Genuine VS Quality Service in Singapore

[lyn528]

Hi, id like to find out YOUR views on the service standard of hospitality industry in Singapore. Do You think Singaporeans are genuine when delivering quality services? Please share.

id appreciate if there are sincere responses out there. Thank you!

[sundaymorningstaple]

I personally don't think you CAN deliver quality service without being genuine. Having said that, in order to answer your question better, can you tell us where you can get quality service? That way I can go see if it appears that they are genuine.

[lost_canuck]

canada?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Surely you Jest!

I know, "Don't call me Shirley!" But yes, there is good service in Montreal but otherwise?

[huggybear]

But yes, there is good service in Montreal but otherwise?

Ummmm...do you mean "good" service, or "full" service?

[lost_canuck]

Surely you Jest!

I know, "Don't call me Shirley!" But yes, there is good service in Montreal but otherwise?

Where otherwise have you been? Ontario does not a canada make

Alberta and BC I find good service everywhere I go, friendly, outgoing, helpful, almost too helpful, but not as in your face as here in singapore, I feel like I am being stalked in shops along orchard road.

and who has been full serviced in montreal? hmmmm????

[ksl]

I personally don't think you CAN deliver quality service without being genuine. Having said that, in order to answer your question better, can you tell us where you can get quality service? That way I can go see if it appears that they are genuine.

SMS You have been in Singapore too long!!! and the reply is go and see, not go see! Now you sound like my daughters teacher

I wasn't even aware that we are writing in real time almost! Thanks to major Baron from Amsterdam. And Iv'e to be up early!

[2die4]

Hi, id like to find out YOUR views on the service standard of hospitality industry in Singapore. Do You think Singaporeans are genuine when delivering quality services? Please share.

id appreciate if there are sincere responses out there. Thank you!

Honestly speaking service standard here in Singapore is not so good and not so bad as well...

to be fair, there are restaurants, botiques, shops, etc. that i've been to where they provide good service, whether it's genuine or not shouldn't be my problem it should be the one giving the service's problem, it's their conscience anyway...

but I have to say that there are still a lot of locals who are not very hospitable even if it's part of their job...

sorry to say this, but i guess, it's part of the racial discrimanation which is sad to say a perennial situation here in Singapore...

without bias on being a Filipino, I've had some experiences that when I go to some botiques retail assistants wouldn't even come to me to ask what i need or what i want and when a local comes in they're sure to go out of their way to talk to that person... i've seen this happened to other races as well...

one time this happened and it ended up that i bought an expensive item and the local they approached went out after seeing just one item and realised that their prices were way overboard...

i don't mean to be mean but sometimes they really tend to judge even before they know...

I've come to see that as a norm here in SG, but there are situations when services here are really good, i went to this spa and they did a very good job...

i guess it all boils down to personal being and not Singapore service standard in general...

I mean if the person knows what his or her job entails then he/she shouldn't have a problem offering good service or better yet genuine quality service...

[Loops]

i guess it all boils down to personal being and not Singapore service standard in general...

very true. I've been in the same department store and had bad service on Level 2 and great service on Level 1. Both, I imagine, had experienced in-store training to some level but they were very different people.

[germangirl]

my experience shows, that usually in every shop I walk in at least one person walks up on me asking to help me... i am not used to that and usually prefer to walk through a shop, look around by myself until i see something i like. I am used to run around until i find someone who can help me, in case i have questions. So regarding this I think the service is kind of too much... and sometimes i end up going without buying anything, because they just won't leave me alone
same is in restaurants.... in many restaurants there are so many waiter, you harldy see that much in western countries I would say. Still it is questionable if the service is better just because there are more people to offer a service???? Especially with service it always depends on the single person and their attention to keep the right mean.

[Victor_rs]

In my opinion there is few genuine service in Singapore, quality not at all.

For me genuine in Singapore consists in small food markets where old men sit together to drink beer, they speak their own dialects and their eyes are absorbed into the smoke of cigars. If you try to find more about these persons some of them have illegal farms out of the paths. The government has pushed them to poverty but they refuse to become the new race of hybrid westernised citizens. From these people you can find genuine and interesting service, but they need time to get used to your presence. You have to be a regular customer. Cross the border to JB and the possibilities increase. I use to get from them vegetables, durians, fruits, bicycle service for a good price and good service maybe because they appreciate people who like fresh, row products. Some of them still hunt wild pigs.

Back to the Singaporean standard, the quality in general is far from western expectations because it’s a matter of commercial benefits. I have the impression that sellers and servers are not really interested in what they sell or maybe they don't see a real benefit for the customer with what they offer. The best you want the more expensive and you have to be extra careful to avoid being cheated. Unfortunately the Singaporean offer is systematically copy paste from western products and there is small place to genuine things. Of course the same standard can be seen as very good quality for neighbouring countries like Indonesia where the offer is limited even for who can pay for it; then Singapore becomes attractive.

[huggybear]

yes there is discrimination here. But can you name one country where there is no discrimination? I cannot think of one. Maybe Greenland?

I think the service here is pretty poor but they really do get an "A" for effort. I think the poor service is perhaps a result of benign neglect. They don't know any better and they don't really care to improve their service. That being said, they do try and if you keep asking for what you want / need usually they just fold. had some bad experiences where you order the starter and that is the last dish that comes out. Or when you order a drink and they bring you the wrong one. But they don't seem to get mad when you insist on getting what you order where as in other countries people may try to defend themselves saying that I ordered the incorrect dish.

everyone is nice tho and having a good attitude can make up for a lot.

[germangirl]

what I don't really get is, that there is such a big and wide offer in spore for everthing... when you look for cameras, i,e., there are thousand places you can go to... so why don't they offer you a real good service, where you actually feel good, and not pushed to just buy the more expensive one... that's what i experienced... but i have the choise and go to the neighboring shop... i don't get it, how all of them can survive....

[sillingw]

I have experienced excellent service and very poor service, the same as in other countries that I have lived. It's too easy to be generic (that includes the race comments as well) too often we expect the cheapest price and yet want the best service. I also think that a tipping culture engenders a better level of service, but I hate tipping cultures.

[sundaymorningstaple]

There have been cases written up in the papers for some of the service persons in Singapore. Ironically, 95% of the time is turns out that the service giver is NOT a Singaporean but a Malaysian, Nepalese, Thai, Fillipina/o, or other non-Singaporean.

I think the problem here is the government has made the service industry into a career path that is just about at the same level as your local estate cleaner. I don't mean this to be degrading but it is my observations over a 20+ year period. The government attachment of a 20% "service" charge makes the giving of "service" a JOB and not a profession. Tell a "Butler" in NYC that his is ONLY a "JOB" and see what happens. Or a 5* Maitre`di his is only a JOB.

Here, there is absolutely no incentive to be in the service industry. If you are, it's usually only temporary until you can find a "real" job. Because of this, the public has to suffer. If they would cut out the "surcharges" and let them earn their tips (and keep them without having to split them with everybody) then you would see more people willing to come forward or at least those already in that sector would tend to be a wee bit more attentive. If they aren't they would soon leave as the basic salaries would be lowered as their primary income would be tip income. (Problem with this, from a government POV, is that how to collect taxes on cash payments) By having a service charge the employer normally keeps it (sob's) and the individual gets an IR8A at the end of the year. Course with the low tax rate, IRAS still doesn't get anything but that's another thing.