The Hindu Business Line : The moment of truth

Many of us are sceptical, even amused, to hear the word truth being used in a business environment. Does the focus on the bottomline exclude truth? Or is truth, like the proverbial one man’s meat and another man’s poison, best left to the discretion of individuals?

A service organisation is confronted with this truth time and again, and it is no surprise that the term ‘moment of truth’ gained currency especially in the hospitality industry, although it is of relevance across all service sectors today.

In the service industry, this simple phrase has grown to mean the critical moment of customer interaction that anyone in a service organisation is likely to have with a customer, and which can make or mar an organisation. Meeting a customer for the first time is one such moment of truth.

It is a decisive moment for your organisation, be it in IT, manufacturing, export, health or any other service sector, because the customer is experiencing and evaluating your service. His impression will determine whether he will return for your service once again.

There are several moments of truth right through the chain of customer service. Recognising these and responding appropriately can help you help your company.

Managing expectations

How does this play out in a globalising environment where different cultures interact without necessarily understanding each other? From our company’s point of view as an India destination service provider, this is a challenging situation because the expatriate customer and the frontline employee in the service organisation are communicating with each other from often distinct, culturally determined positions.

For instance, Jim and Sarah have just arrived in Chennai from Connecticut with their two young children. They are eager to find a nice sea-side villa off the East Coast Road and a good school for their children. They are full of enthusiasm and want to quickly settle in. Jim is on a short assignment and has no time to lose. He needs to hit the ground running and get the new project moving.

Savitha, their experienced destination consultant, knows the cultural adjustment curve well and knows that every crest is followed by a trough and that there will be fall-outs.

She knows that the plumbing or the carpentry in Jim and Sarah’s home would invariably need to be redone; two or three people would be walking in and out of their home for this, and that perhaps this job would have been done by a single person back in their own country.

Savitha knows that her moment of truth is in the first encounter and in the way she deals with the desperate calls she will receive from them, thereafter.

She will need to manage Jim and Sarah’s expectations and help them readjust theirs. She could lose their loyalty and in a service organisation this is crucial. Managing outrageous expectations is a hazardous task. A plumbing deadline that is not respected is viewed as a service failure, whereas we in India know how difficult it is to get a plumber when you need one.

Managing expectations is about empathy. What this really means is being able to go that little bit further, beyond the price tag. Service is empathy and it is this empathy that helps one recover from service failure. The customer is generally receptive to a clear explanation and periodic updates and is then able to take a missed plumbing deadline and much more in his stride!

Time spent explaining issues helps resolve complaints quickly. Acting on them confirms customer loyalty.

‘Atithi devo bhava’ or the ‘Guest is God’ is not just a handy verse that has gained in popularity since India Tourism promoted it in its ‘Incredible India’ campaign.

For centuries, the customer in India’s traditional, agricultural economy has been served as a guest by the craftsman, the shopkeeper, the vegetable vendor… coaxed and never coerced.

Simply put, taking a little more time with the customer, managing expectations and empathy are crucial for customer satisfaction. It is also perhaps time we recognise that the moment of truth for a service organisation lies in the opportunity to build trust and social harmony. Profits will invariably follow.

(The writer is Senior Manager, Cross-Cultural Services, Global Adjustments, a relocation and cross-cultural services company. She can be contacted at globalindian@globaladjustments.com)

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