Quirkbag Collection #20 – 21.11.25
It’s 3 degrees celsius in Denmark, and I walked into a gelato shop. Insane, yes.
There was the nicest middle-aged store owner who not only served wonderful gelato, he practically became our tour guide!
He was proud that tourists around the world visit Denmark, but humble to know that authenticity matters. Thoughtfully listing places we should visit and avoid for the best tourist experience, he charmed us with his genuine passion to create a better experience.
I mean, talk about serendipity, who could have planned this? Talking to a friendly local ice-cream store owner by chance just sounds like a Hallmark Christmas movie scene.
And this is the kind of feeling that we all need more frequently. We crave that warmth and hospitality, especially with customer service. We want that “they are so nice to us” experience even if it’s just an afternoon coffee.
The kindness and patience seem almost bizarre now in this “instant-economy” where we want everything right now in this moment (…or else!). We barely stop for conversation. Do you even care about the quality of the interaction when you buy that daily coffee?
Or do you just “hustle-along” as quick as possible?
Singaporeans are not known for patience. But don’t you think we could all use additional kindness and patience?
Retail Customer Service
“The customer is king”, they say.
Well, I don’t feel like a “king”, and I’ll venture a bet to say you don’t either. Retail customer service has hit a sort of slump. We no longer get the same next-door neighbour friendliness. We also don’t feel the same warmth anymore.
It’s eerily transactional.
Especially after COVID, the need for retail customer service has declined sharply with the ingenious methods of scanning QR codes or ordering at digital kiosks. It’s meant to be efficient right? You get to order faster, they get to cook faster, you get the food faster, we’re all out the door before we know it.
But that wasn’t McDonalds’. Not even fast-food. And we’re sacrificing customer service and good old-fashioned service for “speed”, all while paying for an increasing service charge.
Surely it doesn’t take some luxurious fine-dining establishment for warmth and friendliness. (It takes a gelato shop, dude.) It does sound like the usual Singaporean’s complaints, but it’s also brutal reality.
There’s nothing against speed and automation today, but there’s everything for a better customer experience. And that’s inevitably going to need kindness and patience. Both as customers and service providers, we could all use some kindness and patience to boost our experience.
Oh and, whatever happened to that wide smile? You know the one you sometimes see on waiters’ faces when they serve you? I rarely see that now.
In fact, I see more frumpy and frowned faces.
“Hi hi” She Said, In Swedish
Needless to say, I was caught off guard every time a waiter, cashier or employee greeted “Hi hi” when I walked in. Yes, “Hi hi”, she said, in Swedish.
With a smile.
It’s almost like they actually welcomed me? That’s customer service in Sweden (and Denmark and Norway). Practically every cafe, restaurant, shop or store (that was NOT fast food) did this. They then also made sure to check in on the dining experience mid-meal.
It felt unusual, and I didn’t understand why they were so nice. But no one ever complained about too much kindness.
So what’s the big deal then? The only difference (to me), but it’s a big one, between Scandinavian customer service and the Singaporean one is attention.
From a customer perspective, the key to improving customer service is, quite simply, attention to the customer. Slightly narcissistic, I realised, if you read that again.
But it’s pretty hard to mess up as a waiter if you actually paid attention to the customer (barring exceptions, there are always a few) and genuinely helped to create a meaningful experience for them.
As a customer, it’s easy to tell when customer service providers truly took the effort to make sure you feel heard and satisfied. Vice versa, it’s even easier to tell that they merely go through the motions.
But where then do we go wrong?
Customer Service In General
Customer service in general goes both ways, like a conversation. If the kindness or hospitality falls upon some customer having a bad day, it becomes exhausting for service providers. Anyone picking up customer support phone-calls would likely know.
It’s really tiring to stay upbeat when it seems no one appreciates the effort, and it wears you out slowly. Then the effort easily fades.
Cue the mediocre and lacklustre customer service!
Don’t worry, Scandinavian service is not on a pedestal (although it’s quite high up). It’s also not a disparagement to Singapore. In fact, Singapore’s known to be a friendly place, especially for tourists. But we come with our own local quirks.
But in the nooks and crannies of my lovely city, whether it’s upcoming stores or old shops, we could all look to higher standards of customer service and remember that there’s only benefits to being kind as an individual, customer service or not, for everyone.
There’s always room for tradition and uniqueness when it comes to service locally. But surely that must not be an excuse for declining standards or a lack of warmth.
Take it from my favourite “essayist”:
“Kindness is costless but also priceless.”
– Warren Buffett, 2025 Annual Thanksgiving Letter
You can provide great customer service today, regardless if you are a waiter, cashier or otherwise.
Indeed, your customer service could be better, with just a dash of kindness and added attention.
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