Shangri-La hotel is No. 1 for customer service in 2023, pet shop grabs 6th spot

SINGAPORE — Hotels and airlines bounced back in full force in this year's edition of Singapore's Best Customer Service survey, as Orchard Road hotel Shangri-La Singapore trumped more than 1,800 companies for the top honours.

Half of the top 10 spots were taken by hotel brands, the others being Mandarin Oriental (No. 2), Parkroyal Collection (No. 4), Hyatt (No. 5) and Marina Bay Sands (No. 9).

National carriers Qatar Airways (No. 3) and Singapore Airlines (No. 8) also placed in the top 10.

The top performer in 2022, home-grown audio company TC Acoustic, slipped to No. 7, just pipped by a new entry — cat supply pet store CatSmart — at No. 6. Rounding out the top 10 was restaurant Skai, located on the 70th floor of Swissotel The Stamford.

Singapore's Best Customer Service survey 2023/2024 sought to identify the country's best customer service retailers and service providers across 99 categories. The results of the annual survey, conducted by The Straits Times and leading global data firm Statista, were released on Wednesday.

The companies span bricks-and-mortar retailers for clothing, food and home goods; beauty and wellness services; and online services and digital products. New categories introduced this year included grooming services, pet supply retailers and online home furnishings.

Over 5,300 respondents took part in the online survey in March and April, where they were asked to assess organisations based on criteria including the availability of customer service and whether communication was friendly and polite. These were applied to both physical stores and online platforms.

The top 10 overall best customer service providers were picked from the 327 businesses which made it to the top three or top five in their categories.

"The bounce-back from post-pandemic travel may have had a major effect on the results," noted Statista analyst Camille Lebon, who added that the category of transportation and travel also scored well in other countries such as France and the United States, where similar surveys are conducted.

She said: "In fact, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has said that the level of tourism has surpassed the official predictions, and that hotel occupancy has increased. Travellers also spend the most on accommodation, shopping and airfare expenses."

In its projections at the start of 2023, STB said international visitor arrivals in Singapore were expected to hit between 12 million and 14 million in 2023, with full tourism recovery expected by 2024.

Singapore's international visitor arrivals climbed to 1.42 million in July, driven by a stronger return of Chinese travellers, which more than doubled from June. In the first half of 2023, Singapore recorded 6.28 million visitor arrivals.

For the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020, a total of 5.12 million passengers passed through Changi Airport in June - marking the first time that monthly passenger traffic crossed the five million mark.

Shangri-La Singapore general manager John Rice said business recovery at the 52-year-old hotel has been promising as international travel resumes.

"We continue to focus on regaining customer confidence through flexible booking initiatives and tailored experiential packages, which have enabled us to capture a strong share of the returning market... We are optimistic about the future," said Mr Rice.

The hotel, which is the flagship property of the Shangri-La group, in 2023 also hosted high-profile events such as the 20th edition of Asia's top security summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue.

Spanning the Tower, Garden and Valley Wing, the 6ha property houses 11 restaurants and bars serving Cantonese, Japanese, modern European and Italian cuisine, among others.

From introducing contactless check-in and check-out, to targeting regional and overseas travellers seeking experiential staycation experiences with a local touch, unique dining options and wellness offerings, Mr Rice said that "obsessing over the customer experience" has been a core belief that has guided Shangri-La's team through the pandemic, and beyond.

Statista's Ms Lebon noted: "The post-pandemic customer service landscape remains very competitive since consumer expectations continue to be affected by the changed circumstances that the pandemic brought, such as more flexible schedules and increased accessibility of services.

"Therefore, brands need to adjust their customer service strategies, combining new technologies, personal contact, and an engaging buying experience in order to meet clients' expectations. Based on our survey, customers are still prioritising professional competence and accessibility when it comes to customer service, which is consistent with last year's results."

How companies are chosen and ranked

The ranking for Singapore's Best Customer Service 2023/2024 was based on the results of an anonymous online survey commissioned by The Straits Times in partnership with global data firm Statista.

The survey covered more than 1,800 retailers and service providers across 99 categories.

More than 5,300 respondents took part in the survey, and evaluations from the 2022/2023 edition were also considered with a smaller weightage, resulting in more than 92,000 evaluations of customer service being analysed.

Those who were polled comprised customers in Singapore who had made purchases, used services, or gathered information about products or services in the past three years.

Every category included at least five well-established companies for reference, and respondents could add companies to any category. Only companies that offer services in Singapore were taken into account.

Calculation of scores

The final ranking was based on how likely it was that customers would recommend a company to others. This made up 50 per cent of the total score.

The other half of the final score was based on five criteria, with respondents giving ratings on a scale of zero (worst) to 10 (best).

The criteria were:

• Quality of communication: This considered whether the contact — via e-mail, phone or face to face — was friendly and polite.
• Professional competence: This looked at the quality of information received, and whether questions were answered correctly and in sufficient detail.
• Range of services: This considered the variety of solutions available.
• Customer focus: This looked at whether the customer felt acknowledged and important.
• Accessibility: This considered the availability of customer service in a shop or on a helpline.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.