| The
wonderful world of MIW |
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When was there a time that National
Servicemen (NSmen) could enjoy
exclusive discounts at a spa clinic?
Or purchase skincare products or inline skates at
discounted rates simply because they were
conscripts?
Rhetorical questions these are not. NSmen
today do get to enjoy the above privileges and
more, as a result of a programme offered by My
Internet World (MIW), a portal set up by the
Ministry of Defence for all NS populations.
This programme, known as MIW “PATRIOT”
eBonus, allows NSmen to get exclusive privileges
simply by flashing the eBonus icons —
downloadable from MIW — on their mobile phone
or handheld devices.
MIW is an integrated platform that not only
allows NSmen to register for enlistment and other
related matters like Individual Physical Proficiency
Test (IPPT) and In-Camp Training dates. It also
allows them to post army stories online, chat in
forums and even download games.
Launched in April 2001, the portal is the result of a
public-private partnership: The Ministry of Defence
(MINDEF) outsourced the project to Green Dot Internet
Services Pte Ltd (GDIS), a private company, to run it.
“The belief is that a private company can
probably run a lot faster than a public agency
within the confines of government rules and
regulations,” said Mr Alphonsus Pang, Director of
MINDEF Systems Organisation in the Defence
Management Group of the ministry.
“Being public officers, it is perhaps natural for
us to be efficient and effective from an
organisation’s point of view. But it’s not that easy
to be efficient and effective from the stakeholders’,
from the customers’ point of view,” he continued.
Mr Pang felt that a commercial vendor could
be much more responsive to the needs of the NS
communities as GDIS could link up with other
commercial partners to package better deals for
them. This helps to generate more life and
interactions among NS populations in the portal.
The commercialisation of the ministry portal is
seemingly incongruent with the serious, “we mean
business” facade that military defence is supposed
to front. However, Mr Pang pointed out that amidst
the fanfare, the concept of MIW is a strategic
imperative to transform MINDEF and the Singapore
Armed Forces and their mindsets.
By providing excellent customer-centric services,
MINDEF hopes to create a positive NS experience and
imbue confidence in the system. If the organisation is
able to engender NS communities’ commitment, it
will have a great impact on their confidence in
Singapore’s defence system.
Response to the portal has been very
encouraging. Within a short span of three years,
the number of registered users has ballooned from
27,149 to more than 270,000. The number of eservices
available has scaled up from 42 to 104,
while the number of transactions per month has
escalated from 130,000 to 450,000.
When the project started, the team handling it was
clear about the outcome they wanted to achieve:
to provide multi-channel access. Through new, innovative
efforts, they wanted to offer A³ services — services
at Any time, Any place and by Any means. Busy NSmen
need a platform where they can access services any
time of the day. Travelling conscripts need to have
access from any place. And multiple channels, be
it mobile phones, PDAs, etc., enable NSmen to gain
access through any means.
Looking at the complexities and intricacies of
the portal now, it is rather inconceivable that the
project did not begin with a big bang.
Reminiscing how the project started, Mr Pang
recalled: “The vision was big. The start-up was small.
But the endeavour was to scale as fast as possible.”
The journey of building the portal has been
useful for MINDEF. Bringing various departments
closer notwithstanding, the heightened awareness
from the NSmen’s point of view rather than from
the organisation’s perspective is a major reward.
The team is lucky to have supportive leaders. Recognising
the fact that the portal would encounter teething
problems and other obstacles along the way, they
nevertheless gave the green light to “go ahead and
just
do it”.
Different ministries have approached MINDEF to find
out more about MIW and how to go about running this
model. Sharing his experience, Mr Pang advised:
“Don’t underestimate the effort required to bring
about a mindset change in customer-centricity....
To adopt a similar public-private partnership model,
you need a win-win partnership because you need
to work closely with your partner in order to deliver
the value proposition to your customers.
“It is also crucial to have champions to try to
drive the mindset change, the value proposition,
the win-win proposition.” |
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Next: MIW —
an international innovations award finalist |
