Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | January 2011 12 then, also service. As for service, although the cost of labour inMacau and the rest of Asia is significantly lower than in Australia, allowing a higher staff to customer ratio, Mr Mullin feels Australia’s better-educated workforce is able to offer customers a more “fun, fast and focused experience.” Still, he cautions that even in Australia, it is important not to over- think processes and impose excessive regulations, so that staff can express themselves to customers, and customers don’t feel “they’re just dealing with robots.” Mr Mullin advises:“Allow the employee to be an entertaining part of that process and encourage them to have fun with the customer, as long as it does not negatively impact the integrity of the game [in the gaming area]. And in the non-gaming area, encourage them even more so. “If you look at where customers have to interact with staff, what matters at the end of the day is you want the customers to walk away and say: ‘I’m going back because any time I had a problem, it was resolved quickly, and where there was an expectation, they exceeded it.’ “We’re trying to look at every process we have and see how we can change those processes to make it more easy for employees to have fun. Do we have the right managers in place? Have we made this too complicated or are we not giving enough support? All those little things add up to what ends up being the customer experience that you offer here.” Acquisition rumours In October, Tabcorp Holdings Ltd announced it planned to spin off its Casinos Division into a separate company from its betting shops as it raises A$430 million in an entitlement offer. Investors will get a share in each company on a 1-for-1 basis, in a split expected to be completed in July 2011. Since the announcement, there have been rumours that Tabcorp’s Casinos Division could be acquired following the spin-off, with James Packer singled out as the most likely buyer. Asked to comment on the rumours, Mr Mullin replied to Inside Asian Gaming : “I can’t even worry about that. What we look for is we make ourselves competitive for whoever might have an interest in investing with us. I’m very bullish on that. But all of the speculation—that’s going to sort itself out. At the end of the day, the customers shouldn’t be affected by that, and that’s our focus—the customers.” “One of the great advantages we have here is we’re in a great climate with a beautiful city and other attractions, but that only goes so far. At the end of the day, a customer has the ability to go to many different places. From our research, the first thing they’re looking for is quality product. But then, also service.” Likely buyer?—James Packer Cover Story