For the second year in a row, Shangri-La was ranked Singapore's best customer service provider. SINGAPORE – Despite dwindling visitor arrivals and dampened demand for the hotel industry, luxury hotel brand Shangri-La topped a ranking of Singapore’s best customer service providers for the second year running. Hotel brands once again performed well, taking half of the top 10 spots in the 2024/2025 edition of Singapore’s Best Customer Service survey .
The survey results were released on Aug 21. The other hotels in the top 10 list were Parkroyal Collection at No. 2, followed by Marina Bay Sands, Mandarin Oriental at No.
7 and Marriott at No. 10. Open for just over a year, Bird Paradise in Mandai Wildlife Reserve entered the top 10 for the first time, and placed No.
4. Pizza restaurant chain PizzaExpress was the other new entrant, at No. 9.
Cat supply pet store CatSmart climbed one spot to No. 5. Airlines All Nippon Airways and Singapore Airlines took the No.
6 and No. 8 places respectively. The survey , conducted by The Straits Times and leading global data firm Statista in March and April, identified Singapore’s best customer service retailers and service providers from among 1,800 companies across 99 categories.
Around 5,500 respondents took part in the survey that assessed organisations which provide customer experiences in traditional retail, online and services segments. New categories introduced in the ranking this year were casual dining restaurants and moving services. According to Statista, some categories that saw their average score improve were car-sharing services, low-cost airlines and furniture retailers.
But it was still the premium and luxury hotels, amusement park experiences and high-end restaurants categories that continued to outperform others in terms of customer service, as they have done during all three editions of the ranking. The dominance of the transport and travel industry in particular can be attributed to consumers travelling more, noted Statista analyst Camille Lebon. According to a Statista global consumer survey, more than half of Singapore consumers travelled more than twice for private purposes in 2023.
Additionally, 45 per cent of people living in Singapore expressed a willingness to experience something unique during their travels. “Travel, hospitality and leisure brands tend to build more personalised experiences in order to create unique moments and a lasting impression on their customers, so this may explain why they outperformed the other categories again this year,” Ms Lebon told ST, adding that it was the same case for other similar surveys in the United States and France. In Singapore, international visitor arrivals fell in three straight months – from 1.
46 million in March, when American singer Taylor Swift staged six concerts at the National Stadium, to a low of 1.25 million in June. The number finally climbed up to 1.
6 million in July. Average hotel room rates also took a hit, falling to $268.87 in June, the lowest so far this year.
“Despite the challenges faced by the hotel industry this year, Shangri-La Singapore has maintained a strong focus on enhancing our guest experiences, which has enabled us to remain competitive,” said the hotel’s general manager, Mr John Rice. Mr Rice said the hotel brand regularly conducts training and development programmes for staff, ensures staff retention, and fosters a culture of proactive and attentive service. This is on top of actively seeking feedback from guests and colleagues to continuously refine its offerings, based on guest preferences and suggestions, he added.
Shangri-La regularly conducts training and development programmes, ensures staff retention, and fosters a culture of proactive and attentive service. PHOTO: SHANGRI-LA SINGAPORE Among the new developments is the upgrading of its Orchard Road hotel’s outdoor water playground Splash, which is scheduled to close in September and reopen in late November. “We also work closely with the local authorities to identify and target emerging markets and travellers coming into Singapore, ensuring we stay ahead of trends and meet the needs of a diverse and global clientele,” said Mr Rice.
“We are truly honoured and humbled to once again be recognised as Singapore’s top organisation for customer service...
Our colleagues’ dedication to creating a welcoming environment where our guests feel valued and safe, alongside our training programmes and efforts to adapt to the evolving needs of today’s travellers, have been pivotal to our success.” How companies are chosen and ranked The ranking for Singapore’s Best Customer Service 2024/2025 was based on the results of an anonymous online survey commissioned by The Straits Times in partnership with global data firm Statista. The survey covered more than 1,800 retailers and service providers in 99 categories, providing results for a broad spectrum of customer experiences in traditional retail, online and services segments.
More than 5,500 respondents took part in the survey, and evaluations from the 2023/2024 edition were also considered with a smaller weightage, resulting in more than 96,000 evaluations of customer service being analysed. Those who were polled comprised customers in Singapore who had made purchases, used services, or gathered information about products or services in the past three years. For each category, the most relevant brands were included in the scope of the survey according to reputation, turnover or market share.
Only companies that offer services in Singapore were taken into account. Calculation of scores The final ranking was based on how likely it was that customers would recommend a company to others. This made up 50 per cent of the total score.
The other half of the final score was based on five criteria, with respondents giving ratings on a scale of zero (worst) to 10 (best). The criteria were: The top three or top five brands – based on category size – receiving the highest scores in each category were awarded the Singapore’s Best Customer Service 2024/25 title. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
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