BUSINESS WORLD IN GERMANY

(A customer’s experience)

by Tumelo Peter Morwe, UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA

When one travels to any part of the world an essential part of his/her travelling experience is the customer service he/she will receive from the local businesses at the destination. For most people a business is judged based on not only the product/service the business offers but also on the manner in which the product/service is delivered or in simple terms, the customer service.

My experience in the few German cities that I have been to is that even though Germany is a cold country, the manner in which businesses treat their customers is the warmth of the country. Businesses in Germany truly value every customer that walks in through their premises doors. There is not a single instance that I recall in which I felt disrespected or mistreated in any store or restaurant. The manner in which I was helped by every store assistant or waitress I came across made me feel very special and if there is any one thing I would come back to Germany for it would be exactly that.

This warmth (or splendid customer service) is being expressed in several ways in German businesses. Firstly it is in the way they smile when a customer enters the store or approaches the store assistant to ask for help. Usually the smile is not just the curving of lips or exposing of teeth of teeth but it is the way the eyes light up when they see a customer because the lips can lie but the eyes can never lie. A smile says much more than the words can ever say. A smile communicates that “you are welcome” and it also says “talk to me, I want to help you”. I have seen this kind of smile in every German store that I have entered.

Secondly the warmth is expressed in the commitment that store assistants display in giving the desired help that the customer has asked for. For instance I was looking for a certain electric gadget in an electric store in Stuttgart and I approached a shop assistant to ask if they had it in the store. He told me that the gadget was not available in their store but he referred me to several other electric stores in which I could find the gadget. It was the way in which he took his time and patiently explained to me where I could find every one of the stores which made this encounter a memorable customer experience and when I come back to Germany I will buy every electric gadget that I need from that store.

Customer service is the thread that all businesses hang on and German businesses have understood and responded positively to that. As an aspiring businessman their delivery of good customer service has changed my whole outlook on what it means to value a customer. I did not need to receive any lecture on hospitality and good customer service in Germany because I experienced it for myself. And wise men have said experience is the best teacher.