MILLIONS of dollars have been poured into helping Singapore's service sectors go the extra mile.

But if anything, they seem to be going backwards, as customers, both here and overseas, voice growing unhappiness with the products and services they are getting.

The numbers in a customer satisfaction index now in its third year continue to slide, with five out of six sectors surveyed doing worse this year than last.

In the latest results released on Tuesday, the poorest performer was retail, followed by education and tourism in a tie, info-communications, and then food and beverage. Only transport and logistics logged customer satisfaction scores that were the same this year as last year.

Providers need to realise that service is not just smiling front-line staff but a quality throughout the whole company oriented around the customer's needs, said Assistant Professor Marcus Lee, academic director at the Singapore Management University's Institute of Service Excellence, which developed the index.

He said: 'Companies will be able to efficiently and effectively satisfy their customers only if they first understand them.'

weichean@sph.com.sg

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.