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customer service

Secret Walls in the Subway: Japanese Customer Service at its Best

Secret Walls in the Subway: Japanese Customer Service at its Best

Japan has a way with customer service. From elevator ladies whose only job is to push the floor buttons to shop keepers who greet every patron with a hearty I rasshaimase (Welcome!), there’s no shortage of examples of great service. One such example has crept up from the depths of the subway to surprise and delight the people of the Internet: secret walls!
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Another Reason Why I Love Japan: You Get a Block of Dry Ice When Ordering Ice Cream To-Go

Another Reason Why I Love Japan: You Get a Block of Dry Ice When Ordering Ice Cream To-Go

Japan has some of the best customer service in the world. We recently ran a story about a convenience store worker who packed our writer’s purchase so that the cold and hot drinks wouldn’t touch. This is just one of the many examples of the attention to detail that is given by workers in Japan. Sure, sometimes you land up having to wait five minutes at the department store while the clerk wraps every individual item (and the line of people behind you slowly creeps past the front doors), but this level of service is nothing short of amazing.

On my most recent visit to Baskin Robbins (it’s simply known as “31 Ice Cream” in Japan), I was shocked by the level of service I received after ordering a single cup of ice cream to-go. Most astonishing was the small block of dry ice that was placed on top of the ice cream to prevent it from melting on the way home.

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Seven Services That Don’t Make Sense to Foreigners in Japan

Seven Services That Don’t Make Sense to Foreigners in Japan

Japanese website Netallica recently conducted a survey of foreigners, asking them to name services and jobs in Japan that leave them in a state of bewilderment.

Take a look at the top seven services that make foreigners in Japan pause and exclaim, “What the heck?!”

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McDonald’s 60 Second Campaign Teaches Japanese Customers the Cost of Free Food

McDonald’s 60 Second Campaign Teaches Japanese Customers the Cost of Free Food

On January 4, McDonald’s Japan launched their “Enjoy! 60 Second Service” campaign, which promises customers their meal in less than 60 seconds or their next hamburger free.

The service is only in effect from the hours of 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and the time limit doesn’t apply to products that are known to take over a minute to prepare, like the hefty Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

Even still, the promotion is shaping up to be a bit too much for the poor McDonald’s Japan floor staff, who are literally on the timer with every order. Only two days after launch, Twitter has erupted with complaints that the promotion has caused a sudden drop in the quality of service, with many people sharing photos of their own “60 second disasters.”

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China: Fast Food too Slow? Throw it on the Ground!…err, Counter

China: Fast Food too Slow? Throw it on the Ground!…err, Counter

Let’s face it. We have all complained about fast food chains at least once in our lives – whether it’s about the lack of menus, not serving you the cheeseburger you want, or a burger made too spicy. And the most common complaint out there has got to be “fast food not fast enough!”

Due to the low pay at fast food restaurants, it is not unusual to have a shortage of workers behind the counters and long queues of customers waiting to be served. When that happens, most of us would just mumble a few words of dissatisfaction to ourselves.

But when six out of seven counters are closed, and you are made to queue for 15 minutes without any proper explanations, even the most patient man can start to lose his temper.

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Fast Food Customer Service in Japan Vs. Fast Food Customers in America: Two Videos Spark Discussion on Japanese Net

Fast Food Customer Service in Japan Vs. Fast Food Customers in America: Two Videos Spark Discussion on Japanese Net

The fast food experience in Japan is much different that it is in America.

In Japan, step into any fast food restaurant and you are treated with the kind of service you see in commercials. Polite and attentive staff work in seemingly perfect unison to get customers their meal as quickly as possible, all while maintaining a smile on their face.

In America, the reality isn’t so golden. Fast food staff are often uninspired and lack enthusiasm and, perhaps as one reason for that, the customers can be loud, obtrusive and sometimes even violent.

At least, this is the image people are getting from two YouTube videos that have been making the rounds in the Japanese net since this weekend.

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Customer Service (and Customers) in Japan vs. the West: A Japanese Perspective

Customer Service (and Customers) in Japan vs. the West: A Japanese Perspective

One of the things almost all foreign tourists to Japan comment on is the quality of customer service. The phrase “the customer is god” is hammered into Japanese customer service and restaurant staff and the politeness and thoroughness with which they tend to you certainly does a great job at making you feel like one.

Yet while there are plenty of stories on the net about Japanese customer service from a foreigner’s perspective, what do the Japanese think about the rest of the world’s manners?

Reiko Kawakami over at Excite Japan shares her observations about shopping and customer service in the West vs. Japan based on her experience living abroad in England, Italy and Romania.

So how does a lady hailing from a country where the customer is king view these 3 Western countries? Her analysis follows below:

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How Lens Maker Sigma Saved My Life

How Lens Maker Sigma Saved My Life

Among lens makers, Sigma is a brand famous the world over. They’ve been in the news recently for their February 8th announcement of the 46 megapixel DP1 Merrill and DP2 Merril models, but this article is actually about an experience I had with them late last year. Read More

Best Japanese Customer Service

Best Japanese Customer Service

I am crazy about Calbee Lightly Salted Potato Chips. I find its balance of saltiness and crispy texture to be really addictive. Some of my friends are fans of other chip brands, but I have stuck to Calbee’s for quite a long time.

The other day, I was enjoying a bag of chips when I happened to feel something like a hair in my mouth. I spat it out and saw something that looked like a thread attached to a chip. There was little doubt that what I saw was an accidental artifact of the production process. Read More