The single most critical factor which determines whether customers remain loyal is customer service. People tend to forget how expensive an object or service is, but dont forget how they felt when buying or using it, especially if there is a strong emotion attached : positive or negative.
My experiences in India, Dubai, Europe and now USA show that customer service in the developing economies seem to be better. Consider the fact that in India, which by every measure is a developing country , one can call a major firm ( Bank, Hospital, Real Estate firm) 24/7 and rest assured that there would be someone on the other side to answer the phone. Not so in the developed world. offices close at 5 pm. Getting service on weekends is out of question.
While flying an Airline, this fact becomes clear too. While airlines such as Emirates have just started operations a few years ago, they have clearly learnt the rules of the game early on and have emerged as one of the most competitive and well serviced airlines, other giants in the US and Europe are struggling with providing service and surviving in recessionary times.
So, is it time that the west learns a lesson or two in customer service from the 'lesser developed' countries ?. I think so. While success has made some of the giants complacent, lack of an understanding of people's changing expectations has kept some of the others where they were 10 years ago. It is time they change their approach or die. There arent too many alternatives unfortunately.
