Canon's Corporate Service: The Heartware of Hardware

In one of Singapore's largest law firms where reams of critical legal documents are processed daily, one man quietly keeps the essential machinery humming along.

Peter Lim from Canon's Corporate Service looks after this law firm's multifunction devices (MFDs) which are utilized daily to digitize, organise and to print indispensable documents for each legal case.

When lawyers and legal assistants stream into the office every morning, the Resident Engineer is already engrossed in his work, checking every MFD.

Mr Lim said, "With many machines running, there are always maintenance checks to be conducted. If I receive a sudden notice of an issue, I make it a point to address the problem immediately."

"At times, customers get frustrated when their machines malfunction, so I see it as a challenge to win them over with the service I provide. Every interaction is an opportunity to build rapport with my customers."

This deep-seated mindset of achieving customer satisfaction permeates the 100-strong Canon Corporate Service team in Singapore.

Service engineers like Mr Lim have cultivated deep relationships with clients over the years, embodying Canon's corporate slogan in Asia "Delighting You Always" every single day.

Always going the extra mile 

Canon's philosophy centres on building a brand synonymous with customer service excellence and always going the extra mile for customers.

Said Vincent Low, Head of Enterprise Business, Singapore Operations, Canon Singapore, "We pride ourselves in our dedication to our core philosophy, "kyosei", which means 'living and working together for the common good'.

"In business, time is money, so problems and inefficiencies can amount to hefty costs. Our service team consistently works hard and goes the extra mile to manage any inadequacies as soon as possible. This way, your business can continue with daily operations at minimal costs."

Canon's clients consistently echoed that Canon Services staff truly walk the talk.

In 2022, Canon's customer satisfaction survey in Singapore revealed that over 92 per cent of its customers gave ratings ranging from 8 to 10 (out of 10), and the average satisfaction score was 9 out of 10.

Canon Singapore's service engineers earned nearly perfect scores in friendliness, communication skills, response time and having a professional appearance.

The secret sauce is that the Canon team has a camaraderie that is built upon strong bonds of professionalism and friendship.

Helping each other level up

Canon service teams play a vital role in delivering exceptional service to their customers. With the teams constantly out in the field, it may seem that effective communication and collaboration are hindered.

However, Canon has leveraged communication tools such as WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams to bridge any communication gap, empowering the teams to stay connected regardless of their physical location. This seamless connectivity ensures that service teams can come together virtually, share information easily, foster team spirit, and ultimately enhance their performance.

Every year, Canon holds the Canon Service Meister Challenge competition for their service engineers across the region. In this matchup, service engineers compete in hardware troubleshooting to showcase their technical abilities and in soft skills exercises to gauge their service standards.

This approach allows everyone to sharpen their skills and discover best practices, all while having fun at the same time.

Great service as easy as 123

Canon continually innovates with cutting-edge solutions, not just for their office devices but also in customer care to resolve issues more quickly and efficiently.

In 2021, Canon Singapore rolled out an initiative called Service Commitment 123 to deliver top notch after-sales service in this industry sector.

Whenever customers encounter any issues with their office MFDs, the first and only step they need to take (the "1" in "123") is to scan a QR code located on these devices.

This singular step not only creates a support ticket with the customer support team immediately, but also provides important information such as the model and serial number of the device, and even the office address.

As such, there is no longer any need for the customer to contact the customer service hotline. Instead, the system automatically verifies the information and dispatches the nearest service engineer to the customer."

Within two hours (the "2" in "123"), Canon's advanced Mobile Field Service System ensures the arrival of the service engineer, equipped with the appropriate replacement parts and tools to expedite the MFD's repair.

And finally, the "3" in Service Commitment 123 stands for Canon Singapore's three-month device exchange policy. Canon will replace MFDs that do not perform up to their specifications within the first three months of installation.

Mr Low states that all these innovative efforts represent Canon's belief that "when business is well supported, business can be simple."

"We embrace innovation while prioritising people, and our Corporate Service team truly exemplifies 'kyosei' in action," said Mr Low.

"With their commitment to delight customers and empower businesses, they prove on a daily basis that the heart ware truly drives the hardware."