I recently returned from a week in Hong Kong, and in my travels encountered many "customer service crises" that piqued my interest in the cultural differences that affect the expectations for customer service. From country to country, region to region, the expectations of service change in line with the various demographics and cultures -- but what if you serve an international client base?
Many travellers and expats have experienced the briskness, if not downright rudeness, that can be received from "customer service" staff in Hong Kong. Yet this even happens in establishments that deal with international travellers regularly, and where you'd expect better -- such as in a good hotel, a McDonalds branch (who are reknowned for their cookie cutter style service), and even Disneyland.
What's worse is that it appeared to be the norm, and one can't help but think that businesses actually believed they were doing a good job. A little digging confirmed my suspicion that this was a cultural difference between east and west. In western culture you're taught to be polite and proper in public, whereas in eastern culture the emphasis is on politeness to those you know (such as family members and friends). OK, it may not be as simple as just a culture difference, but I think it's got a great deal to do with an inability to "love strangers", something that seems to be both nurture and nature.
What I did find in Hong Kong was a great deal of emphasis placed on efficiency; taking your order quickly for instance (so quickly that they didn't want to waste time repeating it for verification), is deemed more important than greeting the person with a pleasant smile. This was such a striking attribute that when I did eventually find someone who delivered great customer service (an older lady working in Disneyland), it was instantly noticeable.
The "gap" between my expectation and that of the person delivering it, really is the key element in this disconnect. The absense of something that is necessary to meet a customer's expectation ("I expect to be greeted by a warm welcoming smile" from an international western customer, versus "I expect my hamburger to be served quickly, no questions asked" from an eastern customer) can kill a relationship quickly, regardless of the efficiency of the transaction.
The only way people in customer service will learn the different expectations from an international customer base is through exposure, but the key to learning is knowing it's something you have to get better at. Next time you're dealing with a customer, think for a moment about their attributes -- nationality, age, profession, social status, and even religion; all these elements play a part in developing the expectations a customer will have, prior to anything brand or product related.
If you can tap into this information and use it to tailor your service delivery, you'll find customers connecting with you and allowing trust to be built; which is 80% of your journey done and dusted!
To get you started, here's a great resource that'll tell you about the different cultures, etiquettes and taboos of various countries; as well as some basic facts and figures about the countries themselves.
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