The Bus Driver and the NTUC Cashier + McDonald’s

28Sep08

1 good 1 bad experience this week. Both experiences relate to the level of service in Singapore, from Locally renowned companies.

The Bad happened first, this is how it goes. 2 nights ago, i was taking my bus back from work. You see, I live in an area whereby i wld need to switch to a feeder bus at the bus interchange, bus no. 57. Well, it’s not exactly a feeder, but it passes by my housing area. SBS got rid of the previous feeder service 274 because of the introduction of 2 new services that go by my area from the interchange, that sucked big time, because 57 takes forever to come. My grandma commented (blasted at me) that she waited 1 hr at the interchange just a few days ago for this service 57. Anyway, what happened to me was that during that fateful (actually not so fateful) night, i missed my bus. It was still at the interchange, turning turning and stop at the traffic light at the exit of the interchange. Instead of running to the waiting area, due to my quick thinking, i ran to the traffic light area, of cuz, being cautious of any oncoming SBS buses, there weren’t any (i mean their intervals already suck so bad, how many buses actually go out at any one time?). I cheekily knocked at the glass door of the bus, hoping that the driver will have some common sense to open and let me in (despite the fact that i was standing in the middle of the bus lane/road and not at the waiting area). Guess what, HE DIDN’T. In fact, he stared at me, with no expression, then look straight again, showing no reaction at all. I was even smiling at him -.-. Then the light turned green and he left. I walked back to the interchange feeling dejected, but only for the moment, then i felt disappointed. In my mind : “where’s the fucking service?” SBS do buck up. It was a shallow act that left a negative deep impact on me. People are paying an increase in fares, naturally the level of service should be higher? Of cuz, it being a public transport, we don’t expect “4 Seasons Hotel” Service, but at least have certain basic courtesy. I am also not saying that this is prevalent throughout the whole company, but it is still noticeable with certain “funky Uncles” driving the buses and not being courteous, with my example being one. Most of the time i do encounter helpful Bus Captains, but that could be because they are genuinely nice people to start with. So definitely, SBS’s HR department could be “upgraded” to “retrain” those Uncle Captains, somehow, influencing and motivating them to provide a whole rounded good service. Think about it, a few happy Captains being courteous, influencing A million or more passengers that board buses daily. Good and Happy Service and Models, Happy citizens, better Singapore.

Speaking of better. Another company, NTUC provided good service to me today. It was through 1 of their staff that was a model of Good Service and that reflects well for the company. I was queueing in line to buy a 5 kg packet of rice. That was the only item i was buying. In front of me was a couple, they were buying at least 20 items which were in not 1 but 2 baskets. They were next. The cashier did not go through the normal routine of starting to scan the next couple’s items. Instead, she looked out and took the intiative to ask the couple whether it was ok to let me pay first, since i only had 1 item (Though before that i was thinking of asking the couple to let me pay first, but they looked pretty scary, so i din ask). Surprisely, the “scary looking” couple said ok, and i appreciated the gesture, thanking both the cashier and the couple. This proves that 1. The law of attraction works (despite having doubts) 2. That was just great service. It was a mix of observation with initiative which saved me time and made me happy. I wonder is it because of her or because she was told to do so when she was hired. Nonetheless, that was a great act and i hope NTUC will keep hiring such staff or continue to train their staff to reach such standards.

Just 3 hours ago, I had a great experience at Mickey D’s. Though their food ain’t exactly world class, the service i got was actually first class. Looks like it wasn’t only fast food that’s of value, but great service brings out a great dining experience. For more information, ask me about it.

Service is important, in living and in Business. It is experiential and valuable, to the end consumer and also the company’s brand and culture. I believe that the society can be molded/influenced through the level of service that companies provide, as it is the citizens of a country that provide such services. That’s on a real Macro level with greater impact.

With love,

Kelvin =)

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