美國文化習俗精粹 第2期:Customer Service 美式顧客服務

Would you like to be a king or queen? To have people waiting on you hand and foot? Many Americans experience this royal treatment every day. How? By being customers. The American idea of customer service is to make each customer the center of attention. Need proof? Just listen to the commercials. Most of them sound like the McDonald's ad: "We do it all for you." Actually, not all stores in America roll out the red carpet for their customers. But wherever you go, good customer service means making customers feel special.

你想當國王或皇后嗎？想有人把你服事得服服貼貼的嗎？很多美國人每天都享受着皇室般的招待。怎樣才能享受到呢？只要是顧客就可以了啊。美式的顧客服務就是使每一個顧客成爲關注的焦點。需要證明嗎？聽聽廣告就知道了。大部份都很像麥當勞的廣告一樣：麥當勞都是爲你。事實上，並不是所有美國的商店都待顧客如同上賓一般。不過無論你走到哪裏，好的顧客服務就是讓顧客覺得自己獨特無比。

People going shopping in America can expect to be treated with respect from the very beginning. Most places don't have a "furniture street" or a "computer road" which allow you to compare prices easily. Instead, people often use the telephone and "let their fingers do the walking" through the Yellow Pages. From the first "hello," customers receive a courteous response to their questions. This initial contact can help them decide where to shop.

在美國逛街，顧客們可以從一開始就享受到受尊重的感覺。大部份的城市不會有「傢俱街」或是「計算機路」，讓你可以輕鬆地比價一番；取而代之的是用電話，讓他們的手指頭來代步「走過電話簿」。從第一聲「哈囉」開始，顧客們的疑問都接收到最殷勤的回答。這個初步的接觸，可以協助他們決定該到哪兒去採買。

When customers get to the store, they are treated as honored guests. Customers don't usually find store clerks sitting around watching TV or playing cards. Instead, the clerks greet them warmly and offer to help them find what they want. In most stores, the signs that label each department make shopping a breeze. Customers usually don't have to ask how much items cost, since prices are clearly marked. And unless they're at a flea market or a yard sale, they don't bother trying to bargain.

當顧客們來到店裏的時候，他們會受到貴賓般的款待。他們通常不會看到店員坐在那兒看電視或是玩撲克牌。相反的，店員會親切地打招呼，並且協助尋找需要的東西。大部份的商店裏，每個商品分類區清楚的標示使逛街成爲一項輕鬆的樂事。由於價錢已清楚地標示，顧客們通常不需要再問價錢。在美國，除非是跳蚤市場或是舊貨大拍賣，否則人們不會費事去討價還價的。

When customers are ready to check out, they find the nearest and shortest checkout lane. But as Murphy's Law would have it, whichever lane they get in, all the other lanes will move faster. Good stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes get too long. Some even offer express lanes for customers with 10 items or less. After they pay for their purchases, customers receive a smile and a warm "thank you" from the clerk. Many stores even allow customers to take their shopping carts out to the parking lot. That way, they don't have to carry heavy bags out to the car.

當顧客們要結帳的時候，他們會找一個最近、隊伍排得最短的收銀臺去結帳。不過根據莫非定律的說法，不論你排得是哪一列，結果其它列都會前進得比你這一列要快。當結帳隊伍太長時，好的商家會再開放新的收銀櫃臺。有些甚至會爲購物項目爲十項以內的顧客，提供快速收銀的服務。當他們付錢之後，店員會給予顧客一個微笑和一句溫暖的「謝謝」。有些商店甚至讓他們的顧客將購物推車推到停車場去，這樣他們就不必提着重重的袋子到車上去了。

In America, customer service continues long after the sale. Many products come with a money-back guarantee. Expensive items-like cars, computers or stereos-often have a warranty that ensures trouble-free use for a period of a year or more. Advertisements regularly include the motto "Your satisfaction is guaranteed." So if there is a problem with the product, customers can take it back. The customer service representative will often allow them to exchange the item or return it for a full refund. Here's a trivia question: Do you know what's the busiest time for most customer service representatives? The week after Christmas.

在美國，顧客服務在成交之後仍持續良久，很多貨品都是保證可以退款的，像是車子、電腦或音音像這樣高價位的商品，通常會有保證期限，以保證一年或更久的時間內使用該產品沒有任何問題。廣告中通常會有「保證讓你滿意」的標語。所以產品若是有問題，顧客可以把它送回去，而客戶服務人員通常會讓他們換商品或是全額退錢。這裏有一個小問題：你知道什麼時候是大部份顧客服務人員最忙的時候嗎？聖誕節過後的那個禮拜。

For many American customers, service is everything. If a person receives poor service from a store, he probably will avoid shopping there in the future. On the other hand, customers often remain loyal to a business that has excellent service even if their prices are high. Customer service in America grows out of the belief that "the customer is always right." That may not always be true. But, as someone has said, the customer is always the customer.

對許多美國的顧客而言，服務就是一切，如果有人在某一家店裏受到很糟的服務，他以後可能就會盡量不再去那家店購物。另外一方面，一家店若提供上乘的服務，就算價錢高一點，顧客們通常會保持對該店的忠誠度。美式的顧客服務源於一個信念：顧客永遠是對的。這或許不見得全對，不過顧客永遠都是顧客！