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10 Monday January 24, 2011 ABOUT TOWN TRAINING By George Wyndham A n increased in- ternational pres- ence in Shanghai combined with rising consumption, has forced the local service industry to evolve, but not quickly enough, say some experts. Recent surveys of multinational companies in China, conducted by the Institute of Finance and Trade Economics, show that the slow devel- opment of China’s service industry has become a major factor affecting the competitiveness of other key indus- tries including manufacturing. Local businesses have also continu- ally struggled to shake off reputations for poor customer handling and care. There are companies, however, mak- ing a business of assisting China’s ser- vice industry. The Global Times met some of the city’s training companies and quality control assessors. Improving the experience “It’s about improving the customer experience,” said Ed Dean, founder of JETT which specializes in delivering assessment, motivational and train- ing programs for the development of China’s service industry. “By offering quality control checks, team building and training programs, our company aims to help businesses develop a reputation for service and set them- selves apart from their competition.” According to Dean, his business targets clients ranging from hotels, retail brands, restaurants, airlines, to property management companies, hospitals and health centers. “Any- where where customer service plays a pivotal role.” “We try to assist companies where service can be a fundamental way to differentiate against their competi- tion,” he said. “We sit down with the client, figure out the problems that need addressing and then we send our undercover consumers to make checks over a period of a few weeks. The idea is to continually evaluate politeness, attentiveness, ini- tiative, and manners of the frontline personnel. Then we report to the manage- ment who in turn coach their staff.” Lagging behind Dean said a major difficulty, and there- fore a boost for both of these companies is that China’s service indus- try has failed to keep up with the rapid development of commerce. He said the predicament stemmed from staff not being trained to deal with customers properly be- cause, in China, there are few customer ser- vice guidelines. Dean remains convinced that a lack of motiva- tion leading to high staff turnovers will continue to be problem for both for- eign and local companies until service is regarded a priority. “Many companies will spend vast sums of money on advertising, location and a huge opening party but neglect any meaningful budget for training their staff in customer service,” he said. “The issue is with the low value that many companies place on their service levels, but we have re- ally noticed this change for the better, particularly over the past 18 months.” Dean said he discovered his call- ing in 2004 when he was sitting in a Shanghai restau- rant watching an uncom- fortable scene as a waitress at- tempted to serve an exasperated foreigner customer. “She had the right attitude but lacked the service or language skills to deliver,” he said. “We saw an opportunity to start a business in the niche market assisting Chi- na’s new generation of service staff, and to provide a service and focus on an area that helps them in their daily working lives.” While Dean’s focus is very much on the front lines of the service industry, the managing director of Project Com- munication, Ben Keher, is involved in service training on a more administra- tive level. He told the Global Times that his company engaged in manage- ment training to companies which need their service standards improved. His coaching topics typically focus around improving communication, behavioral practices and cross cultural training. He said that he knows com- panies willing to offer up to 52,000 yuan ($7,899) for training sessions. “I try to go to the business and give them the resources to make long-term changes,” he said. “It can take days, weeks or even months. I’ll run a topic for no more than two days, then I get the team to go out and practice it in the field. Then we come back and evaluate. It’s all about learning on the job.” The 28-year-old Australian believes local companies often lack the time and management manpower to implement their own service checks at a corpo- rate level. While frontline staff were trained by independent companies, their managers would not monitor this and high staff turnovers would continue. Keher suggested that be- cause of China’s large population, and therefore large customer base, service hasn’t developed as a differentiator as it has in market places like Japan and the Philippines. “There can be a ‘Why do I need to make an effort with individuals?’ attitude,” he said. “There can be a dis- connect between delivery and manage- ment over here and there is often no reward for good service.” Affecting lives Keher told the Global Times he was prompted to get into the industry when he was working in the com- plaints department for the Insurance Australia Group IAG. He said after severe bushfires one summer people who had lost everything were calling him, and it was up to him and his colleagues to explain that the company could not pay for anything. “It was absolutely brutal and when I had these conversations I realized just how important something like deliver- ing good service could be,” he said. “It can greatly affect people’s lives.” The men who aim for service with a smile Keeping the customers cool Send your story ideas, press releases, review copies and invitations to editor-sh@ globaltimes.com.cn or call 61363864 Mystery shoppers and diners at work. Photos: Courtesy of JETT Ben Keher (right) in the training session. Photo: Courtesy of Project Communication
