Benchmarks and Tracking of Customer Experience and Standards in Singapore's Hospitality and Retail Sectors
Ministry of Trade and IndustrySpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui’s inquiry on whether the Ministry of Trade and Industry tracks customer experience in the hospitality and retail sectors and the specific metrics used for these benchmarks. Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong responded that the Ministry relies on external data, such as the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore, which evaluates quality of communication and professional competence. While retail satisfaction has improved since 2020, it remains below pre-pandemic levels, and hotel sector data was discontinued during the pandemic due to low international arrivals. Consequently, the Singapore Tourism Board will review methods to assess customer satisfaction through individual hotel surveys to ensure industry standards are tracked. This approach leverages metrics like range of services and accessibility while addressing the need for updated hospitality data during the sector's recovery.
Transcript
56 Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Ministry tracks the customer experience and standards of the hospitality and retail sectors; (b) if so, how have such sectors rebounded in terms of customer experience and standards since the start of 2022; and (c) what are the metrics and benchmarks used to measure customer experience.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) does not collect data on the customer experience and standards of the hospitality and retail sectors. For such information, we will refer to data or surveys from external sources. For example, Singapore Management University (SMU)'s Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) publishes a yearly Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG), while The Straits Times and Statista have produced a ranking of "Singapore's Best Customer Service 2022/23". Some of the metrics used to rank Singapore’s retailers and service providers include (a) the quality of communication, (b) professional competence, (c) range of services, (d) customer focus and (e) accessibility.
Based on the data from CSISG, the scores for the retail sector declined in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While there has been some improvement, customer satisfaction is not back to pre-pandemic levels. Similar data for the hotel sector is not available as SMU’s ISE discontinued the survey in 2020. This was due to the low level of international visitor arrivals during the pandemic and other priorities of the university. Going forward, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will review how they can assess the level of customer satisfaction through individual hotel surveys.