Customers happier with eateries this year, survey shows

According to the latest report released by the Institute of Service Excellence at SMU (ISES) report on the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore, customers became more satisfied with restaurants and cafés in Singapore this year, but satisfaction with hotels, attractions and travel agencies remained flat. The food and beverage sector produced a score of 67.1 out of 100 this year, up from 65.8 last year whereas the tourism sector inched up from 69.1 to 69.4. The annual study also shed light on how customer behaviour affected satisfaction levels and revealed that the quality of an attraction affected customer satisfaction the most, regardless of whether discounts of free passes were given. SMU Assistant Professor of Marketing (Practice) and ISES Academic Director Marcus Lee said that businesses should not remove discounts and price promotions as these are still useful tools to entice and get visitors in the door. However, the study shows the importance of periodically innovating and refreshing the visitor experience so as to spur satisfaction and promote revisits.