At Your Service, With a Smile
At Your Service, With a Smile
As you enter the lobby of Camden Medical, it is likely that you will be greeted by one of its cheerful concierge personnel. The amiable and helpful Asyraf is one of them. Formerly from the hospitality industry, Asyraf made the switch in 2019 to work at Camden Medical.
The job, he explained, holds many similarities to his previous one and he enjoys the work as he gets to meet people from all walks of life on a daily basis. From dealing mainly with tourists, he now caters to a much wider group of people, from local and international patients with their caregivers to the tenants of Camden Medical.
A typical day comprises of greeting all those who enter the lobby, assisting them with getting into and alighting from their vehicles and offering them directions when the need arises. He is also at hand to help with wheelchairs and other mobility aids - even going the extra mile to accompany less-mobile patients to their destinations whenever possible.
Beyond attending to visitors, Asyraf helps out with tenant needs. “If a tenant requests for any maintenance work or highlights issues with the building, I also help them to inform the building management's engineering team,” he shared.
Over the last three years working at Camden Medical, he has found the job endlessly enjoyable and challenging at the same time. He is especially appreciative of his team and the support from management. No day is the same, he said. The biggest challenges thus far have been in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the initial days when the severity and extent of the disease was unknown.
“There was a lot of coordination with the clinics and paperwork in the early days to handle our overseas patients,” he recalled. When safe distancing and other pandemic protocols kicked in, Asyraf and the team efficiently ensured measures were kept updated, and safety and infection control measures were in place to maintain the health and safety of all.
In the days of masks, personal protective gear and safe distancing, Asyraf made sure that all visitors still felt the warmth of welcome when they arrived at Camden Medical.
“It was a different type of ‘human touch’ involved,” he said. Asyraf explained that with physical social interactions discouraged, he had to improvise and greet from afar, infusing his hospitality into non-verbal gestures. Similarly, the team had to adapt in the way they engaged with tenants. With monthly lunch gatherings banned under the pandemic restrictions, they gave out small packaged snacks and treats to remain connected to their community instead.
“It was a different type of ‘human touch’ involved.”Asyraf
Asyraf looks forward as Singapore moves to the new normal - even though his days are busier than usual. “I want to continue to contribute even more to my team by improving my service, knowledge of the building and its tenants, and being proactive and observant,” he said.
“The thing that inspires me most in my work is seeing people happy; when they are happy, I am happy.”
The information provided in this article is meant purely for general information purposes only and may not be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. The views, information or opinions expressed in this article are solely that of the writer and the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect those of, and are not endorsed by, Camden Medical Centre.
