Customer Service - - the non-hobby type
Somewhere the Asians will always be superior in every respect to the West
I have travelled quite a bit in a number of Asian countries. As such I have experienced the local level of what we collectively call Customer Service in the States. That is, specifically those direct responses to needed assistance for a foreign traveller such as myself. This collective category is quite inclusive: local travel assistance; baggage handling at airports, taxis and hotels; location assistance in determining where or how to get to some local place; meal ordering both in restaurants and hotels, and on and on. And this includes both those types of assistance which are expected and not expected.
While in Asia, this traveller has been awe struck by how ready and anxious the locals are to provide help when needed. To those who have also travelled extensively, this is not trivial. With the ever present obstacles, time zones, languages, currency conversion, dietary desirements, and such, there are more than enough naturally occurring incompatibilites waiting to happen. Travel has its ups and downs. When the those in the travel industry and the local people are ready to assist a foreigner, this can make the entire travel experience so much more enjoyable.
All this is mentioned because as a US citizen and travelling professional, I have encountered every possible degree of assistance with customer service in the US. Compared with what I have personally realized during my own travel experiences, all the Asia countries I have visited have far superior levels of exhibited customer service when and where it was needed. I write this as someone who has stayed at 3, 4 and 5-Star hotels in the US, both as a private traveller and on professional business.
I could list several specific examples which have occurred just within the last 12 months. But rest it to say, without any doubt, the Asian countries will always far exceed the level of customer service exhibited in the US. In all honesty, the level of routine service I have encountered at mid-range hotels in Asia far exceeds that of US 5-Star hotels.
I cannot at this time point to why this is the case, but apparently the Asian mindset places a higher priority on keeping customers happy. May it always be this way.
Other travel writers have written about how quickly the world is changing. There are some things which I hope will remain. I have always enjoyed my visits to the Asian countries. And this is largely because I have been treated like I was someone with value. And that has been shown by what we call Customer Service here in the States. | |
