My expectations in terms of service have probably been recalibrated in the years since I first moved to China. I’ve been disappointed many times. No doubt it will be a long road towards improving overall service quality, but generally the efforts to promote better awareness of service standards are to be commended – particularly during the Beijing Olympics and Shanghai EXPO. I often wonder what types of expectations Chinese consumers truly have towards service, and two recent experiences got me thinking more about the service culture in China.
Firstly, on a recent trip to Sanya, I was amazed bythe contrast between some of the beautiful resort hotels vs. the abysmal service offered in them. This example of hardware vs. software, to describe the bricks and mortar vs. the human element is often used to describe the service (or lack of) here in China, and Sanya was like five-star hardware combined with two-star software. It describes well how often the building or facilities can look the part, but that the service staff cannot always meet the high service expectations to match the superior building or brands. I have experienced this contrast in hospitals, restaurants, hotels and retail outlets all too often.
The second experience was at a local hotpot restaurant chain. I had been disappointed so many times with service standards in restaurants, but to my delight I have discovered a beacon of Chinese service called Haidilao (???). The Haidilao chain of restaurants grew from a small soup stall in Sichuan province. It is now a well established chain of restaurants that has made waves recently due to its consistency in delivering excellent service standards, based largely on the friendly, attentive waiting staff and innovative methods used to make waiting for a table more pleasant (such as nail painting, or a massage while you wait).
The most significant part of the Haidilao story is how fast the news of this service has spread. Haidilao has quickly become renowned for their service (even the foreigners know about it!). What this also highlights once again, is the power of innovation and novelty combined with word of mouth recommendation to create buzz and excitement around a brand. This is what has really made Haidilao so successful – it’s almost as if people go to experience the extras while waiting for a table! The service is also consistently true to the hype which means Haidilao actually follow up on the service expectations and deliver in terms of high service standards. I can personally attest to the higher quality service.
Interestingly, I recently got to speak to some of the management at a local Haidilao, and their philosophy was quite simple. Its built around respect for the service staff, and making an effort to treat them well, or at least better than the average gig for a migrant worker who might be a long way from home, and have to live in a shared dormitory with all the other staff.
It is recognized that high service standards can be very difficult to implement in China, but this case offers a good example that for those who train staff, treat them well and deliver improved quality of service, will ultimately benefit. More importantly it shows it can be done in China.
