60% of Singaporean customers don't complain about bad service

According to a new survey in Singapore, 60% of people who suffer from bad service never complain. That means that for every four people who complain, another six are just as angry but never tell the organistion about it. This is a staggering number and should be a big worry for everyone in the customer experience sectors in Singapore.

The reasons why people feel that complaining makes no difference range from the channels available to reach decision makers to cynicism that even if they did complain it would make no difference. In many cases they are of course correct.

The survey says that two out of three people questioned in Singapore had suffered from bad service. This was usually in food and beverage, telecommunications, and financial services. Anyone who lives in Singapore and goes out on a regular basis to eat or deals with customer service staff in these sectors will know that this is true.

The culture of service especially in F&B, retail, and hospitality in Singapore in particular is poor by comparison with other countries because Singaporeans don’t view any of these sectors as an aspirational profession and don’t wish to apply for roles within them. This combined with restrictions on foreigners being allowed to fill these vacant roles leads to a lack of manpower which in turn leads to poor customer service as this survey shows.

Most of the people who complain just never come back or will just inform their friends instead. This can cause wider damage to the brand being complained about as the company will never know why they are losing trade.

Shockingly 40% of those that did complain did not receive any kind of response from the company concerned. Is this all about manpower? Is this pure arrogance or merely apathy?

75% of people who did complain expected a response within 36 hours but only 30% of those people received one. Something so simple but why isn’t this done with immediacy? All the time you’re waiting to respond, that complainer is out there telling their friends and sharing their experience on social media.

Other surveys show that people who complain can become a brand’s biggest advocate if their concern is addressed immediately and they are offered something for their inconvenience/bad service.

Many people who live in Singapore will now choose their restaurant and hotel based upon levels of service and are happy to pay the premium price to get it. Otherwise they will go elsewhere but accept beforehand that the level of service will be around the “Fawlty Towers” variety.

You can also spot the establishments which have a rigorous training program for their staff and which haven’t. You can’t automate service at a restaurant totally; you’ll always need that personal touch to make the occasion memorable for the right reasons.

That’s the part that needs to be done through training and investment, not iPads/tablets. I see more and more of these in outlets in Singapore now for ordering which more often than not lead to more confusion and extra work from the remaining staff and in no way enhances the customer experience.

With social media platforms like TripAdvisor and HungryGoWhere there is no hiding place for brands with regards to customer service. Every angry customer will denounce customer service on their chosen social media platform but if your outlet is not checking these platforms you will only know about 40% of them who have complained directly to you.

Anyone who has dealt with the three telcos based here and many banks will also know that customer service appears to be bottom of their list of priorities. The amount of times I have rung up an airline, telecom, or bank here and been asked to key in my account number/loyalty number/telephone number “to speed things up” only for when I actually get to speak to an agent that they request it all again happens so frequently I have almost stopped arguing about it!

Also the amount of times I get rung on my mobile and asked “what is your mobile number” as a form of ID staggers me. “But you just rang it,” I say in exasperation. Where’s the customer service in annoying the customer by asking him for information that you already asked him for or clearly already have?

It’s time for a fundamental change of focus in Singapore if it doesn’t want to become synonymous with bad service. Remember 60% of customers who have had a bad experience aren’t telling the brand concerned but they are telling everyone else.

Source: IPSOS