passengers’ lost properties in the airport.
Jar Fook finds joy in meeting and serving thousands of passengers daily. One small act to help a passenger in need is a sure way to make his day a fulfilling one.
Airport lost and found
Left your camera in the aircraft? Lost your bag somewhere in Changi Airport? The customer care specialists at SATS Lost & Found got you covered.
Jar Fook likes to describe his team’s role as ground staff caregivers. Whereas the cabin crew takes care of passengers while airborne, customer care specialists take care of passengers on the ground.
Manned 24 hours 7 days a week, the SATS Lost & Found Office is ready to help passengers any time of the day. You might see a few of them managing the counters where you lodge your report for any lost property. A few of them might be stationed at the podium or the area beside the conveyor belts assisting in the baggage claim process; and some of them do tracing for all found properties.
“Each property is valuable,” Jar Fook emphasises. Passengers pack their bags consciously because they either need those things for travelling or they want to bring back items for their loved ones. Thus, the team exhausts all possible means to ensure lost properties are returned to their owners.
If your bag remains on the conveyor belt after the last passenger from the flight has left the airport, Jar Fook would get the bag, check for any label and identification, and cross-check with the system for details. Pretty soon, the SATS Lost & Found team will reach out to you on how to claim the item.
In case you were rushing and left your phone in the aircraft, SATS Auxiliary Police will hand the item over to Jar Fook’s team who will then check for a report lodged at the counter. Standard verification steps are conducted, and you will be given instructions on how to claim the phone.
The happiness that all these bring to Jar Fook is priceless. “I feel good when I am able to make a passenger smile,” he shares. It may be a small thing for some, but it is Jar Fook’s motivation to get up and go to work each day.
Passion to delight
Before joining SATS, Jar Fook was also in a customer service role albeit in a different industry. He loves to work around people, and what better place to do it than at an airport that welcomes thousands of passengers daily.
“I like to serve,” he says explaining why he finds joy in talking to people. For him, each day becomes meaningful when he can make passengers’ journey at Changi more pleasant.
This passion to delight customers is what allows Jar Fook to go the extra mile. If he notices any delays with baggage claim, he will liaise with relevant departments to solve any issues. If he sees you anxious about your bags, he will go out of his way to assist you.
He is one of those people who can easily strike up a conversation with you. He will ask how your flight was, how long you will be in Singapore, and even suggest some good spots to visit. Small conversations like this make passengers feel at ease, thereby finding it easy to ask him for help, be it to point them at the right belt or look for their lost bag.
From time to time, Jar Fook encounters disgruntled passengers. The secret to dealing with them? – Empathy.
“We have to understand where they’re coming from,” he explains. “These passengers come from far away and are tired, so they are understandably anxious when their bags are lost or delayed,” he adds. Once he puts himself in the passengers’ shoes, he can calmly address their concerns and extend help accordingly.
This genuine passion to serve customers is what the Customer Service Team shares and what keeps them together even in the busiest of times.
A team that shares
Jar Fook finds the company of his teammates inspiring. As they share the same passion to delight passengers, they find it easy to step in when one needs help, even without asking.
During holidays when conveyor belts are rarely empty for a second, the team looks out for one another. If Jar Fook is assigned to Tracing duties for that shift but completes his tasks early, he immediately goes out of the office to help his teammates assigned to Baggage Claim. They relieve each one of the duties. This way, they do not feel stressed.
As the next flight is about to arrive, Jar Fook looks at his watch and ends the interview with this: “I have no regrets about joining SATS. I love it here!”
Next time you are in Changi Airport, do not hesitate to approach Jar Fook or any customer care specialist for assistance. They are always happy to help you. Throw them a smile and for sure you have made their day!