Although there were several extensive mobile service outages over the last three years, consumers appear to be still satisfied with the service standards of the info-communications sector, which achieved a record-high score in the latest Customer Service Index of Singapore released on Thursday. The sector score went up 2.6 per cent from last year to 67.7 points, with SingTel leading the way in both the mobile and broadband sub-sectors, achieving scores of 69.3 points and 67.7 points respectively, both up more than 5 per cent from last year. The survey also found that mobile customers who have been with their telcos for more than two years have become less loyal to their service providers compared to newer subscribers. Director of the Institute of Service Excellence at SMU (ISES) Caroline Lim said: “It seems almost as if they (the longer-tenured customers) are looking for any opportunity to switch. This suggests that mobile telecommunications providers could be taking care of new customers better than existing customers who have a longer relationship with them.” ISES Academic Director Marcus Lee added: “Research suggests that it is more productive for companies to retain and keep existing customers than expend resources to recruit new ones. Thus, it may be prudent for our telcos to investigate why their longer-tenured customers are becoming less loyal over the years.”