Singaporeans are harder to please: service experts
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By Fann Sim | Yahoo! Finance Singapore – 23 hours ago
Do we really have bad service standards or are we just plain demanding?
According to service experts, Singaporeans can be harder to please compared to their counterparts in the region.
Ben Llewellyn, regional director of a global market research company IPSOS, said that different countries accept different levels of service, but there are those who are less tolerant of bad service.
"If I compare it across the region, Singaporeans are typically a little bit harder to please in general," said Llewellyn.
"I think this largely comes from there being such a strong service culture in Singapore, and typically, you find that more affluent people have higher standard levels and are often the hardest customers to please," Llewellyn added.
He adds that because Singapore is a country where "everything works", when something doesn't work, it stands out more and causes more of a problem.
This is echoed by others working in the service industry.
Gordon Foo, coordinating director of operations at St James Power Station, described Singaporeans as always expecting tip-top service.
"Sometimes they expect five-star treatment, [such as] fine dining restaurant service in a club environment, which is mostly impossible. We try our best to provide that for our customers, but if we're facing a full house, that will not be possible," Foo said.
"Living in a first world country, most Singaporeans grow up expecting a certain level of service standard as compared to the rest living in Southeast Asia, where they're just out for a night of fun. They don't expect such quality service so anything over and above is a bonus for them," Foo added.
Ugly customer behaviour
Once, a female customer threw a chair at another female customer at St James Power Station after witnessing her boyfriend flirting with the other woman, Foo recalled.
In some cases, customers direct their aggression toward the staff and start abusing them -- sometimes physically but mostly verbally.
"It usually happens once or twice a week, quite common. Some customers are quite aggressive in nature after a few drinks and they react to almost anything," Foo said.
Llewellyn explains that the worst customer behaviour usually comes from customers who have done something wrong, or those who don't understand something so they end up trying to almost bully the company into taking the blame.
"[Customers] have to remember that they are dealing with humans who often don't have any say in corporate or company policy," Llewellyn added.
Yelling "I want to speak to your manager" does not work for everyone too. Typically when customers ask to speak another person in a higher position, managers will often take the same line as the junior staff.
Companies might look at the value that you as a customer provide to the company and decide how they will respond to you. For instance, if it's an airline, they might look at your membership or credit card and work out how valuable you are to the company.
Using the 'customer is always right' card
As much as the mantra "the customer is always right" goes, some companies have actually stepped in to protect their employees instead of siding customers.
"For us, I think the customer is always right until it gets personal. If you start abusing a staff, his or her parents or family, I think that is when we should step in to protect the staff," Foo said.
In protecting service staff and pleasing customers, Thomas Choong, executive director of Chinese fine dining restaurant Xi Yan, said that the best protection is to prepare their staff for foreseeable and unforeseeable circumstances.
"The reality is that the customer is not always right," Choong said.
"A principle we try to adhere to is when others may be wrong, it doesn't mean we have to be as well. We also believe that even when a customer is mistaken, misunderstood, disrespectful or badly behaved, it doesn't mean we should reciprocate in a similar way," Choong added.
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Originally posted by Clivebenss:
By Fann Sim | Yahoo! Finance Singapore – 23 hours ago
Do we really have bad service standards or are we just plain demanding?
According to service experts, Singaporeans can be harder to please compared to their counterparts in the region.
Ben Llewellyn, regional director of a global market research company IPSOS, said that different countries accept different levels of service, but there are those who are less tolerant of bad service.
"If I compare it across the region, Singaporeans are typically a little bit harder to please in general," said Llewellyn.
"I think this largely comes from there being such a strong service culture in Singapore, and typically, you find that more affluent people have higher standard levels and are often the hardest customers to please," Llewellyn added.
He adds that because Singapore is a country where "everything works", when something doesn't work, it stands out more and causes more of a problem.
This is echoed by others working in the service industry.
Gordon Foo, coordinating director of operations at St James Power Station, described Singaporeans as always expecting tip-top service.
"Sometimes they expect five-star treatment, [such as] fine dining restaurant service in a club environment, which is mostly impossible. We try our best to provide that for our customers, but if we're facing a full house, that will not be possible," Foo said.
"Living in a first world country, most Singaporeans grow up expecting a certain level of service standard as compared to the rest living in Southeast Asia, where they're just out for a night of fun. They don't expect such quality service so anything over and above is a bonus for them," Foo added.
Ugly customer behaviour
Once, a female customer threw a chair at another female customer at St James Power Station after witnessing her boyfriend flirting with the other woman, Foo recalled.
In some cases, customers direct their aggression toward the staff and start abusing them -- sometimes physically but mostly verbally.
"It usually happens once or twice a week, quite common. Some customers are quite aggressive in nature after a few drinks and they react to almost anything," Foo said.
Llewellyn explains that the worst customer behaviour usually comes from customers who have done something wrong, or those who don't understand something so they end up trying to almost bully the company into taking the blame.
"[Customers] have to remember that they are dealing with humans who often don't have any say in corporate or company policy," Llewellyn added.
Yelling "I want to speak to your manager" does not work for everyone too. Typically when customers ask to speak another person in a higher position, managers will often take the same line as the junior staff.
Companies might look at the value that you as a customer provide to the company and decide how they will respond to you. For instance, if it's an airline, they might look at your membership or credit card and work out how valuable you are to the company.
Using the 'customer is always right' card
As much as the mantra "the customer is always right" goes, some companies have actually stepped in to protect their employees instead of siding customers.
"For us, I think the customer is always right until it gets personal. If you start abusing a staff, his or her parents or family, I think that is when we should step in to protect the staff," Foo said.
In protecting service staff and pleasing customers, Thomas Choong, executive director of Chinese fine dining restaurant Xi Yan, said that the best protection is to prepare their staff for foreseeable and unforeseeable circumstances.
"The reality is that the customer is not always right," Choong said.
"A principle we try to adhere to is when others may be wrong, it doesn't mean we have to be as well. We also believe that even when a customer is mistaken, misunderstood, disrespectful or badly behaved, it doesn't mean we should reciprocate in a similar way," Choong added.
The customer is not always right, but it's not their job to prove me wrong!
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The emerging singaporeans are more educated, do their own research, before diving into products, and services. Hence, they know what to look out for, and much more wary, as sensitive to how something is pushed to them. So it would seem like the consumer is more demanding, or expecting a little more.
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singaporeans are harder to please?
i am singaporean, i wanna be harder so as to please.
thnx,
Rgs,
Troubie barbie
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Sure? VEry sure? Singaporeans are not hard to please lah, every time give mandate to be screwed, like that very hard to please ah???????
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Think these people who said Singaporeans are hard to please basically do not support to provide good service.
Bird talking! kong chiow way!
Japanese have even higher expectations, so what is the fuss about Singaporeans. Don't like it then don't be in service business lah. nobody in the world expect lousy service, don't be goons to just focus on Singaporeans, you people who are for this crap are just too bias and unreasonable.
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Ben Llewellyn will appreciate bad service when he experience having his water heater, and other stuff stolen during renovation whilst bad job are done. When this happens he better shut his gap or else he is only making himself a big bad hypocrite.
I am not confused with bad behaviour from customers with bad customer service.
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Sg govt very hard to please, always want more..
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Originally posted by Clivebenss:
Sg govt very hard to please, always want more..
This is a bingo! They are so hard to please, always ji tan li tiao shi tou , looking for bones in the egg.
Always point fingers at people , demanding, order this and that, command this and that, always very lenient to themselves and very one kind to the people of the country, so hard to please.
Always money money money, cost of living going up up in the sky and one day going beyond the height of the sky.
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i am hard, to please.
i am now hard, to please.
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singaporeans are fark up.
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Originally posted by troublemaker2005:
i am hard, to please.
i am now hard, to please.
where's your angel?
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Originally posted by Clivebenss:
By Fann Sim | Yahoo! Finance Singapore – 23 hours ago
Do we really have bad service standards or are we just plain demanding?
According to service experts, Singaporeans can be harder to please compared to their counterparts in the region.
Ben Llewellyn, regional director of a global market research company IPSOS, said that different countries accept different levels of service, but there are those who are less tolerant of bad service.
"If I compare it across the region, Singaporeans are typically a little bit harder to please in general," said Llewellyn.
"I think this largely comes from there being such a strong service culture in Singapore, and typically, you find that more affluent people have higher standard levels and are often the hardest customers to please," Llewellyn added.
He adds that because Singapore is a country where "everything works", when something doesn't work, it stands out more and causes more of a problem.
This is echoed by others working in the service industry.
Gordon Foo, coordinating director of operations at St James Power Station, described Singaporeans as always expecting tip-top service.
"Sometimes they expect five-star treatment, [such as] fine dining restaurant service in a club environment, which is mostly impossible. We try our best to provide that for our customers, but if we're facing a full house, that will not be possible," Foo said.
"Living in a first world country, most Singaporeans grow up expecting a certain level of service standard as compared to the rest living in Southeast Asia, where they're just out for a night of fun. They don't expect such quality service so anything over and above is a bonus for them," Foo added.
Ugly customer behaviour
Once, a female customer threw a chair at another female customer at St James Power Station after witnessing her boyfriend flirting with the other woman, Foo recalled.
In some cases, customers direct their aggression toward the staff and start abusing them -- sometimes physically but mostly verbally.
"It usually happens once or twice a week, quite common. Some customers are quite aggressive in nature after a few drinks and they react to almost anything," Foo said.
Llewellyn explains that the worst customer behaviour usually comes from customers who have done something wrong, or those who don't understand something so they end up trying to almost bully the company into taking the blame.
"[Customers] have to remember that they are dealing with humans who often don't have any say in corporate or company policy," Llewellyn added.
Yelling "I want to speak to your manager" does not work for everyone too. Typically when customers ask to speak another person in a higher position, managers will often take the same line as the junior staff.
Companies might look at the value that you as a customer provide to the company and decide how they will respond to you. For instance, if it's an airline, they might look at your membership or credit card and work out how valuable you are to the company.
Using the 'customer is always right' card
As much as the mantra "the customer is always right" goes, some companies have actually stepped in to protect their employees instead of siding customers.
"For us, I think the customer is always right until it gets personal. If you start abusing a staff, his or her parents or family, I think that is when we should step in to protect the staff," Foo said.
In protecting service staff and pleasing customers, Thomas Choong, executive director of Chinese fine dining restaurant Xi Yan, said that the best protection is to prepare their staff for foreseeable and unforeseeable circumstances.
"The reality is that the customer is not always right," Choong said.
"A principle we try to adhere to is when others may be wrong, it doesn't mean we have to be as well. We also believe that even when a customer is mistaken, misunderstood, disrespectful or badly behaved, it doesn't mean we should reciprocate in a similar way," Choong added.
Exactly WHAT is the purpose of this article ?
The author is "just sayin" ? Just complaining ??
He wants us to accept lower standard of service ?
He wants us to be less demanding ? Can, then don't charge so MUCH lor...
if everything is free.. I will accept ZERO service... I'd just SELF SERVICE lah.. can ?
And also.. what "region" is he comparing Singaporeans to ? Another third world country ? Japan ? Korea ? Australia ? What ? Can he be more specific ?
Only FOOLISH customers treat their service staff badly.
I personally witnessed a waitress spit into the food before she served the dish to her nasty customer.
When I treat service staff well, I get better services from them... some went above and beyond their job scope to please me. So it's a win-win situation.
When you are nice to others, you are actually being nice to yourself.
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majority ok lah.happy or not just keep quiet and not come back lor if poor service.
the harder to please ones usually are the cheapskate ones who don't want to pay for service. or pay $1 want $10. I've encountered customers who demanded 90% discount for $900 items lol
and then like to argue over things they don't understand(technical knowledge) to show you they're not pushovers. I'm in a service/retail/sales line. I find that ocassionally you'll get a few like that lah. some with a screw loose think they can win by raising voices.
maybe the issue is also singaporeans generally can't socialise well.
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Originally posted by Clivebenss:
where's your angel?
sent pm, but she yet reply -
Originally posted by troublemaker2005:
sent pm, but she yet replyshe busy with her customers,huh?
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don;t know. i recently very hard, ready to please already byut she no hew me pm leh
