Gold Coast

Say “Hai” To Customer Service

What an eye-opening trip! Iā€™ve just returned from Japan again and, as always, Iā€™m in awe of their customer service culture. Itā€™s not just businesses practicing great customer service either; their entire culture is built upon respect. Almost everyone I came into contact understood ā€œpoliteā€. They were all well presented and had a genuine desire to want to help.

The presentation of theĀ cab driversĀ was immaculate; collared shirts, ties, gloves and in some case a jacket! You rarely seeĀ thatĀ in Australia.

The second ā€˜ah-haā€™ moment came one morning while I was in the lobby of theConrad Hotel. While I was standing there, I observed the front office manager watching the check-out procedure. After speaking with him, he offered me this pearl of wisdom ā€œthe check out procedure is just as important as the check in.ā€ Now how many businesses can you think of that place an equal amount of importance on the final stages of a transaction as they do on the early stages of a sale?

Whatā€™s more, how many managers or business owners do you think take the time to just observe their processes? Itā€™s this unwavering attention to detail that sets customer service in Japan eons ahead of the world.

Hereā€™s another example. Iā€™d paid for my purchase at a boutique when the team member emerged from behind the counter and handed me my bag with a bow. The whole process wasnā€™t rushed or strained ā€“ at that moment I was her only focus. I remember Deb at the Nautica store on the Gold Coast presenting my purchases by stepping out from behind the counter and it had a profound impact purely because nobody does it! Brilliant.

Hours after touching down in Perth I was back in the office to share my experiences with my team, finding ways we can further integrate this kind of attentive service into Messages On Holdā€™s culture. So the question I put to you is: whatā€™s your ā€˜come out from behind the counterā€™ moment? What do you do in your business that leaves your customers thinking ā€œwow, that was differentā€?