A customer-service miracle shows America at its best
| Port Townsend, Wash.
Reports of America鈥檚 decline and China鈥檚 rise abound today. As a longtime China hand, I admire Beijing鈥檚 amazing accomplishments and sometimes fret about America鈥檚 ability to meet the challenges China鈥檚 emergence poses.听
I鈥檓 also reminded, sometimes at odd moments, of our nation鈥檚 strengths, some of which go unremarked. They鈥檙e real 鈥� and we must not take them for granted.
A recent adventure in an airport lounge brought some of America鈥檚 best assets to mind.
I spend a lot of time on planes. I鈥檓 obsessive about my favorite luggage, particularly the 鈥渨heelie鈥� suitcase that鈥檚 my savior from the purgatory of baggage claim.
Traveling to Taiwan earlier this year, I had checked my bag instead of taking it on board. On arrival, its mangled handle looked like limp spaghetti. The airline didn鈥檛 鈥渃over handles.鈥�
So I took a cab to a Costco (the US-based warehouse chain) outside Taipei and bought, for a reasonable US price, a new roll-aboard.
I was instantly smitten. One of its most beguiling features was the nifty strap, with its unique clip-in fitting, for hooking a small extra bag or a computer to the wheelie.
Three months later, on some other flight, I lost the strap. A web search revealed no sign of the bag, or its 鈥減arts,鈥� and I resigned myself to a dreary future of strapless juggling.
Earlier this month, in the lounge at San Francisco airport, I spied a traveler with the very same bag. I approached him cold and lamented my loss to him. He sensibly suggested calling the local store near the airfield.
I called, pressed a number for 鈥渁dministrative offices,鈥� and gave the one-minute version of my tragic tale.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 help you, but we suggest you call our home office,鈥� said the person I鈥檇 cold-called. 鈥淗ere鈥檚 the main number.鈥�
I called the home office, told the operator my problem, and got connected to an extension. The voice mail message gave a colleague鈥檚 name and extension for 鈥渦rgent鈥� matters. I called that number and reached a real person. Kelly got the full, two-minute tale of woe.
聽鈥淲e鈥檝e changed manufacturers, and that bag is no longer available,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淏ut I can check our system and see if I can find a strap for you. Let me have your name, address, phone and e-mail address.鈥�
Eight hours later, safely in Honolulu, I checked my e-mail. A message from Kelly read, 鈥淲e found one strap 鈥� the very last one. Take good care of it. It鈥檒l be in the mail in a day or two.鈥�
The next morning, Kelly鈥檚 assistant rang my cellphone: the strap had been mailed.
In how many other countries would this have happened?聽
Not many. I have the deepest admiration for what the Chinese people have accomplished in the past 30 years, but this series of events strikes me as unimaginable there.
The contrast underscores some often hidden elements of America鈥檚 effectiveness: individual empowerment and open social communication.
This was, to me, a tiny but exhilarating American success story. Every element of my story highlights American strengths that we must preserve and promote to stay competitive.听
鈥� Trust between strangers. The traveler at the airport didn鈥檛 know me. But we conducted a constructive conversation with no rituals or barriers.
鈥ervice-focused organizational design. The store switchboard linked seamlessly to the office figure, who laid out the right next step for me. There was no need to 鈥済o back two spaces,鈥� redirect my call, or repeat my message two or three times.
鈥veryone a stakeholder. The home office operator was a nonnative speaker in a low-level job taking calls from the general public. Yet she was equipped to listen effectively, make crucial judgments, and connect me to the right party.
鈥mphasis on action. The voice-mail message was clear, complete, and gave me an option to reach someone else if my case was 鈥渦rgent.鈥�
鈥mployee initiative. Kelly 鈥� who was not a customer service representative 鈥� showed mastery of product availability, and, above all, an instant willingness to think creatively 鈥� to 鈥減roblem-solve鈥� 鈥� for a customer completely unknown to her.
鈥ollow-up. Kelly e-mailed me new details while I was still on the plane, and her assistant called just hours later to report completion of the order.
Open and effective communication, broad-minded employee training, individual employee problem-solving skills, an emphasis on speed and full task-completion: We have these ingredients in front of our noses. We need to grow them, use them, and never forget how much they can do for us in a competitive world.听
Robert Kapp, former president of the US-China Business Council, heads Robert A. Kapp & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm. He taught Chinese history at Rice University and the University of Washington.听
