Singapore's shoppers are happier with retailers than they have been since 2007, according to the latest Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG). Despite retailers' fears that their lack of manpower following tighter foreign labour policies could hit service standards and customer satisfaction, the Institute of Service Excellence at SMU (ISES) on Thursday gave the retail sector its best score since the index was launched in 2007. Its satisfaction score hit a high of 72.2 out of a possible hundred, 3 points higher than a year ago. The info-communications sector also managed to achieve a record score of 67.7 points, 1.7 point up from a year ago. "The significantly higher customer satisfaction levels reflect efforts invested by the service providers in overall customer experience and keeping up with customer expectations. Our data suggests that the manpower crunch doesn't mean that customer satisfaction would suffer," said ISES Director Caroline Lim. This is possible if companies adopt customer-centric strategies, and know what their customers' needs and expectations are. As for the infocommunications sector, the three dominant telcos here have managed to raise customer satisfaction to a record high as well.