SINGAPORE - Customer satisfaction in Singapore hit its highest level in a decade last year, according to statistics released on Wednesday (March 28).

The Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore reached 72.9 points out of 100 - its highest total since the Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) at Singapore Management University (SMU) set up the index in 2007.

The index was 1.1 points up on 2016, driven by strong fourth quarter performances in the finance & insurance and healthcare sectors.

Bank customers surveyed gave high scores for digital banking channels, such as online and mobile. Almost 90 per cent of digital banking users surveyed were aged 18 to 49.

While waiting times before medical tests and seeing a doctor continued to receive low satisfaction ratings, year-on-year improvements were recorded in fields including 'ease of getting around' and 'waiting experience'.

Mr Chen Yongchang, the ISE's head of research and consulting, suggested: "Rather than being merely a comfortable holding area, waiting rooms could be transformed into patient education centres that can teach patients how to improve their health outcomes."

The Index polls consumers in different sectors in each quarter.

The fourth quarter study polled a total of 9,585 respondents from October 2017 to January 2018.

A total of 30,135 respondents were surveyed throughout 2017.