Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Service Cultures

Service Cultures
February 3, 2010

My heart sank when the luggage carousel at Kuala Lumpur airport stopped moving, and my luggage was yet to show up. I had over prepared for weeks for my speaking tour in Asia, determined to have a flawless journey so that I could focus on my business engagement and have a successful outcome. And then this. I was the keynote speaker at a large conference the next morning, a workshop presenter in the afternoon, and both in front of large audiences of Malay people that were polished, well dressed and sophisticated. And there I stood at the airport in a pair of Lucky Jeans and a glorified t-shirt.

The airport staff and Singapore airlines staff immediately confirmed that my suitcase had been on the flight, and suggested that it had been “mistakenly” taken by another traveler, and that it would likely show up in a few days. Not encouraging. Even less encouraging was when I hit the local shopping malls near the hotel only to discover that my body type wasn’t on the mind of store buyers in Kuala Lumpur.

Yet something happened that I wasn’t quite used to. The concierge at our hotel decided to take my missing luggage on as his personal mission, all in part of providing unequalled customer service. Without my knowledge, he called Singapore airlines almost hourly to keep them looking for it as they had concluded it had been stolen; he called all the other large hotels in the city that served the international business travelers, and he called the airport office numerous times, refusing to give up on his quest to find my luggage. Two days later, I got a call at 11 PM. Singapore Airlines was calling to tell me that my luggage had been sent back to my first international destination, Auckland, New Zealand, a mere 18 hours away. It was scheduled to be on the next plane to my next destination, Shanghai China. Miracle accomplished.

As I reflected on this adventurous experience, I truthfully couldn’t remember this kind of customer service in a long time. The concierge at the Park Hotel in Kuala Lumpur had no relationship to me, would likely never see me, an American business traveler, again, and certainly wasn’t going to get bonus points or extra money for finding my luggage. But he remained vigilant when everyone in my party had given up, including me. Instead of this experience becoming a lesson on airport luggage protocol and how to avoid mix ups in the future, it became a life-changing wake up call about the state of customer service today. Most companies I deal with would have given up and forgotten all about the one customer out of thousands they were serving that week. Clearly it wasn’t profitable to spend that much time on my luggage. Yet this kind of service that produced a truly happy customer can often differentiate companies that succeed from those that don’t. I couldn’t think of very many companies in the U.S. that would have spent this kind of effort, and thus profitable time, on a problem that they did not create.

As I ran around five different countries in the Asia Pacific, it seemed that customer service and thus happiness toward a brand was a culture thing, and that various service cultures provide valuable lessons for businesses in all industries.

Service Cultures:

Some examples of Service Cultures:

In Australia, I was everybody’s best friend. Waitresses and hotel staff chatted like old buddies as did the people I met at business dinners and events. Their attitude toward making you feel at home was relaxing, and left me feeling comfortable, and cared for. If I’d had time to shop, I am certain I would have spent a great deal of money in that cozy little Aussie town on the Gold Coast.

Singapore’s culture was one of pride and commitment. It is a very beautiful place and it was clear that locals everywhere wanted you to enjoy their beautiful country. You were treated with dignity and respect and a sense of politeness.

Another service culture that stood out to me was that of Shanghai, China. Everywhere I went, I was treated as if it was a privilege for the other party to serve me. Whether it was a small market on a busy sidewalk, a touristy shop, or a hotel concierge, service was quick, never needed to be asked for, and it was always whatever it took to make me happy. Another thing I noted about Shanghai was that the people there seemed happy, and that was contagious.

And then I returned home to the states via San Francisco. Unfortunately, it was a severe case of culture shock. For four weeks, I was treated like I mattered. The minute I got off the plane and made my way through customs, I felt like I was invisible. No one noticed me struggling with my oversized luggage and offered to help as I had become accustomed to throughout Asia. And when I asked an airport employee a question, he grunted, looked away and angrily motioned for me to move forward. I was shuffled through the line like a non-entity and suddenly felt very small, not happy, or calm like I had in other airports abroad. I found myself embarrassed at the thought of any of the foreigners traveling to the U.S. on the same 747 being greeted in the same manner and thinking possibly that this was the American culture everywhere. Thankfully it is not.

Over the weeks that have passed since this experience, I have pondered the impact of culture on business and its relationship to longevity and profitability. And what I have noticed in this great country and culture of ours is that the companies that have the best culture, one in which employees are happy, are also the companies that have the most business success. Happy cultures produce innovative products, employees with pride, and a desire for all insiders to embrace outsiders in a way that makes them love the brand or product as much as they do. It is “happy” companies that seem to weather the storms and come out ahead, successfully reinvent themselves with changing times and technologies, and keep customer loyalty much longer than market averages. Companies with unhappy employees or those deliver the kind of greeting I got at the San Francisco airport are those that we likely won’t see around much longer.

What is your company’s service culture? Look around you and pay attention to how you and your staff interact with each other, with customers, with vendors? Do you create experiences that make people want to come back for more? Do you create happiness through your interactions and commitments?

Email me for a free survey form to help you audit your service culture: jeanette@e4marketingco.com.

Next month, some ideas and tactics for how you can create brand happiness through an inviting and engaging company culture.

About the Author:
Jeanette McMurtry specializes in training sales and marketing teams about psychology-based marketing and helping them create brand happiness through leadership, marketing, sales and customer engagement strategies. She can be reached at jeanette@e4marketingco.com.