Customer Service 美式顧客服務(wù)

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(dāng)國(guó)王或皇后嗎?想有人把你服事得服服貼貼的嗎?很多美國(guó)人每天都享受著皇室般的招待。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(wù)就是使每一個(gè)顧客成為關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)。需要證明嗎?聽聽廣告就知道了。大部份都很像麥當(dāng)勞的廣告一樣：麥當(dāng)勞都是為你。事實(shí)上，并不是所有美國(guó)的商店都待顧客如同上賓一般。不過無(wú)論你走到哪里，好的顧客服務(wù)就是讓顧客覺得自己獨(dú)特?zé)o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(guó)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(huì)有「家具街」或是「計(jì)算機(jī)路」，讓你可以輕松地比價(jià)一番;取而代之的是用電話，讓他們的手指頭來(lái)代步「走過電話簿」。從第一聲「哈啰」開始，顧客們的疑問都接收到最殷勤的回答。這個(gè)初步的接觸，可以協(xié)助他們決定該到哪兒去采買。

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(dāng)顧客們來(lái)到店里的時(shí)候，他們會(huì)受到貴賓般的款待。他們通常不會(huì)看到店員坐在那兒看電視或是玩撲克牌。相反的，店員會(huì)親切地打招呼，并且協(xié)助尋找需要的東西。大部份的商店里，每個(gè)商品分類區(qū)清楚的標(biāo)示使逛街成為一項(xiàng)輕松的樂事。由于價(jià)錢已清楚地標(biāo)示，顧客們通常不需要再問價(jià)錢。在美國(guó)，除非是跳蚤市場(chǎng)或是舊貨大拍賣，否則人們不會(huì)費(fèi)事去討價(jià)還價(jià)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(dāng)顧客們要結(jié)帳的時(shí)候，他們會(huì)找一個(gè)最近、隊(duì)伍排得最短的收銀臺(tái)去結(jié)帳。不過根據(jù)莫非定律的說(shuō)法，不論你排得是哪一列，結(jié)果其它列都會(huì)前進(jìn)得比你這一列要快。當(dāng)結(jié)帳隊(duì)伍太長(zhǎng)時(shí)，好的商家會(huì)再開放新的收銀柜臺(tái)。有些甚至?xí)橘?gòu)物項(xiàng)目為十項(xiàng)以內(nèi)的顧客，提供快速收銀的服務(wù)。當(dāng)他們付錢之后，店員會(huì)給予顧客一個(gè)微笑和一句溫暖的「謝謝」。有些商店甚至讓他們的顧客將購(gòu)物推車推到停車場(chǎng)去，這樣他們就不必提著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(guó)，顧客服務(wù)在成交之后仍持續(xù)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(jià)位的商品，通常會(huì)有保證期限，以保證一年或更久的時(shí)間內(nèi)使用該產(chǎn)品沒有任何問題。廣告中通常會(huì)有「保證讓你滿意」的標(biāo)語(yǔ)。所以產(chǎn)品若是有問題，顧客可以把它送回去，而客戶服務(wù)人員通常會(huì)讓他們換商品或是全額退錢。這里有一個(gè)小問題：你知道什么時(shí)候是大部份顧客服務(wù)人員最忙的時(shí)候嗎?圣誕節(jié)過后的那個(gè)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(duì)許多美國(guó)的顧客而言，服務(wù)就是一切，如果有人在某一家店里受到很糟的服務(wù)，他以后可能就會(huì)盡量不再去那家店購(gòu)物。另外一方面，一家店若提供上乘的服務(wù)，就算價(jià)錢高一點(diǎn)，顧客們通常會(huì)保持對(duì)該店的忠誠(chéng)度。美式的顧客服務(wù)源于一個(gè)信念：顧客永遠(yuǎn)是對(duì)的。這或許不見得全對(duì)，不過顧客永遠(yuǎn)都是顧客!