The stereotype of the hard-to-please Singaporean customers is a busted myth, but great customer experience assures long-term revenue, according to a report commissioned by Zendesk.
Results of the study, based on an online survey of 502 consumers in Singapore who have received online or phone customer service, both affirm and challenge some of these perceptions about local consumers.
Findings disprove that Singaporeans share only the bad stuff. While nine out of 10 consumers will tell someone about bad service they’ve had, they are also just as likely to talk about a good service encounter.
Also, findings confirm that local consumers are impatient as over 75% want customer service to be faster, and over half will not wait over an hour on one customer service channel before switching to another to get the answer they’re looking for.
Further, while the use phones and emails still remain the most used channels for customer service among Singaporeans, they will also choose their channel based on the complexity of the request.
The research also found that customer service has a profound impact on buying behaviours. About five in every six (86%) agree that a positive customer experience (CX) changed their future buying behaviour for the better.
Also, 94% agreed that bad CX changes future buying behaviour for the worst. Close to two in every five (37%) of customers that had a bad CX encounter said they would go the extra mile to recommend others not to buy a product or service.
“Our research shows that though Singaporean customers are relatively demanding, they aren’t unreasonable,” said Malcolm Koh, CX strategist in APAC at Zendesk.
Koh said brands that are able to meet and exceed expectations and deliver great customer experience will be rewarded with more of customer recommendations, referrals and greater brand loyalty.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but all brands can start the journey of boosting the CX they provide by first deepening their understanding of their customers and building care, trust and relationship with them,” said Koh.
