Serving with an Attitude!
I don't think that all Japanese customer service people are always polite.
I do think that some Japanese customer service people discriminate against customers of certain backgrounds =(
I do think that some Japanese customer service people just look tooooo friendly and ready to serve to be true; who knows what's going through their minds?
BUT I ALSO THINK THAT SINGAPOREANS HAVE A LOOOOT TO LEARN FROM THE JAPANESE WHEN IT COMES TO CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!
Anecdote 1: At the supermarket
Ben was struggling with some change at the cashier as he was about to pay for some groceries. Being his usual clumsy self, a coin fell from his hands and it rolled all the way to the next cashier. The cashier who was serving him excused himself politely and ran to the next cashier to retrieve the coin for Ben, despite Ben's repeated pleas to let it pass.
Anecdote 2: At the petrol kiosk
Our protagonist, Mr Ben, was cycling past a petrol kiosk at hellrider's speed (as usual) when he saw something most astonishing, having come from a service-sucks-big-time country. This pump attendant - a very young lad I must say - was bowing repeatedly at more than 90 degrees in the direction of a car that was manoeuvring its way out of the kiosk. While such acts of servitude, for the lack of a better word, are not totally unfamiliar to Mr Ben, he was shocked to see what happens in Japanese drama serials take place right in front of him. He was reminded of the pathetic state of customer service in his home country, and he slowed down his bike with a heavy heart.
Let's hear what people on the streets have to say about customer service in Singapore:
Auntie Duku, Buah:
"I tink dat young peopol (subtitles: "people") nowsaday har, don like to serve other peopol anymore leh. They want to be serve oni."
Mr Cheong Fan, Chee :
"I think that Singaporeans lack the initiative to serve others partly because of their self-centredness. They don't see serving others as a job to be proud of, perhaps, in comparison to the Japanese who seem to take pride in whatever job they are doing. We can have the best IRs and all, but with such poor service attitudes, we will not be able to do as well as we hope to. But then again, maybe all the croupiers and frontline staff will be Malaysians. "
Hmmmm... :( It breaks my heart just to hear such comments from people. Surrrely it can't be true!? :O
posted by benz @ 4:55 AM
4 Comments:
maybe the pride that keeps singaporeans from putting in their best in customer service is also one which motivates the japanese to go the extra mile, even to the point of servanthood, because not doing their best in their work is a disgrace.
yups..i must say that sometimes i really take my hat off those "nandemo ganbaru" (giving one's best in all that he does) Japanese..
i've lost count of the no. of times i saw those Japanese store promotors, who continued yelling out their store promotions enthusiastically despite having a sore throat.
another anecdote that adds on to how much the japanese value good service is as follow:
my friend, who was about to leave the restaurant after having his lunch there, caught sight of a waitress being slapped by the chef just because she forgot to tell my friend "thank you. please come back again." ( @,@ ;)
Har... Why is this entry so surrealistic? :S Chee Cheong Fun... Ba Duku.. :S You personified them... so scary..
My neighbour downstairs, Ms Liu Ah Lian, might have a good take too. The last time I went to the Esplanade to eat Haagen Daz, she gave me a menacing stare and forbade me to try their latest Maowang durian flavoured ice-cream by saying "No stock!".
Post a Comment
<< Home