STB Promotes Quality Service with Singapore Service Star

Businesses from the retail, nightspot and food & beverage industries in Singapore providing good service will now get a special mark of recognition under a new accreditation scheme launched by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The Singapore Service Star is a service accreditation scheme that seeks to recognise and promote businesses that deliver good service and inspire the industry towards service excellence. Surveys conducted by the STB to study tourists’ perception of service have showed that service quality is one of the key drivers of satisfaction, surpassing other factors such as variety of products and value for money. The 2007 study also showed that 90% of tourists would feel more confident in patronising a store recognised by a quality scheme.

“Consumers today are increasingly sophisticated, well-travelled and discerning, and it is only natural that they have heightened expectations when it comes to service quality. More visitors have cited the value of quality service as essential. With the challenging economic outlook now, it is even more imperative for businesses to differentiate themselves with the extra ‘X’ factor by providing an unforgettable experience with quality service. It is only through an ingrained culture of service excellence that Singapore will differentiate itself as a premier tourist destination,” said Ms Neeta Lachmandas, Director of Service Quality at the STB.

Charter Members

More than 300 organisations from the retail, food & beverage and nightspot industries have joined the Singapore Service Star as charter members for two years. These establishments were selected based on their history of providing good service and they have, in addition, also achieved good scores in the mystery shopping conducted, performing above the industry average.

The charter members have also fulfilled the scheme’s pre-requisites and membership criteria including complying with the scheme’s code of practice and trade requirements, and had no history of warning letters from STB. Businesses in the jewellery sector will also have to undergo annual audits by a qualified gemologist. Membership will be renewable on an annual basis conditional upon meeting the membership criteria. Some charter members include Gucci, Royal Sporting House, Palm Beach Seafood, Les Amis, The Arena and Zouk.

Singapore Service Star Benefits

Members under the Singapore Service Star will also receive benefits. In recognition of their efforts in providing good service, they will receive a Singapore Service Star decal which they can display prominently at their shop front. The listing of members will also be publicised internationally through STB’s worldwide offices, external publications and echannels.

To help them address service gaps, STB will provide members with information on customers’ expectations and perception through annual customer exit surveys as well as mystery shopping results.

In addition, selected members will be showcased as industry role models through dedicated editorials, profiles and write-ups as leaders in service excellence. They will also receive invitations to free or discounted seminars on service excellence with internationally recognised keynote speakers.

Consumers can look out for the Star decal when they next go shopping, dining or clubbing and be rest assured that these establishments stand out from the rest in terms of service delivery.

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