When you hear the term ‘customer service,’ what comes to mind? Depending on the industry or country you’re in, your experience could be vastly different. I started my customer service experience in hotels in the 80s, and travelled from the UK to Germany, India, Korea, Hong Kong, and many other places around the world. Join me on this episode as we discuss these differing cultural experiences and the thread that ties them all together.

This episode, I discuss:

[1:30] My customer service background

I started out in hotels around 1986, which was an entirely different time for customer service. Everyone was expected to be extraordinarily formal, referring to guests only by their surname as well as being impeccably dressed. It was truly a time when the customer was always right, even when they were frustratingly in the wrong. Around the mid-90s, I joined a roadside restaurant arm of the company, and the experience was quite different than dealing with the general public in a hotel. It really required a broad skill set when it came to training people and also came with its own unique challenges, but it provided me with a very solid grounding within customer service.

[3:34] Why you’re always providing a service

After years of serving in the hotel and restaurant industry, I moved into financial services. While some may say it requires quite a different set of skills, I found many of my customer service skills were very transferable. For me, this was because I believe you’re always providing a service, whether it’s with a customer or your manager. Even with someone who is evaluating you, you want and need to provide great customer service for them to truly give them and yourself the best working experience.

[5:22] Customer service experiences across the globe

After years of working in customer service in the UK, I worked in Germany over a 6 month stay. The service in Germany was very efficient, so I started to look at different countries and wanted to experience how the levels of service differed. I visited many different places like India, Korea, and Hong Kong, and found that service was largely based on the culture, and so regardless of whether you were staying at a 3,4, or 5 star hotel, the customer service was exceptional. Some places, such as India, reminded me of the UK customer service expectations in the 80s, where the customer was always right. It made me really understand that sometimes saying no is part of a really good customer service strategy, as some of the customer-pleasing tendencies caused a few moments of confusion.

Thank you for listening! I’d love you to join me for a new episode every other Tuesday and hear from our guests and their perspective on fabulous customer service. If you’re interested in more information, check out Bond and Des Voeux on Instagram!