Service With A Smile?

Singapore and Service have only recently been introduced. It is a complicated relationship but the good news is that there seems to be constant positive headway. Although, at times I might even disagree with my own sunny outlook on this situation.

Taxi cab rides in this country are infamous in their reputation for poor customer service. Singapore is a relatively small country - a mere 683 sq km (266 sq mi); Greater London, however, is a whopping 1,580 sq km (610 sq mi) yet hop into a cab in London and you are almost guaranteed that your driver will know how to get to the address that you request. This is because London Black Cab drivers are required to pass a test consisting of roughly 25,000 streets and 1,400 landmarks - mastering this information can take them anywhere from two to four years.

Now I am not suggesting that Singapore taxi drivers go to such rigorous lengths but certainly they should have a working knowledge of how to get to well-traveled locations and tourist landmarks. Sadly, as a tourist, you should never jump into a cab in this city without a map in hand and a general idea of where it is you want to go. I live in central Singapore and I have had drivers who didn't know where Orchard Road was....this is equivalent to a London cabbie not knowing where to find Big Ben.

I could go on about other poor experiences: cabbies not budging from their seat to help pregnant ladies with groceries or someone on crutches maneuver the door or trunk BUT I HAVE had wonderful, albeit rare, service experiences with a handful of taxi drivers. This always leaves me slightly stunned and fumbling for extra change to give as a tip to show my undying gratitude. When service goes right, I want to make sure and acknowledge it.

So, what about restaurants and retail?

In most pricey restaurants you will find staff that has been adequately trained in customer service - meaning you get what you order in a timely manner...sometimes they even know what wine to suggest. I can personally recommend the following restaurants - they have fantastic menues and have consistantly shown great customer service - on par with other service savvy countries:

• Blu - at the Shanri-La Hotel http://www.shangri-la.com
• Desire - at the Scarlett Hotel - 33 Erskine Road Singapore 069333Tel: +65 6511 3333
• Brewerkz - http://www.brewerkz.com/
• PS Cafe - 28B Harding Road, Tel: 6479-3343

Unfortunately, retail is sadly lacking when it comes to customer service. Department store staff are masters of the obvious so asking a specific question about the features and benefits of a product will likely get you a big, fat goose egg and a blank stare. I will get eager saleswomen at the upscale department stores who will point out to me that what I am looking at is a purse and after a polite thank you from me will continue to tell me that it comes in all of the various colors that I see in front of me. Very helpful.

If you are in the market for a bed or any item for which you need comparative information, well you are just doomed to a very frustrating experience if you shop a department store. You see, these stores are filled with representatives of each brand. The thought is that that salesperson will be an "expert" on that brand - if, however, you need information about which product will best serve your list of specific needs then you actually have to present your list to each manufacturers rep, listen to their product pitch, then make a decision. If there are 10 brands to choose from, this process could take all afternoon. Not very customer oriented or customer friendly service.

There is hope on the horizon, however - a Service Superman if you will. His name is Ron Kaufman (http://www.ronkaufman.com/) and his passions are Service and Singapore. He is coaching this complicated relationship between Service and Singapore through to a "happily-ever-after" scenario. He has worked with many major corporations ie. Singapore Airlines - THE most customer savvy airlines in the biz in my opinion. And he has created a Service University where he is bound and determined to teach world class service techniques to Singapore businesses. He has people waking up to the idea that serving customers needs is just good business and that this strategy will certainly increase the bottom line by winning customer loyalty and insuring those customers provide future business opportunities. I believe Mr. Kaufman just might be on to something......

The Singapore Zoo

I am not a huge fan of zoos.

However, I like that most of them these days are getting more and more mindful that animals need natural habitat enclosures. But mostly zoo's are sad places for me...so I don't go.

The Singapore Zoo on the other hand is an amazing experience. The enclosures are larger than most zoos and the animals look well-cared for. There are even a few rambunctous Monkeys that run around free and terrorize unsuspecting visitors.

You can get up close to the elephants and the trainers put on an unusual show... demonstrating the pachyderm penial extender. Tsk, tsk... and this is the family show!

$4 Apples and $2 Cab Rides

There are a lot of things that sometimes seem a little out of balance here. Today, the oddity lies in the fact that I can purchase a $4 apple at the grocery store and spend less than $2 in cab fare getting to that grocery store.

Why on earth would I buy a $4 apple?

Curiosity of course! I should think that a $4 apple could have actually tempted Adam and I wanted to experience the ultimate in sinful natural treats. Alas, the Japanese Mutsu temptation tastes far better with a glob of peanut butter on it. Luckily for us mortals, the snake did not have a jar of Jiff--Adam would never have seen that apple and the world would be a far less interesting place.