Disconnected systems delay resolution, frustrate Singaporean customers

Singaporeans spent 40 million hours on hold.

Singaporeans are spending more time than ever resolving service issues — with 40 million hours lost to being placed on hold, according to the latest ServiceNow Customer Experience Report. That’s 19 hours per person annually, up two hours from last year, despite significant automation investments by businesses.

At the core of the issue is a widening disconnect between customer expectations and the tools available to service agents.

“The issue is really the fragmented, disconnected systems, data and processes that businesses rely on,” said TZ Wong, Head of Analyst Relations, APAC at ServiceNow. “This hornet's nest of complexity is causing inefficiencies in delivering customer service. We know from our report that customer service employees have to navigate more than three systems to resolve a single customer query.”

The inefficiencies are not just frustrating — they’re driving customers away. “Customers wait almost five working days for resolution, 5% longer than last year, while Customer Service employees say it only takes 30 minutes to resolve a complex issue,” Wong said. “Eighty-five percent of Singaporeans tell us they will switch brands due to poor or slow customer service.”

Only 18% of a service agent’s work week is actually spent on customer-facing tasks, Wong noted, with 40% taken up by administrative work, internal coordination, and navigating siloed tools. “The right platform can actually address these issues and empower Customer Service employees with the right tools to close the gap and enhance service efficiency,” he added.

Despite automation being touted as a solution, it’s not a silver bullet.

“Automation is just part of the environment,” said Rafael Barros, Senior Lecturer at SMU’s School of Computing and Information Systems. “You need to have a very clear understanding of the sequence of the process… and understand the expectations of the customers.”

According to Barros, many employees are more focused on meeting internal KPIs than truly resolving the customer’s issue. “There is a difference of intentions,” he said. “The customer is looking to solve a problem, the employee is trying to solve the problem, but they also need to follow the rules and do a lot of additional stuff, like administration that makes this a little more complex.”

Barros added, “AI is getting there, but you need a lot of human intervention to understand this. It’s trying to balance two different objectives at the same time.”

For one-third of Singaporeans, a live agent remains essential — especially for complex or high-value concerns. The challenge ahead lies in integrating digital tools without losing the human touch.