By Peter
Hanami
Remember
the days of good old fashioned customer service when a sales assistant was available to serve you,
knew something about the product, the market, competing products, could answer
your questions and organized free delivery or carried the item to your car,
remembered your name and greeted you by name the next time you were in the
store?. Believe it or not, this type of customer service still exists! In Japan
you can experience good old fashioned service and some. The Japanese have taken
customer service to the next level by improving the Western model and some say
they have even perfected it?
The
Japanese never do anything by halves, its 150% or nothing. Customer service is
a great example. If we look at Japanese customer service we can see that every
point of contact with the customer has been thoroughly dissected, planned and
catered for. Japan has a tradition whereby customer service is deeply ingrained
into the culture and is reflected in everyday life.
For
example, in Japanese language there are a specific set of words, sentences and
structures which is used just for talking and dealing with customers called Keigo.
It is a
very polite form of speech which is used in shops, on the telephone and in
advertising. For Example: as you enter any store in Japan you will be greeted
with the words irreshaimasae, (welcome to our store).
© Copyright, Peter Hanami, 2013. All Rights Reserved
The store
attendant will greet you okyakusama, (my customer). It is the beginning
of a company's contact with a customer and sets the tone for the ongoing
relationship.
Body
language is another component of Japanese customer service. As you enter a
store in Japan the shop attendant will welcome you and offer a deep bow to
acknowledge & welcome you to the store. This occurs at convenience stores,
banks, greengrocers, bicycle repair shops and restaurants.
Let me
provide an example of every day customer service that I experienced while
living in Japan. Needing a TV, I purchased an all in one model from a local
electrical store and arranged delivery.
Delivery
day came and as a customer I was excited to be receiving my new TV. In true
Japanese style, at 9.55am, five minutes before the agreed time, I heard a van
pull up outside my apartment and my building door open. A delivery driver in a
light blue uniform with white gloves, hat and name tag knocked at my door
gently and called my name (Peter sama). Clipboard in hand he confirmed
my purchase and asked me to sign a delivery receipt. He then gave me a deep bow
and returned to the van to retrieve the TV not before bowing again and saying, chotto
matte kudasai (just a moment please). He removed his shoes at the entrance
to my apartment, took off his hat and placed the huge box on the floor of my
tiny room, two meter by two meter wide room, typical student
accommodation.
Then he
opened the box, removed all the packaging and asked where I would like the TV
positioned in the room. Then he connected the aerial and switched the set on
and checked that everything was in order. He collected all the packaging,
looked at me and bowed, thanked me for my purchase and walked out of the room
backwards still facing me. When he reached the front door he put his shoes back
on, replaced his hat and then bowed one more time before leaving the building.
Everything was set up and working by 10am, the agreed delivery time.
After a
few weeks of use, the video player stopped working and the tape could not be
ejected. I returned to the store of purchase, spoke with the sales staff and
explained the problem. Store staff took down my details and called the
manufacturer in front of me and made an appointment for a service call in two days'
time.
On the
day and time arranged, the representative from the manufacturer visited my
apartment. I expected him to collect the TV and return it to a service center
for repair so I waited at the front door of my apartment block with the TV. He
got out of his van and looked at me and motioned me to take the TV back inside.
The repairman carried his tool kit and a blanket inside. He removed his shoes
at the entrance, bowed as he entered the room and then neatly unfolded the
blanket and placed the TV on it. A few minutes later the whole unit was
unrecognizable. Pieces of metal and plastic were all over the blanket.
Quickly
the problem had been found and rectified with a new part. The problem was wet
playing heads caused by condensation. If I was to use my rice cooker in the
room, I had to open the window to let out the hot fumes otherwise the video
player heads would be damaged. With a smile the repairman reassembled the TV
and packed up his tools. The problem was found and fixed within 20 minutes of
arrival.
How can
you grow your business in five ways applying these service techniques?
1. Fully dissect your business and understand
all the points at which a customer has contact with your company. Plan how you
want the customer to be treated and set up a system to meet your requirements
and then test the system until it works well every time.
2. Hire the right kind of people to work with
customers. People who are patient and like working with people. Train employees
in all aspects of the business not just one job function.
3. Hire enough people to make sure that every
customer is well catered for even at the busiest times.
4. Equip your frontline staff to handle a
problem from start to finish.
5. Plan to be in business for the long term so
your customer service becomes your best marketing tool. Higher customer
retention leads to higher sales.
© Copyright, Peter Hanami, 2013. All Rights
Reserved
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