The first thing one sees when one enters audio distributor TC Acoustic’s main office in Paya Lebar are these three words, in the form of a wall-mounted glowing sign almost 2m in length: Everyone’s Favourite Company.
And everyone, says chief executive Christian Honegger, refers to all the stakeholders – from customers to staff to industry partners.
In the last 12 years that he has led the home-grown company, his every workplace initiative has revolved around this question: How can TC Acoustic continue to be everyone’s favourite company?
The answer is simple. "People above profit, relationship above revenue," he emphasises. "At TC Acoustic, we care for people. That’s just how this ship is run."
And caring for people starts first and foremost with its staff of 72.
For instance, all employees attend bi-weekly culture town halls in which they are encouraged to share how their colleagues have embodied care and other company core values like can-do attitude, leadership and working as a team in their everyday lives.
Staff are given seven additional days of leave to pursue charitable causes, like volunteering at charities, churches and going for mission and humanitarian trips.
In spite of the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and rising inflation, the company has continued to raise salaries and bonuses. "Everyone’s gone through a very stressful time together, the keyword being together," shares Mr Honegger, who adds that all employees also received a special "Stress Together" bonus.
By cultivating an environment in which caring becomes part of the everyday experience, staff are then motivated to pass this on to the customers, he says.
The strategy is a resounding success. A spin through the almost 2,400 Google reviews on TC Acoustic’s page reveals nothing but praise for the staff.
One woman asked a live chat representative if she was part of the family that owned the company. She was amazed at how empowered they were to fulfil her request – be it a query on promo codes or something more complicated such as changing an order. Staff are not related at all, but that is just how empowered each employee is at TC Acoustic.
Another woman gushes about how after she incorrectly filled in her phone number, an employee diligently spent hours dialling different permutations to try and contact her about her purchase.
To go the extra mile, staff patiently spend hours helping customers audition dozens of products, personally arrange odd-hour deliveries and enlist the help of other employees to troubleshoot issues.
TC Acoustic was recognised in Singapore’s Best Customer Service 2022/23 survey by The Straits Times and research firm Statista for providing the best customer service in the consumer electronics sub-category, under Home Goods.
"In TC, we don’t just sell products, we serve happiness," Mr Honegger points out.
"When the staff are happy working for TC, it naturally flows into how they serve customers. Our staff culture is Servant Leadership. They are empowered leaders who serve happiness to customers."
