A customer service lesson from Vietnam

I have been in Vietnam this week looking at retail and customer service in general as part of an Asian retail study tour. A couple of things stand out for me from what I have seen in several cities: customer service and cheerfulness.

The attentiveness of retail and service business employees is excellent. Not push. Just there with help and assistance in retail and in cafes. Just wonderful. I have been left feeling that they really do appreciate my business, that serving me is not a chore.

Underlying the service is a cheerfulness among retail and service business team members. It’s like they really love their jobs. It made me wonder whether we are breeding workers in in Australia who work in retail not because it’s a career but because it’s a means to an end – education, travel and the like.

Maybe I am wrong but I get a feeling that I have encountered more career retailers here in Vietnam than I encounter in retail in Australia. Sure there are career back room retailers but what about the shop floor. What is our mix of casual versus full time today compared to, say ten years ago.

One of the best books I read about working in retail and service was How Starbucks Saved My Life. I have written about it before. Sure it is a little, well, American, in parts. However, this book nails what we need in retail – employees who love their jobs because it is their choice to get up in the morning and take the job.

It’s what I have seen in my brief time in Vietnam, people who love their job and reflect this in the service they provide.