Whether
the customer is right or not
seems to depend
on which country you are
in. The way we shop shows our
relationships with other people
and also the way we see ourselves.
Recent
economic hardship
in Europe has given customers
more power
as shops now have to compete
more to win their custom.
This has resulted in falling
prices, plenty
of special offers and a closer
examination
of what customer service really
means.
It
is said that America has excellent
customer service. In restaurants,
for example, waiters compliment
you on your clothes and ask
about your day. They then return
to your table every ten minutes
to make sure that you are happy
with your meal.
Anyone
who has waited more than 30
minutes for their meal in a
restaurant might well dream
of such service, but do we really
want American style service?
It is more a question of people
from different countries wanting
different types of customer
service.
Older
Chinese people are used to haggling
when they go shopping. Even
when buying clothes they might
wait until the clothes are on
sale, and then haggle until
they get an even
better price. If there is a
small fault
with the product, an even lower
price will be expected. These
haggling tactics
are cultural
and certainly would not work
in a shop in America or Europe.
Employees
will provide better service
if they are treated
well by their company. As American
sales and service personnel
rely
on their commission
and tips, they have more incentive
to provide better service to
their customers. But is this
fair?
Do
we think it is fair to ask shop
workers to work late evenings,
weekends and 12-hour shifts?
Does it agree with our picture
of society? It might not be
a
case of “Is the customer
always right?” but a case
of “How much service is
it fair to expect?”
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Reading & Listening
