Welcome to the last DragonCall blog for the year before the Christmas and New Year break.
I have just returned from a few weeks holiday across Asia - China (Guangzhou), Macau and Hong Kong – and I had a magnificent time!
In between the numerous hotels I stayed at, shopping malls I splurged my money in and restaurants that have helped me gain a few extra kilos, I have come to observe that the level of service offered by service staff in these countries is quite different to what I have seen in western countries such as Australia.
Put simply the level of service I experienced was much better than what I've experienced in western countries – friendliness, willingness to help, attentiveness and timeliness were all top notch. This made me feel valued and important, hence I was much happier during my stays in the hotels and was more willing to buy more goods and services than I would have been if I was in western countries.
This comes off the back of recent research undertaken by Australian research consultancy AMR, where Australians were surveyed about their perceptions and experiences of customer service. Results showed almost 3 in 5 respondents felt customer service has declined in the last 5 years, with only 17% saying it has improved.
Understandably, the service experience in Asia is my personal experience but if you take into account that the level of service in Australia is also declining, it is no wonder western organisations are outsourcing their service operations to countries in Asia.
Better service experience = more engaged customers = higher customer loyalty = higher likelihood to recommend and re-purchase = increased revenue.
Simple.
Have a safe and joyous break everyone, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
See you all in 2012!
