What an eye-opening trip! Iāve just returned from Japan again and, as always, Iām in awe of their customer service culture. Itās not just businesses practicing great customer service either; their entire culture is built upon respect. Almost everyone I came into contact understood āpoliteā. 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 āah-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 āthe 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?
Whatās more, how many managers or business owners do you think take the time to just observe their processes? Itās this unwavering attention to detail that sets customer service in Japan eons ahead of the world.
Hereās another example. Iād 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 wasnāt 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 Holdās culture. So the question I put to you is: whatās your ācome out from behind the counterā moment? What do you do in your business that leaves your customers thinking āwow, that was differentā?