Being a
customer with a south European supplier, I reflect on the differences between
him and me when we discuss satisfaction. “J”, let’s call him that, and I have often
completely different mindset in a discussion. When I express a concern and want
to point out a high expectation as I have not any record of performance within the specific topic, he takes it as complaints of his performance and get insulted.
It is of course a matter of how I formulate my message, but even after consciously
altering and testing different approaches, the result is still the same.
Do you see
a cultural difference in the way to interpret satisfaction related to the
expectation and performance?
I think that you have a good point here. Expectations, perceptions and of course the way we translate and understand a message is subjective since we all understand the world around us based on our own conditions. One condition that forms us as individuals to a higher degree is the culture of the place and the people where we live. I believe that different cultures have different attitudes and norms when it comes to how we communicate and also what we expect regarding the quality and delivery of service. Knowing the cultural differences when doing business can have a great impact on the success of that business
SvaraRaderaRegards
Lukas Pasic
Thank you for your comment, Lucas! The norms you mention can be the key in this case.
RaderaNot just limited to cultural (although I am sure that is one factor involved), we will see a similar thing when we open our student support area in a couple of weeks. I'm treating it as a spectrum of needs, ranging from students who are highly self-directed, capable and would prefer to do their transactions online through to students with limited English language skills or other reasons why a more personalised support method is needed. We are definitely trying to cater for these different expectations and how they will perceive 'satisfaction' differently.
SvaraRaderaThank you Mark for your feedback! Skill level, in your case English, is a trait that you can use wisely to meet the customer expectations in the best possible way.
RaderaIn my opinion you are the customer and "J" needs to be the one that try to understand his customer. I guess that you changing your approach will not lead you to the same conclusion. "J" need to reflect about if he is selling a service or a customer experience. What is he selling, and is he interested to deliver a good experience? If it then will be cultural differences? Yes probably due to different norms as mentioned above, but I think that you will have a better chance to meet regarding the expectations. Best of luck Anders!
SvaraRadera