A new survey reveals that service in Singapore is merely “acceptable and nothing more”
In a country where being perfect and efficient is almost a religion, the aspect of customer service seems to be lacking in Singapore, a new survey with local customers, tourist and service staff reveals.
However, tourists visiting our city ranked Singapore’s customer service as above average.
Do we as Singaporeans have high expectations of our own country? It certainly seems so with 56 per cent of local customers indicating that service staff could “go beyond the call of duty” to make their service experience more memorable. About 60 per cent of those surveyed considered service in Singapore acceptable.
Whereas, a much higher 74 per cent of tourists thought that Singaporean service was “above average” with almost half of that saying that service in Singapore was better than in their home country – in Asia, the United Kingdom or the USA.
On the flip side, managers and service staff attribute the service disparity to demanding customers, with 73 per cent and 64 per cent of managers and service staff saying that increasingly demanding clientele is the main barrier to delivering good service, although most of the local clientele did not view themselves as part of the issue.
More than half of the managers surveyed also highlighted that finding the right staff proved an obstacle to providing good service. The survey also showed that service staff felt that positive appreciation and compliments also added to the service experience.
The survey was carried out by market research group Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) to get better insight on the service debate in Singapore. With a representative sample size of over 460 participants, the survey was conducted earlier this year over a period of one month.
The survey is supported by the Go the Extra Mile for Service (GEMS) Up project, a joint movement involving SPRING Singapore, the Singapore Tourism Board, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency, the Institute of Service Excellence at the Singapore Management University (SMU), and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).
“Service is a deep-seated topic in Singapore and is often at the core of many conversations and experiences,” says John Conceicao, Executive Director, Singapore Tourism Board and GEMS Up representative.
“Businesses today are changing and owners are faced with multiple challenges such as manpower and evolving customer needs. The survey allows us to analyse the different perspectives and identify the missing link when it comes to elevating service standards in Singapore,” he says.
“It also presents a stark picture to the industry, and highlights a need for businesses to urgently improve their customer experience journeys so as to remain competitive,” he emphasises.
Republished from Issue 38.
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