An order for fried rice or other dishes like at Lerk Thai in Bedok Point the signal for the eatery's automated cooking gizmos to spring into action.

An automated wok tosses the food around to ensure even heat distribution, while a noodle boiler automatically lowers baskets into the boiler and brings them up at the precise time.

These systems, installed at the end of 2010, free up the chefs for more skilled work and allow them to serve up food faster which pleases hungry customers.

It is all part of a strategy by the eatery's owner, Select Group, to improve customer service and reduce the need for kitchen staff which are hard to find.

The firm has another automated cooking set at its Lerk Thai outlet at The Verge, but business has been affected by MRT road works, so the outlet is now used as a training centre and catering kitchen

Select says it will install these systems at new outlets.

Founder and managing director Vincent noodles will give Tan, who travels often for work, is big on cooking service. He recalls a time when he revisited a. Taiwan eatery after a few months and the manager remembered his name and even his - likes and dislikes.

I was very impressed that she had made an effort to remember me when I was not even a regular customer... I could feel it was attentive and warm service rendered, from the heart. This is what I call true hospitality,' he says.

The incident drew his attention to the standards for his numerous brands service, and the 'need to reiterate the importance of consistent and conscientious customer service and to continually improve', he says.

Select also owns the Peach Garden Chinese Restaurants, Stamford and Select catering services, the Hong Kong Sheng Kee Dessert chain, and Texas Chicken outlets.

Mr Tan put the group through a comprehensive customer service program.

The program, which was applied across various business, allowed the company to see how service can make a difference to business, says institutional catering and special projects.

We are in a cocoon. What we needed was to see beyond the group to look at other initiatives that other players have embarked on, he says, adding that the group could learn about these from the consultant it engaged.

Select spent over $200,000 on the project which started in 2010 and ended last June. 'We brought in a professional trainer and from day one, the training started with the top management, so we know what the program is about,' he says. It's to give the staff the confidence that we walk the talk, that we will enjoy this journey together.'

The group's middle management restaurant managers, assistant managers and supervisors- -were then trained to be in- house trainers.

A more senior group of core in-house trainers was also created to oversee the group's service training across its various brands

These managers, who learnt about handling difficult situations, lifting service standards and upselling in a professional manner, then pass on the knowledge to junior staff

Different brands have different customer For instance, the techniques of upselling used in a fast-food chain would differ from those in a fine-dining restaurant

To ensure that training can continue when needed, service-standard cue cards were produced for the managers at each outlet so they can help pass on the knowledge to

Videos on service standards, professional selling, handling difficult situations and service coaching were also created to help make the training sessions more effective and engaging.

Trainees would identify what went wrong and discuss what to do to solve the problems.

The consultant that select engaged also got the management to share stories on its experiences.

You always relate better when you hear a story on how a person handled a situation, on how Peach Garden restaurant chain co-founder Veronica Tan) went through the Sars (severe Acura respiratory syndrome when nobody would go to the restaurant to dine in a communal space, say Mr Lai.

In the past, the group had conducted only in-house customer service training for us staff

The difference is in the depth and detail of the professional knowledge transfer, says - Mr Lai of the project

To see how it fared, Select asked a group of professional mystery shoppers to check on the staff, which produced pleasing results. It also relies on customer feedback and management audits. Mr Lai says the managers hold meetings or visit the outlets to observe the goings-on every month when previously they did it on an ad-hoc basis.

The improved customer service has driven up sales for sure, though it is hard to pin down a number, he says.

'If your service is not up to mark, people won't come to your restaurant. They can easily go to another one,' he notes.

In the food and beverage line, a happy customer is when there is good food plus good service, he adds. It is a win-win situation

If you know that the company wants to invest in you, you will feel that you can do more,' he says of the staff. "And when we have happy staff, we will have happy customers.'

Results Achieved

A 29 per cent improvement in customer satisfaction level on average across the various outlets and catering businesses.

Using automated equipment at the Lerk Thai outlet reduced customer waiting time from 10 to 15 minutes to eight to 12 minutes.

what other HRD delivery methods should this company consider in order to attain its strategic goals in customer service? Why? Please be specific and justify your answers