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.

Japanese customer service - myth or truth?

When it comes to customer service, the Japanese are right at the top. No question. Theirs is unique, and I don't think any country in the world can surpass them.

And it's not just those in posh shopping malls but also those in convenience stores, commuter train stations, bus drivers and conductors and ordinary shopkeepers who are extraordinarily polite and respectful towards towards their customers.

And they are prepared to go the extra mile to serve you. When a customer makes an enquiry they're totally focused on his or her expectations.

At train stations, officials take the trouble to explain what's printed on the tickets.

At a shopping mall in Tokyo I noticed a lady carrying some files bowing to passers-by every now and then. I put her to the test by pretending to ask for directions. She went to great length in explaining how to get to a certain shop.

I noticed an old lady entering a bookshop, and coming out with one of the staff members. From her body language I guessed she was asking for directions as well.

To the Japanese, customers are gods. And they demand good service.

We have much to learn from the Japanese about good customer service. With aspirations to be a shopping hub, Singapore has to take good customer service seriously or lose out to countries like Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan.

Customer service in Singapore: excellence in customer service

Customer service in Singapore can best be summed up as "Patchy" with still lots of room for improvement. Of course, I'm speaking in general terms.

Unless you've been marooned on a desert island, everyone is a customer.

Good customer service is not about how much you've paid but whether the service has met your expectations and whether your overall experience has been pleasant.

In general, most people expect good service in exchange for their hard-earned money.

Customers can fire the CEO of even the largest company, and all its employees simply by not buying its goods and services.

That's why in Japan, where the customer service is arguably the best in the world, the customer is God!