People matter more than trays

Citing the latest Customer Satisfaction Index released by the [Institute of Service Excellence at]SMU, Mr Richard Hartung, a consultant living in Singapore wrote that tourists are "considerably less satisfied" with the service when dining, in restaurants for example, and customer loyalty scores for tourists and locals had taken a turn for the worse, with all the scores in the Index falling. While promoting tray returns at hawker centres does have its merits, shifting focus and resources towards more important programmes could bring about greater benefits by enhancing graciousness and in making Singapore an even better place to live. He also noted that further initiatives to improve service quality at food and beverage outlets could boost Customer Satisfaction scores, diners' happiness and tourist spending.