The Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) at the Singapore Management University (SMU) (卓越服务研究院) released the 2019 Q1 Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) results for the Retail and Info-Communications sectors today.
Both industry sectors increased their respective scores for the fifth consecutive year and recorded statistically higher levels of customer satisfaction compared to the same period last year. The Retail sector improved by 1.1% year-on-year to score 73.4 points (on a 0 to 100 scale). The Info-communications sector made even stronger gains, scoring 72.1 points, a 2.4% improvement over 2018. These results were based on 6,900 interviews with retail customers and info-communication service subscribers. The study was conducted between January and April 2019.
Within the Retail sector, which comprised of four constituent sub-sectors, the Department Stores and e-Commerce sub-sectors showed marked improvements of 1.6% and 1.5% year-on-year, respectively; both the Department Stores and e-Commerce sub-sectors recorded 73.0 points in customer satisfaction. The other two Retail sub-sectors, namely Fashion Apparels and Supermarkets, recorded smaller upticks over the past year to score 73.4 points and 73.6 points, respectively.
The Info-Communications sector also saw marked improvements in two of its four constituent sub-sectors. The Broadband sub-sector scored 70.6 points while the PayTV sub-sector scored 70.2 points, improvements of 2.6% and 3.2% year-on-year, respectively. The Mobile Telecom and Wireless@SG sub-sectors also recorded higher scores from the previous year, at 72.7 points and 73.2 points, respectively. However, these upticks were not considered statistically significant.
For more details, please click here for the ISE Presentation.
Keynote Presentation
Before commencing the CSISG Q1 results announcement for the Retail and Info-Communications sectors, the Institute of Service Excellence had the privilege of having Mr. Jörg Dietzel open the forum with his keynote presentation titled “Staying Relevant in the Digital Age”.
Jörg has worked in Advertising, Branding and Communication for twenty five years, half of them in Asia, both on the client- and agency-side. He built a global network for Audi based out of London, ran DDB China, opened DDB Berlin and looked after multinational clients for BBDO Asia based out of Hong Kong. Most recently, he was the Global Head of Creative and Sales Media at Audi AG.
The keynote presentation covered two essential takeaways. Firstly, which questions to ask in staying relevant as a brand or business and secondly, how to leverage your brand within the digital realm. The following provides a summary of the topics and content from the presentation.
Maintaining Relevance
A simple but effective way to staying relevant to your target audiences or market is always asking three simple questions.
- Who is your target
- Where is your target
- What do they want
Brands need to correctly identify and understand their customer segments, the environment and context which they are in and what their customers are pursuing. A good understanding of the above would open valuable opportunities to create unique experiences and memorable engagements.
There are many established brands across varying industries that have managed to create the right relevance and engagement. Commonly, they have the ability to successful convey what they want to stand for in their audiences minds and hearts accurately, and can sustain a long-term engaging relationship with their consumers.
Addressing the Needs in the Digital Age
As businesses and brands embrace outreach and media channels in the digital age, they should be mindful of how products are perceived and positioned. Jörg highlighted the need for products to be progressive, looking beyond traditional considerations and seeing how your products can become an integral part of consumer lifestyles, experiences, and mindshare. With the proliferation of digital platforms and channels, organisations could start to create more content, focusing on their customers’ lifestyles but also subtly inserting the brand into the conversation in a meaningful way.
In capturing the attention of audiences today, your story and content is a key differentiator to how the public perceives your brand and what it stands for. Being honest, creating interest, and fostering engagement are commonly overlooked but critical approaches to how the brand can be communicated. In accentuating the brand story or content, identifying positive or unique brand elements (e.g., brand history, specialisation, unique propositions) could also further differentiate and create memorable impressions for consumers.
Customer segments like the “Millennial Generation” will no longer be taken in with hard selling tactics. Moreover, similar social or demographic groups are now expecting brands and products to stand for something more than just the product or service itself. This may come in the form of values, principles, and also the social and economic trends of today (e.g., sustainability).
Associations to cultural moments are also useful and impactful ways of reaching and relating to audiences. These moments are something that is already happening or something that people are already paying attention to (e.g., festivities, events, and milestones); use them as an elevator to move your brand up.
In the digital realm, work on making the statement based on your story and crafted content. By making sure it is relatable, you will be able to achieve the right engagement.
For Jörg’s presentation deck, please click here.
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