A Smile Goes A Long Way

We always complain about bad customer service in Malaysia. How you wait for ages in an extremely long queue that does not seem to shorten. The heat during the long wait and sweat is dripping from your forehead. And when you're at the end of the queue, you're faced with two possible situations: (1) The person at the counter tells you that you've been standing in the wrong line, and the queue you should've been in is as long as the one you were in! Or, (2) The person servicing you at the counter is so unfriendly and aloof that basically you wished you didn't have to be there. Sigh...

But I think it's much better now. Malaysia has evolved and customer service has improved a lot in the past 10 years. For example, many things are now automated such as the passport renewal service; banks have online and phone banking which makes banking a whole lot easier.

I think the most important improvement in customer service is "Service with a Smile". When the person over the counter serves you with a smile and a happy disposition, it makes all the difference and your whole experience becomes more enjoyable. It makes you want to come back again and again. It's amazing what a little smile can do. :)

But as the phrase goes: It takes two hands to clap. There are two parties in a "Customer Service" relationship: the customer and the service personnel. The service personnel plays their role in this relationship by providing "Service with a Smile". But what role does the customer play? To me personally, it's in the attitude of the customer. I've seen customers who are the ones who actually make life difficult. The service provider is friendly and helpful, but it is the customer who is aloof and unfriendly. They treat the service provider like dirt and as if they are beneath them. This hardly improves the "customer service" relationship.

For all the promotion of "Service with a Smile", maybe we should actually be educating the public to accept service with a smile. Customers should start treating service personnel with respect. Customer Service is a two-way relationship. Like any relationship, both parties have a role to play to make it a successful one. And the first baby-step for both is to SMILE. Believe me, a smile does goes a long way... especially when it comes both ways. :)