Visa Launches Concierge App in Singapore

Visa has launched a mobile app in Singapore that enables cardholders to access a host of services on their mobile phone.

Downloadable on iOS App Store and Google Android Store, Singapore is the first market in Southeast Asia where this mobile app is available.

Traditionally, cardholders need to dial a hotline or email a concierge service provider to engage their services. The new Visa concierge mobile app offers a real-time channel for consumers to arrange for services such as hotel, flight and restaurant reservations, event ticket purchases or other enquiries. A live-chat function is also available on the app, enabling users to chat with a customer service representative directly to make personalised and bespoke requests.

Research conducted by Visa highlighted that a third (32%) of consumers in Singapore use concierge services at least once a month. Use of concierge services is most prevalent amongst millennial cardholders, with almost four in five (78%) having used concierge services. Top service categories include restaurant reservations (57%), travel planning (52%), and shopping (41%).

“Singaporeans are becoming increasingly digital, and this is even more so for the affluent segment, where three in four cardholders are digitally active using mobile apps and wallets,” said Ms. Ooi Huey Tyng (Tyng), Visa Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei. “The introduction of on-demand services, where Singaporeans are able to order and purchase a product or service on the go, are used to a high level of speed and efficiency. At Visa, we see the need to provide our affluent cardholders the same level of efficiency when it comes to concierge requests. Singapore currently leads the Southeast Asia region in terms of the highest number of concierge requests. With the Visa concierge app, they will appreciate the convenience of accessing a multitude of services via their mobile, without having to dial into a hotline or send an email.”

In the past year, 71% of all concierge requests made by Visa cardholders in Southeast Asia were from Singapore. This is followed by Malaysia (20%) and Philippines (4.5%).

“As Singapore moves towards a Smart Nation, Singaporeans are encouraged to go digital. The Visa Concierge app is aligned with both the demand from our mobile-first consumers and the Singapore Government’s Smart Nation initiatives,” Tyng said.

When asked about the top concerns faced when making concierge requests via hotline and email, more than half (56%) of respondents say it is troublesome to wait for the customer service representatives to respond to their requests.. This is followed by having to verify their identity and card number for each request made (46%) and miscommunication with a customer service representative (45%).

92% of respondents are receptive to trying concierge services via a mobile app. Top perceived benefits include the ability to make concierge requests immediately (79%) and the ability to track all past and present records on the mobile app (65%).

See latest HD Video Interviews, Podcasts and other news regarding: Visa, Concierge, Singapore, App.