How to build a culture of good customer service in Singapore

Customer service in Singapore generally  leaves much to be desired.

For instance, you have MRT officers who don't even make eye contact with customers or who are multi-tasking at the same time.

Others give you the impression they're doing you a favor. 

Singaporeans are partly to be blamed for rude and indifferent customer service.

They don't demand good customer service, accepting sloppy service meekly.

The reason why customer service in Japan is first-rate lies in the fact that the Japanese demand and expect it. In Japan the customer is god, with the power to bring down your business.

If we wish to develop good customer service, we need to be more assertive, refusing to be treated shabbily particularly in day-to-day dealings.  

A refusal to patronize businesses with shabby customer service is a good starting point.

Singapore Customer Service: Mustafa Centre vs Swatch Watch

When the batteries on my Timex and Swatch watches were depleted, I went to Mustafa Centre (after futile attempts with a screwdriver and coin). After buying the batteries, I went to the watch department to get  help in opening up the battery compartment to replace the spent batteries.

But to my disappointment, they refused with the claims that they didnt have the proper tools. Since they could make adjustments to new watches  I was rather sceptical.

Passing by a Swatch watch in Terminal 3 at Changi Airport today, I asked the staff if they could open my Swatch watch battery compartment.

Without hesitation, they took the watch and opened up the battery compartment in one second!

Mustafa Centre, if they wish to grow further, should improve on their customer service which at the moment is ho-hum.

I will be writing to Swatch to highlight their good customer service at Terminal 3.

Shocking customer service in computer shop

A friend, who did not have much technical knowledge, went to an audio-visual shopping gallery to: (1) buy some 7 cm blank DVD discs and (2) get technical advice regarding his 5 year old video-cam.  Three sales people in the empty shop neither greeted him nor tried to provide assistance when he came in.

One salesman my friend approached was nonchalant but when the shop assistant finally tried to help, my friend was unable to understand his explanation.  The salesman became rude and told my friend that it was not his duty to help customers.  The man kept on arguing and to avoid a scene, my friend bought the discs and left the shop in a huff.
 
Although he could be more helpful, his words for my friend, "I am a salesman and cannot provide technical advice.

(The above story was provided by a friend. If you have personally encountered any bad customer service please do write to me so
I can highlight it. Thanks)

Apple resellers in Singapore lost my business

In the last two posts I've highlighted the bad customer service by EpiCentres, Apple resellers in Singapore.

The final outcome?

I've lost all interest in Apple. The product I had lusted after no longer seems a must-have after all.

Apple lost more than $1000 in business from their resellers' zero customer service.

Customer service in Japan is first-rate because customers demand it.

The bottom line is it's your money after all. Why should you enrich them?