It all started with an upgrade of an Internet broadband plan (from a long overdue re-contract) that renders my residential phone dead and my Internet connection down for more than a day and counting. But that is not all. I am surprised that such a mammoth national organization with a turnover of S$13.15 billion (US$8.41 billion) and net profit after tax of S$3.78 billion (US$2.42 billion) does not even have a decent customer relationship management tool in place. 10 years ago, in order to inform them that they have misspelled my name as “Wilfrio”, I have to call the telephone services department for my residential line, the mobile services department for my two wireless phone numbers, and International calling services department for my two International Calling Cards. And today, there is little difference. You will see why.
Last evening, I tried plugging into the Internet and … panic! I still could not do so. Granted, the sales person told me that during the upgrade of Internet speed (I was inspired to do so after testing my Internet connection at Tigerfish’s webbie), my connection may be down for a couple of hours. But that was close to 24 hours! Times like this when you really need some emergency numbers to call but without being able to visit the SingTel website, how am I to call them for help? I did a search in my neighborhood to see if there are some kind souls out there leaving their Internet connections unencrypted and there were none! Couple of years ago, most people didn’t care about encrypting their wireless connections. What happens to the good old days when people leave their main doors unlocked?! What happens when someone like me who just want to … borrow some sugar while you are not at home?!
Fortunately, I still have the text message from the sales person and inside, there is a number to call for broadband technical assistance. Did you know that there are more than 20 numbers customers can call for various SingTel services? Some observe normal office hours, some are free, and some are with per minute charge. The technical assistance number, as I recall, is open till midnight. So I placed a call to SingTel at 11.30pm.
As usual, even with a diversity of 20 different numbers to call, the machine asked me to make several menu selections as well as to punch in my residential home number.
Finally, a friendly operator …
SingTel: Good evening, this is ABC speaking. How may I help you?
Me: Good evening, I have a problem.
SingTel: (eagerly waiting)
Me: My Internet connection is dead.
SingTel: May I have your residential number, please?
Didn’t I just punch in?! Not time for a quarrel so I told her my number.
Me: And my residential line is dead too. I have upgraded my plan recently and was told that the connection will be down for a couple of hours. Nothing seems to work for many hours. Can you help me with this?
SingTel: I can certainly help! Did you upgrade your plan today?
Me: No, I did it last week.
SingTel: Can I have your Internet ID please?
Duh … it’s not in their systems somewhere?
SingTel: Please hold for a moment.
I was falling asleep.
SingTel: Have you relocated to a new address?
Me: Like moving house?
SingTel: Yes.
Me: It’s a re-contract of broadband plan. My address is the same; my numbers are the same …
SingTel: Hold on please.
Duh! Relocation? Where did she get that from?
SingTel: Sorry to keep you waiting. I will need to ask one of the residential line managers to call you tomorrow.
Me: Oh no! That means I will have no phone line or Internet connection for until don’t know when? (In retrospect, men say the dumbest things in situations like this by merely stating the obvious not unlike You are leaving me? You don’t love me anymore?)
SingTel: I am afraid not.
Me: (sulking)
SingTel: Can I have your mobile number please?
Huh, didn’t my number show on the call ID panel? And it was not as though she did not have my complete profile in front of her computer screens.
Or did she?
Back to my comment on SingTel that may not even have a decent customer relationship management tool. I bet the technical assistant did not know that I have been a loyal SingTel customer for 12 years since the days of the pagers.
Duh!
As of now, nothing is working, still.
16 replies on “Boo To SingTel!”
Well, you’re right they do not have a decent CRM tool. And that’s because their current one, as I understand it, was implemented by the company that I suspect you know quite well 😉
To be honest, both SingTel and StarHub have been terrible as far as customer service is concerned. A lot of it boils down to their internal corporate culture. On a similar note, I’ve had terrible experiences with DBS as well.
It think there is a big market for consultancy services that teach companies to improve their customer service. Maybe they should install electric devices on the chairs of the customer service operators. Customers can then submit a survey, and when the rating is very poor, electric currents are emitted and shock them to death.
Darkspore – I knew it! That company …
Anyway, I wish that they are more customer centric and empower the call centers and customer facing officers to have a 360 degree view of the customer profile regardless of departments.
About the shocking ppl to death … lol.
M1 is the best Wilf!!!
I have been their loyal customer for years and I never ONCE got bad service.
Once, I even had a customer service officer calling me with her mobile after her shift to ensure me that everything is fine. And my problem was not even that big a deal!
Each time I had a problem (be it big or small), help was prompt and the officers were always friendly.
Time to change service providers! 😛
I can say when telco becomes mammoth, they forget all the important details. CRM? Ha, I don’t think they’re paid well or commended to have good relationship with customers.
maybe they use excel to manage their customer database, and the spreadsheets are kinda messed up, cos they are not sync-ed and updated across the company.
maybe it takes too long to CTRL+F ur details cos their databases are all in ONE excel spreadsheet, and using their 256MB Ram desktops with WIN98 OS, it wld jus HANG.
lol 🙂 cheer up! hope ur problem gets fixed soon.
I guess when there is really not much competition, big companies tend to slack off on certain areas, in this case it is customer service.
G – So I heard from many people that M1 is good in terms of customer service. But I do have a love hate relationship with SingTel. I do like their products and in terms of crisis such as the damage of underwater cables, they do restore the services fast. At one time, I had both StarHub and SingTel Internet connection and it does show when such situation does arise. Besides I need the consistence speed for my online gaming … sigh.
TGS – You are right. It is how ironic that companies become big because of customer base in the first place …
That’s why I subscribed M1 for my mobile…. as I was well informed that the customer service of Singtel is lousy… Customer service is the key factor for companies to get the money out of my pocket! hehe… 😛 My experience with M1 has been quite good. I am impressed that they spent more than half an hour helping me choose the number that I like and finally waived the additional charge for me! =D
But if you are talking about the consistence speed for your onling gaming, I am not too sure then… hahaha… It is a hard choice between ‘capability to handle more frequent but small crisis’ vs ‘capability to handle rare but important big crisis’. In fact, I am wondering whether their technology has been improved in these years. I guess for companies which values customer service, they are also spending money on their quality of product to ensure the greatest customer satisfaction… In this age, I think technology is no longer the differentiating factor between competitors, but the people skills…
Daphne – Maybe you are right! After all, don’t all companies love … Excel spreadsheet? Thanks for your message. My problem is finally solved 🙂
Arzhou – True. We do have a timeline to liberate the telecommunication industry ya? Can’t wait to see how SingTel will become more customer centric.
Lora – If I am correct, SingTel is actually the one who owns the exchange infrastructure for the lines going out of Singapore. They then lease out the lines to other operators like StarHub and M1. Back to that underwater cable crisis, I think SingTel did send one boat (6 from the region) to repair the pipe and has proactively diverted the Internet traffic using other routes. The situation was stabilized within a few days. One of the reasons why I disconnect my StarHub connection was they took about a month to resolve a similar issue. Connection speed back then was really bad. I must say, their customer service officer seems more friendly, but less technically knowledgeable.
Hi, chance upon here & saw the post on Singtel. 🙂 It’s the management, the good for nothing managers and those supervisors. The staff has got not morale working at all. They don’t care about performing well at work because in Singtel, all you need is to kiss the right ass to get promoted.
Next time u have problems like this.. *touchwood*.. just tell the staff straight you want to speak to the manager in charge. 🙂
and Yes, I think you should draft a complaint letter & send it out because you might just get free subscription for a month or if ur “nastier” in ur letter, you might just get 3! hehe 😉
Thanks for your tips! Perhaps next time I really should ask for the manager in charge. Then again, ain’t they all bounded by the same process behind? Anyway, I may just write that letter … just that my temper is not as ‘hot’ as last week … lol.
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