As I’ve begun my year-long journey around the world, my mind has transitioned from constant worker to constant customer. Yet at the same time, my researcher’s brain has shifted into high gear. Every town and attraction I’ve visited, I have analyzed, weighed and compared that location to “what we do back home.” Because I’ve done market research for so many years, I can’t help but notice what these attractions are doing wrong, what they are doing right, and what they could be doing better. 
Through all of this constant analysis, there is one themed-thought that has been uppermost in mind. That one themed-thought is: “This would (or would not) be successful in America because...” The rest of the sentence usually has to do with the American’s demand for excellent customer service and the good old American Motto: “The customer is always right.” The thing is... we seem to be the only country that believes this, especially when we don’t get it.
This motto, and the lack of American-Style Customer Service in my travels, has led me to a further revelation: American Customers don’t just want to be right...being right is not enough. American customers want more, and unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of companies that deliver what Americans really want.
“What do Americans Really Want?” you may be wondering (especially if you are in the retail business). The answer is simple... Americans Want the Royal Treatment for Free. Screw being right...we want our butts kissed, and we don’t want to have pay to get it.
(I know...how coarse. But bear with me a moment as I explain how this new answer can help ANY business anywhere in the world.)
An Example from Delta Airlines
When I was flying to Australia on Delta, I got my “panties all twisted” (an expression my mother likes to use meaning “ticked off”) over a Snotty Stewardess who happened to be working in my section. Because of the Snotty Stewardess and her lack of respect, Delta has been moved down my list of must-fly airlines. Her terrible customer service has most likely cost Delta an avid traveler. Here’s what happened...
It was the middle of the night somewhere high above the Pacific Ocean and I was hungry. Instead of ringing my “Call Bell” to make the stewardess come to me, I went to them looking for something to settle my stomach. I was not surprised to find all the flight attendants sitting at the back of the plane, chatting over coffee, since most of the passengers were sleeping. In all honesty, I felt they deserved the much-needed break.
Because I knew they needed a break, I was loathe to interrupt them for something as silly as a bag of pretzels. So I stood nearby, waiting patiently to be noticed. The Snotty Stewardess noticed me right away since she was facing me, but she was in the middle of telling a story and decided to ignore me. (The other flight attendants were all facing her, so they did not notice me.)
Being the curious person I am, I openly eavesdropped on the attendants’ conversation. The woman was complaining about a passenger, and she happened to make a comment about federal regulations that peaked my interest. Right as she finished her whining, she asked me quite bluntly if I needed anything. I told her I was hoping for some pretzels (which another attendant jumped to get for me). While the other flight attendant dug through their food stores for snacks, I asked the Snotty Stewardess if it was true that federal regulations did not allow a stewardess to move a customer on a plane, and she told me very rudely, “That was a private conversation.”
Just like that, my panties twisted.
While normally I would never complain about bad customer service, I bring this incident up for a reason. You see, after getting off the plane, I was standing in line in customs with my fellow passengers, and I saw the flight attendants standing in the “Fast Pass Lane” nearby. At the same time I noticed this, I heard two other passengers complaining about a terrible flight attendant. Butting in, I asked if they were talking about the Snotty Stewardess (who I was able to point to in the Fast Pass Lane), and the other passengers confirmed that they were indeed talking about her.
“But what you can expect?” the other passenger asked. “You just can’t get good customer service from flight attendants these days. And you can’t complain about it because of all the Security Regulations. If you complain, you may find yourself booted off the plane or marked as a terrorist. Because of that, every airline has crappy flight attendants.”
“That’s not true,” I rebutted. “While normally, I would agree with you – especially because there’s always at least one Snotty Steward(ess) on any flight you take – I just flew V Australia from LAX to Sydney a couple weeks ago, and the flight attendants were phenomenal.”
“Really?” they asked. “But the plane probably sucked, right?”
“Absolutely not. The plane was incredible, and in great shape. And there is just something about Australian Customer Service that is so attractive. Every Australian cashier I’ve met has been incredibly friendly.”
And that’s the truth. Every Australian I’ve met so far has been amazing when it comes to customer service. HOWEVER, this customer service comes with a price...literally. I have yet to find anything for free in Australia – not even free internet at the hotels. Everything in Australia seems to have a price tag attached to it. (I sincerely hope to be proven wrong about this soon, but after two and a half weeks in Australia, it’s not looking good.)
Customer Service: American Style
I have noticed a shift in the way American Corporations do business. More and more companies are offering freebies with their products “just in case” the customer gets bad or so-so customer service. At hotels, you see free parking, free shuttles, free room upgrades, free nights at the hotel, and even free cookies upon arrival. At restaurants, you see free chips or bread before the meals, free refills on various beverages, and even free candy, cookies, or ice cream for dessert. In the blogging world, bloggers offer free videos, eBooks and podcasts to their readers. At banks, we get free toasters, free checking accounts, and even free money for signing up with that bank. With credit cards, we get free APR and even free flights, gifts or points. Coffee Shops and Bookstores offer free internet (as does McDonalds). These business models strive for excellent customer service, but also give gifts to really drive their service experience home.
Another really great example of “The Royal Treatment for Free” is a Harley Davidson Shop. Many Harley shops offer free coffee and free access to clean bathrooms to their customers, whether they buy anything or not. That one freebie is enough to attract large groups of Harley riders on sunny afternoons, to make a pit stop for a little bit of Free Royal Treatment. Even though the Bikers don’t have to buy anything, they often do because they’re killing time waiting for the caffeine to kick in and their buddies to get out of the bathroom.
Can you see where I’m going with this?
How to Really Deliver American-Style Customer Service in Your Business
If you really want to attract American customers and keep them coming back (and believe it or not, it works for other nationalities as well), good customer service is no longer enough – especially if you compete against the “Big Boys”. You need to offer some type of freebie to keep your customers coming back. Blogs are a great way to give something valuable to your customers for free because you are sharing your knowledge with them at no cost. Promotional products are another great way to give something free to your customers while also promoting your business, but it should be something your customers might actually use (like a calendar, magnet, decadent chocolate, etc). Small brochures or pamphlets are also a good idea, but only if they TEACH something that your customers want to know, and aren’t just promotional fluff. These are basic items that pretty much any business utilizes.
However, if you really want to make an impression with your customers, you need to offer more than promotional products to keep them coming back. You need to give them a reason to visit you and visit often. Free coffee or snacks are a great low cost way to do this for any retail business (just ask them leave it at the counter if they handle the merchandise). To be effective, simply think about what your customers buy and what complimentary products you can offer, or what products will get them to hang out for a while, give great service with a friendly smile, and you will soon dominate your market niche. All Americans really want is a good butt-kissing when they’re told they’re right. (I know that’s what I look for...)
Originally posted 2010-08-24 13:38:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
E.T. Barton has been in bookkeeping since 1998. In 2002, she began her own business specializing in bookkeeping, office administration, and market financial feasibility research. She has worked on a large variety of books - from construction, retail, restaurants, and resorts - and completed research for businesses both large and small. To learn more about her, read her article: 
I was surprised at the direction this post took. I expected to hear just how aweful our low-level American retail/service employee’s customer service is these days. I am continually stunned by the rudeness and unprofessionalism so many clerks, cashiers, and other customer service employees dish out these days. American’s don’t need their butts kissed, they need ‘em kicked! We need to get back to the basics and provide GREAT service and GREAT products to continue building a GREAT country! We need to stop thinking we deserve this and that and start understanding that we need to give (great service) in order to get (respect).
Hey Ethan – That’s the thing…we (Americans) have a GREAT country, GREAT products, and often GREAT service (especially in comparison to other countries)…yet we still want more. I still want more. It’s that old saying, “The Best Bang for Your Buck.” And I think, a lot of Americans don’t realize that we have such great service until we don’t get the service. We still want more, and there’s no reason why we can’t get it.
From what I’ve seen in other countries (like Europe and Australia), great service comes with a great big price tag. It makes me miss home a bit…Because even terrible service in the U.S. can be better than decent service outside the U.S.
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