Research into international service cultures confirms a few differences in what customers expect from customer service technicians. But above all, there are many similarities.
What is important to international service customers when your employees provide services and are there differences between service areas in different nations? We want to explore this question by looking at the figures from the dissertation "The influence of national culture on customers' attitude towards product accompanying services". Almost 1600 service customers from 30 different nations were surveyed as part of this study. Among other things, they were asked about their expectations of the service provided by technicians.
Respondents were able to choose between five different dimensions. The higher the respondents weighted an individual dimension, the more important it was in relation to the others. The normal distribution to be expected if all dimensions were exactly equally important would therefore be 20%. The different dimensions were:
Appearance - How does a service technician present himself to the customer? Does he make a competent and well-groomed impression?
Reliability - Are agreements made with your service department also adhered to by your technicians?
Reaction speed - How fast are your people and can they fix problems on site or remotely? Are they on time?
Courtesy - This dimension concerns the good manners of your staff.
Empathy - Are your employees able to understand the customer's problems and immediately realize where the shoe pinches?
We have already published several results from this study in the ServiceLobby. You can also find out how international service customers feel about the Acceptance of innovative service technologiesthe Evaluation of various after-sales services or at the Evaluation of the benefit dimension of services differentiate.
Reaction speed and reliability were the most important attributes
The global consensus is that your service staff should prioritize two things in particular to make a good impression:
- You should be able to respond very quickly to customer inquiries and minimize downtimes as much as possible with your prompt intervention.
- Agreements with the customer should always be kept. Customers want to be able to rely on the word of service providers anytime and anywhere. After all, a large part of their own planning usually depends on it.
Not a single country had the dimensions Reliability and Reaction speed achieves a value below the normal distribution. Speed and reliability must always be the top two maxims in the provision of services everywhere. Speed of response was particularly important in Russia, but also in Denmark and the USA, for example. Swiss service customers placed the highest value on binding agreements with 37.5%.
Some countries place more emphasis on interpersonal relationships than others
Even though fast and reliable service delivery is the most important criterion for most customers internationally when evaluating the work of a service department, it is noticeable that interpersonal skills are valued somewhat more highly in some cultures than elsewhere.
In Turkey, for example, a correct appearance seems to be particularly important. Turkish customers clearly stood out in the survey with this emphasis. Courtesy is also valued on the Bosporus. In Sweden, on the other hand, a high level of empathy appears to be more important than in other nations. In countries such as Switzerland or the United States, for example, the main expectation is that everything should be done reliably and quickly.
Customers want security
The results clearly show that customers want to rely on you as a service partner. You should always radiate and communicate that every effort will be made to help as quickly as possible in the event of a breakdown. If you have made a promise to a customer, stick to it. In some countries, however, building a personal relationship plays a somewhat greater role. Keep that in mind! Ultimately, personal relationships are also the key to a successful Service sales.
Source: Dr. Simon Tonat: The influence of national culture on customers' attitude towards product accompanying services (2018)
