| Service Quality in Thailand - I am good enough – really? |
Once I am invited to conduct a training session for a senior management team of one leading service industry in Thailand on a topic of service management. The team opens the training by telling me that they are the second best compared to another brand who is also the leading brand in Thailand in terms of “service excellence”. I ask how they know and what are the criteria used to measure that outcome. The director who is responsible for quality assurance answers me that they have the international external auditor from abroad to audit their staff on a yearly basis. The result said almost 100% of our staff do everything we ask them to do, basically staff do comply with the standards. Moreover, they as a management walk around and witness that those good service behaviours are being practiced. Sound good, isn’t it?
So, my hypothesis is;
- The auditor will still give full score if their staff “wai” (Thai greeting gesture) to the guest with a long face. (As a trainer / consultant, I will surely not recommend this type of audit for the service excellence aspect).
- And, normally Thai staff will “Wai” and bend their heads down to a manager rather than to a guest. That is a Thai hierarchical practice because the job security is traditionally not very much depending on performance but it depends on how obedient one is onwards his/her boss. I experience many times that between a guest and a manager, Thai staff will surely greet the manager first. That is why many managers are so sure that they staff comply with set standards.
I say to this group of senior managers in the session that “if the-mentioned audit outcome and the management experience strongly urge you to believe that your service is good enough. As a customer, I will say wrong”. I like to comment here two things: firstly, some Thai owner / managers believe in imported products from a handbag to a consultant. A consultant who makes Thai people believe through their nice beautiful accent and a sharp nose that they know everything. I wish actually to ask – will the audit outcome truly reflect guest satisfaction? The international external auditor must have this answer. Secondly, most obstacles of Thai’s service come from its cultural issues. Therefore, by now, Thai managers should realize that improvement in service and changes in attitude are to “start” with the boss and therefore the improvement will “stop” with the boss too.
© Tevabanchachai N. (2009), Honorary Advisor / Director, Mai-BS (THAILAND)
http://mai-bs.com
© Tevabanchachai N. (2009), Program Director at Travel Industry Management Division, Acting General Manager at Salaya Pavilion Hotel and Training Center at Mahidol University International College
http://www.mahidol.ac.th
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