In the age when overall customer experience takes the greatest bearing on the success of brands and businesses, excellent service has become a necessary asset of any firm. Thus, Reader’s Digest aims to create a more positive relationship between consumers and companies by recognizing and at the same time encouraging effective customer service practices.
That is the main principle behind the syndicated general-interest family magazine’s first-ever Quality Service Awards. “The Quality Service Awards is designed to reward companies that provide outstanding service to their customers, while providing our readers with a list of companies that they turn to for excellence in service,” Reader’s Digest declared in its primer.
The awards are based on a commissioned poll by research company Catalyst Research, which tapped about 5,000 consumers across the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan within an unspecified period. Each market is set to have its own set of awardees based on consumers’ perception of key customer service factors—personalization, understanding, simplicity, reliability, and satisfaction.
The survey respondents named the brands or businesses that provide the best customer service in their respective countries. The nominated companies were spread across 30 categories from various industries. The highest-rated companies per category were declared the Gold Winners, with the second-highest-rated ones as Silver Winners.
Representatives of winner-brands during the inaugural awarding ceremony
The companies Filipino consumers voted for as offering the finest customer service in the country were recognized in an awarding ceremony on February 7, 2020 at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas Center. Those firms are listed here:
Airlines: Gold Winner – AirAsia; Silver Winner – Philippine Airlines
Bank Home Loans: Gold Winner – BPI; Silver Winner – BDO
Beauty Salon: Gold Winner – David’s Salon; Silver Winner – Bench Fix
Business Banking: Gold Winner – BDO; Silver Winner – BPI
Car Servicing: Gold Winner – Honda; Silver Winner – Goodyear Servitek/ Autocare
Courier Service: Gold Winner – Ninja Van; Silver Winner – JRS Express
Credit Cards: Gold Winner – Citibank; Silver Winner – BPI
Diagnostic Laboratory Service: Gold Winner – The Medical City; Silver Winner – Hi-Precision Diagnostics
Financial Adviser: Gold Winner – Sun Life Philippines; Silver Winner – Philam Life
Fitness Center & Gym: Gold Winner – Gold’s Gym; Silver Winner – Slimmers World
Food Delivery Service: Gold Winner – Foodpanda; Silver Winner – GrabFood
Funeral Service: Gold Winner – St. Peter; Silver Winner – Arlington
Health Insurance: Gold Winner – Maxicare; Silver Winner – Intellicare
Hospital/Medical Service: Gold Winner – Chong Hua Hospital; Silver Winner – Makati Medical Center
Hotel Chain: Gold Winner – Marriott; Silver Winner – Hyatt
Internet Banking: Gold Winner – Metrobank; Silver Winner – BDO
Internet Service Provider: Gold Winner – Converge; Silver Winner – PLDT Home Fibr
Kids Amusement Center: Gold Winner – KidZania; Silver Winner – Kidzoona
Life Insurance: Gold Winner – Manulife; Silver Winner – Sun Life Philippines
Mobile Phone Service: Gold Winner – Smart; Silver Winner – TNT
Money Transfer Service/Remittance: Gold Winner – Palawan Express; Silver Winner – Western Union
Movie Theaters: Gold Winner – SM Cinema; Silver Winner – Robinsons Movieworld
Optical Shop: Gold Winner – Executive Optical; Silver Winner – Ideal Vision
Personal Banking: Gold Winner – BDO; Silver Winner – Metrobank
Petrol Station: Gold Winner – Shell; Silver Winner – Petron
Pharmacy/Drug Store: Gold Winner – Mercury Drug; Silver Winner – Rose Pharmacy
Real Estate: Gold Winner – Camella Homes; Silver Winner – Sta. Lucia Land Inc.
Shopping Mall: Gold Winner – SM Malls; Silver Winner – Robinsons Malls
Supermarket/Grocery: Gold Winner – Puregold; Silver Winner – Robinsons Supermarket
Water Company: Gold Winner – Manila Water; Silver Winner – Maynilad Water