Customer satisfaction down for second year

[MarrickG]

What is the point of having a survey if you cannot point out the root of the problem? It is like telling a patient that he is suffering from cancer but unable to tell what cancer and where to start treatment...

LEVELS of customer satisfaction here have dropped for the second year running, despite national efforts to boost service levels.

A Singapore Management University (SMU) survey found that five key sectors, including hospitality and education, showed dips in customer satisfaction levels, with the retail sector registering the biggest drop.

Only the transport sector kept its standing.

A team from SMU's Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) compiled responses from 25,083 questionnaires completed from April to August for the survey, which is in its third year.

The researchers were unable to explain why customer-satisfaction levels had fallen.

ISE director Caroline Lim, who is on the team, said: "We hope that the survey will serve as a wake-up call to companies."

She advised companies to "know the needs of their target customers". For example, Singapore Airlines clients have different needs and expectations from budget-airline clients.

The Go the Extra Mile for Service (Gems) movement was launched in 2005 to improve service levels here.

Its second phase, Gems Up, was launched last month to promote the importance of good service to business decision- makers and consumers, among other objectives.

Asked to comment on the results yesterday, the Singapore Tourism Board, which manages Gems Up, would say only that service excellence is "a never-ending journey" with a "continuous need for improvement".

 

[MarrickG]

MILLIONS of dollars have been poured into helping Singapore's service sectors go the extra mile.

But if anything, they seem to be going backwards, as customers, both here and overseas, voice growing unhappiness with the products and services they are getting.

The numbers in a customer satisfaction index now in its third year continue to slide, with five out of six sectors surveyed doing worse this year than last.

In the latest results released on Tuesday, the poorest performer was retail, followed by education and tourism in a tie, info-communications, and then food and beverage. Only transport and logistics logged customer satisfaction scores that were the same this year as last year.

Providers need to realise that service is not just smiling front-line staff but a quality throughout the whole company oriented around the customer's needs, said Assistant Professor Marcus Lee, academic director at the Singapore Management University's Institute of Service Excellence, which developed the index.

He said: 'Companies will be able to efficiently and effectively satisfy their customers only if they first understand them.'

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_447357.html

 

[SotongMee]

Fall in service and customer satisfication?

First truth, customers will never be satisified.

Other truths, low wage, long working hours and
hiring low skill imported FTrash workers contributes to
the worsening of the problem.

What is the point of having a survey if you cannot point out the root of the problem? It is like telling a patient that he is suffering from cancer but unable to tell what cancer and where to start treatment...

 

[Alamaking]

3 years lah, wah lau, i post you also post, tsk tsk tsk

 

[liketogossip]

Fall in service and customer satisfication?

First truth, customers will never be satisified.

Other truths, low wage, long working hours and
hiring low skill imported FTrash workers contributes to
the worsening of the problem.

As long as there is FTrash workers, there will never be customer satisfaction.