As I write this blog entry halfway across the Atlantic on a Virgin Atlantic flight back to London, the contrast in style between British and American service culture is especially distinct. To be fair to Branson, BA, BMI, et al, flying with a British airline could be the exception that proves the rule. The quality of service from US carriers stands out in comparison to those of the UK, and not for the better. But put this anomaly aside and it’s fair to say that, on the whole, the notion of customer service is held more strongly by Americans than the British.
It’s not difficult to find examples. To me, the best expression is the glass of iced water, poured the instant one sits down for dinner in a restaurant. It’s the simplest of gestures, but speaks volumes for an almost instinctive wish to ensure customers are comfortable. Rather more complex is the barrage of information that accompanies a request for salad dressing, but herein lies the product of the American expectation of choice and variety. And the gimmick of a bag of warm cookies offered when I checked into my hotel was a pleasant touch, if perhaps a little syrupy for my British sensibilities!
It’s not that I think the UK is outstandingly poor at customer service – at least not in comparison with global standards and certainly no worse than any other European nation. The difference is more a factor of American companies making service an integral part of their business. It may not always be perfectly attained, but the goal of service excellence undoubtedly takes a higher priority. Americans are happy to pay for it too. Adding 20% to a bill is usual; the now-and-again 10-15% tip of British practice would seem swingeing.
The reasons behind the US service culture are complex. Factors of more space, greater resources and the still-alive notion of the “American Dream” all spring to mind. Looking beyond these ephemeral thoughts would take more time than I have right now, but what’s matters to me are two things…
First, that UK business really could learn something from their stateside counterparts. There’s no doubt that great service gives a strong and positive impression that is enormously good for promoting repeat business. Second, is that British and American companies have much to learn when they expand overseas and into each other’s markets.
I’ve often said that the difference in culture between the UK and US is at least as great as between nations with different languages – Britain and France for instance. Consider, one would not expect to launch a presence in France without first gaining local advice, and most probably buying in local support, to help ensure a successful adaptation to local needs and expectations. Yet, most probably because of the shared tongue, many American and British firms seem to think there’s less to do when the expansion to their "special relationship2 partner.
Being in the US reminded me of this all over again, and of several firms – both US and UK – that believed they could “wing it”. This has brought into focus some observations about the incidence of British firms in the US market, and vice-versa. I’ll bring you some more thoughts on this next week.
Lonely Planet on London
On a separate but related topic, Lonely Planet Guides has just renewed its profile of London. It’s been controversial enough to hit the headlines. Click here to read the BBC News Online report about it.
