Week 51

“Good service makes the day”

Treating your customers well should be a priority in all our businesses. It is an essential business value that entrepreneurs and their entire staff must constantly deliver. That was why I created this tagline for my ONE.99shop posters: “Service with a smile”.

But good service, of course, goes beyond just a smile. It has to come naturally and it should always be there. It should not happen only because Christmas is around the corner and you go that extra step in giving free gift-wrapping.

Good service should be so much a part of an organisation’s personality that it can come from any member of the staff. I recall my experiences shopping in Japan, when I think about quality service. The sales staff there seemed to be able to anticipate my needs. There was one day after it had drizzled, I noticed that one store had even laid out a red carpet connecting to the store next door so that customers did not have to get their feet wet!

The Japanese have a flair for service and are dramatic with it. It would be wonderful if other countries, including Singapore, could one day follow suit.

Read more about my experience in Chapter 30 of my book, ONE BUSINESS 99 LESSONS