Fiendliness is fine, but how about a little efficiency?<\/p>\n
By Elizabeth Hermann<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Once again a shop assistant flashed a friendly
\nsmile but shook her head. Once again there was no skirt or jacket
\nin my size. Another afternoon wasted in trying to buy smart
\nmedium-priced business suits.<\/p>\n
There were plenty of lovely suits to be had, and just what we
\nwanted, but they were all to small. Nothing in our bule sizes to
\nbe had in two malls. Granted we are both \"extra outsize\" by
\nIndonesian sizing, but by 'orang bule' standards we are still
\nrather average.<\/p>\n
Both places were international standard malls. The department
\nstores and boutiques are international standard shops. The malls
\nare situated in areas where expatriate residents and foreign
\ntourists shop. Why are these stores, and the clothing
\nmanufacturers that stock these stores, ignoring the demands of a
\nmarket and the purchasing power that is clearly there? Why are
\nthey not responsive to it?<\/p>\n
Okay, so there is a limited expatriate market. But there are
\nalso larger Indonesian ladies out there who must also want to buy
\nready-made clothes. What do they do for clothes? Like us, they
\nmust have given up on trying to buy clothes in Jakarta shops. Do
\nthey shop overseas or do they turn to the services of a
\ndressmaker or tailor?<\/p>\n
Global competition<\/p>\n
This set me off thinking about progress, prosperity and global
\ncompetitiveness. Friendliness is not enough in an emerging
\nmarketplace. Quality products and services are the result of an
\neffective response to the customer's wants and needs. My
\ncolleague and I needed those shop assistants to say, \"No, we
\ndon't have your size but give us your name and telephone number
\nand we will try to get it. We will pass your request on to the
\nbuyer, factory, designer.\" In other words, they will pass your
\nrequest on to anybody who will respond to the market demands.<\/p>\n
But nothing of the sort happens. A very friendly smile. A
\ngiggle. A \"tidak ada!\" And the skirts were rearranged very
\ncarefully and neatly on the rack in front of us as if we had
\nupset the good order of things by trying them on.<\/p>\n
Frustrated once again, we drowned our sorrows in coffee and
\ncake. Now the cafe blues. A friendly smile from the waiter but no
\nmenu till we asked for it. Excellent coffee, delicious cake and
\nattract the cheerful waiter's eye to get the bill which is still
\na long time coming. Then the long wait for the change. No,
\nfriendliness alone is not enough.<\/p>\n
Don't tell me that I am an insensitive foreigner who should
\nunderstand that in Indonesia there is jam karet. I've been here
\neleven years. I love it here and jam karet has its place. I'm
\nwriting this article about service attitudes that permeate
\nIndonesian business and hold the country back in its development.
\nIndonesia is trying to compete in global markets. Is the country
\nbeing held back by being unresponsive to the demands for quality
\nproducts and effective and quality services? In an emerging
\nglobal marketplace, the competitive edge is won by effective and
\ntimely response to customer needs and wants.<\/p>\n
What is quality?<\/p>\n
There are three important aspects of quality: the
\neffectiveness of the supplier's response to a customer's needs
\nand concerns, the actual quality of the product itself, and the
\nquality of the service the buyer feels should go with the
\npurchase. It is the add-on value of effective customer service
\nthat makes for a delighted long-term customer. So, even if you
\nhave outstanding quality products at competitive prices, your
\ncompany may lose its market edge if you are not supplying exactly
\nwhat the customer wants, and if your delivery times and customer
\nservice are slow, unresponsive and ineffective.<\/p>\n
Excellence is not static but an ever-evolving process of
\nchanging and adapting to meet customer needs. There is a lot of
\ncompetition appearing every day. Indonesian products and services
\nmust prove their quality in a global market, and maintain this
\nquality consistently. Filling the orders is not enough. Research
\nhas shown that market leaders deliver just what the customers
\nwant and, what's more, they deliver it on time.<\/p>\n
Today all customers want value for their money. They want
\ntotal quality products and they want total quality services. A
\n1991 Gallup Poll published by the American Society for Quality
\nControl showed that in American, Germany and Japan, consumers
\nwere prepared to pay substantially more for a product of
\noutstanding quality. They also wanted total quality services that
\nwere on time, efficient and effective. Friendliness was not
\nconsidered to be enough. In this poll, consumers were less than
\n55 percent satisfied with services provided by their banks,
\nshops, hospitals, hotels, airlines, insurance companies and auto
\nrepairers. They all wanted better, more timely and more
\nresponsive service than they were getting.<\/p>\n
Quality improves competitiveness. If a product or service is
\nless efficient or more backward than that its competitors, it
\nwill be harder in the long run to catch up with the competition
\nwho have been giving better service for a longer time. Beyond a
\ncertain point the product will not be able to catch up at all and
\nwill lose out on market share.<\/p>\n
Quality also adds value to an organization in the form of
\nimproved company image and a reputation for costumer service.
\nThis, in turn, brings in repeat business, which, of course,
\nbrings more profit.<\/p>\n
An investment of time and energy to give customers total
\nquality service, is an investment that pays high dividends. The
\nGeneral Accounting Office in the USA, published statistics in May
\n1990, which show that all quality-conscious companies report
\nincreased profits, lower expenses, improved customer
\nsatisfaction, improved employee morale and salaries and increased
\nmarket share.<\/p>\n
This year is Human Resources Development Year in Indonesia.
\nThe country is placing high hopes on developing tourism and
\nforeign trade. Re-examining the attitude towards the quality of
\nproducts and the quality of customer services is a first step.
\nService industry personnel must be trained to be more responsive
\nand more effective as well as being friendly. An investment must
\nbe made to improve the attitude towards customers, the response
\nto customers' concerns and needs, the speed of execution of
\norders and the effective processing of information.<\/p>\n
No, friendliness is not enough.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth Hermann is trainer-consultant in Organizational Culture
\nand Impression Management.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fiendliness-is-fine-but-how-about-a-little-efficiency-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}