51福利

Customer Service in a Culturally Diverse World

So, how does cultural diversity impact your level of customer service?

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. Without them, we don鈥檛 have a business.  In today鈥檚 competitive, culturally diverse marketplace, if you don鈥檛 provide good service you won鈥檛 attract customers. In any customer service encounter it is the effectiveness of your ability to move from and build on each step that makes it easier to reach your goal i.e. Excellent Customer Service As you know, the first 60 seconds with any customer can determine the overall success of the entire transaction. This is the first step in service process: building. Therefore, the quality of your communication is critical.  

How do we continue to provide superior customer service across cultures?

It鈥檚 important to be aware that communicating in a new language isn鈥檛 just a simple matter of learning the new language. We may have limited access to language courses and some of us, especially as adults, have difficulty learning new languages. Even the native users of a language have trouble with certain expressions, verbal or non-verbal or accents. People from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) may speak no English at all, or they may speak good English but use words awkwardly or incorrectly. In turn, you may find yourself in a situation where you have broken rapport with your customer, without knowing why.  

Here are some tips from our Events & Tourism module 鈥�Keeping Patrons Happy鈥�:  

Avoid Insults There are many insulting words which refer to people from other races and cultures. Don鈥檛 use them, and don鈥檛 encourage other people to use them by laughing at them. Be sensitive to how people like to speak about themselves. If in doubt, ask them. Also keep in mind that people from different racial backgrounds may have taken the approach of 鈥渏oining in鈥� on jokes as it is easier that asking people to stop. Don鈥檛 assume that their participation condones these practices.  

Techniques for Providing Good Service to Customers with Non-English Speaking Backgrounds

Use the Clarify and Confirm approach:

Clarify:

• Speak slowly (but not loudly)
• Use simple words
• Use simple sentence structures
• Listen very carefully
• Use open questions to get a full picture:
  • 鈥榃here will you use it?鈥�
  • 鈥榃hat colours do you like?鈥�

Confirm:

• Repeat what you understand they want: 鈥淵ou want a white one. Is that right?鈥�
• Get feedback from the customer: 鈥淣o鈥�, 鈥樷�榊es鈥�, 鈥淏igger鈥�, 鈥楢nother one鈥�, etc.

  If your customer knows no English at all:

• Ideally, find a translator once you have found out their language
• Keep your normal procedures in mind:
  • make them welcome with a smile,
  • clarify and confirm their needs
  • complete sale and make a friendly farewell

• Even people with no English will know a word or two. E.g., Yes and No. Listen for the words they know, and try to use those
• Use body language. For example, use gestures: pointing, shaking and nodding head
• Draw pictures and diagrams if necessary
• Speak in English; otherwise the encounter is unnaturally silent. Also your voice itself conveys meaning. An example is when your voice rises when asking a question
• Be very good-natured and patient!

Some Common Causes of Misunderstandings

People whose main language is not English can, at times, sound rude when they speak in English, even though this is the last thing they intend. Be aware that, native English speakers try not to say things too directly. This is a subtlety in the way English is spoken that you may not even be aware of yourself because it is so natural to you. It鈥檚 easy to imagine, then, that it is often completely unknown by people from different backgrounds 鈥� and where these subtleties are known, they create an even greater challenge with a much higher language skill being needed. As a result customers with little English sometimes do not 鈥渟often鈥� their language and speak very directly. This can come across as rudeness; unless you understood why this occurs.  

Consider some of the ways native English speakers use language to sound polite:

• We often ask a question when we want something rather than simply stating that we want it, e.g. 鈥淒o you mind if 鈥�
• We use 鈥減lease鈥�, 鈥渢hank-you鈥� and sorry鈥� a lot. Many cultures do not use 鈥減lease鈥� and 鈥榯hank you鈥� in commercial transactions, such as shopping. 鈥淪orry鈥� is used to beg forgiveness, not for minor incidents like bumping into someone in a lift, or to interrupt someone.

We start off our requests with softeners like:

• 鈥淐ould I try the bigger size?鈥�
• 鈥榃ould you mind if I tested it out before I bought it?鈥�
• 鈥業 wonder if I could exchange this one for that one?鈥�
• 鈥淓xcuse me, could I have it wrapped?鈥�
• 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry to trouble you but I鈥檇 like to try this on again.鈥�

In the absence of 鈥渟ofteners鈥� people from non-English backgrounds may communicate too directly e.g.

• I want that
• Give me two
• Serve me
• Wrap it up

Being aware that this type of direct speech does not mean your customer is being deliberately rude sets you apart from customer service staff who do not understand this.

Excerpt from Keeping Patrons Happy   For more information on how The 51福利 of Commerce and Management can help you and your business with any training needs - Call 1800 111 700, email courses@austcollege.edu.au or visit 鈥� austcollege.edu.au