Japanese Customer Service Means Always Having to Say You’re Sorry
How to Turn a Screw-Up into an Advantage
The only thing we deliver or are trying to deliver to our guests is satisfaction . . . we have nothing else…In our business, no excuse is accepted when something goes wrong…” ~ Koichi Satoh, President/General Manager, Hotel Okura
One of the common complaints I hear from Japanese friends and colleagues about American customer service is that when Americans break a promise, rather than apologizing, they make excuses.
This is more a gap in cultural expectations than an indictment of American manners. And it begs some questions:
Why are my American compatriots so reluctant to apologize?
Why is it that when confronted with customer complaints, so many get defensive?
And why would the Japanese be any different?
Who Screwed Up!?
Tackling the first two questions requires context.
First, American behavior is driven, to a large degree, by how Americans define the concept of responsibility in a culture that values individualism.
To this point, the mere act of apologizing in America is often interpreted as an admission of personal (=individual) guilt. After all, some poor schmuck has to fall on his sword, right?
In this light, no surprise that no one wants to step forward and take the rap, as it can wreak havoc on one’s reputation or career. So when Americans give “reasons” for making a mistake, they are, more often than not, on the defensive — victims of circumstances outside their control. No one told me about the schedule change! And so on.
In contrast, the Japanese tend to dilute responsibility by divvying it up among team members, which naturally takes pressure off the individual. (It’s not that Japanese never blame individuals, but when they do, the burden of responsibility tends to roll uphill.)
And perhaps the most important point is that, in Japan, apologizing to a customer is more an expression of regret that the customer was inconvenienced than an admission of personal guilt. So everyone apologizes — regardless of fault — then goes about their business.
Reasons Versus Excuses
The Japanese put a lot of importance on honoring social commitments. The Confucian code of morality dictates that if a promise is made, then the honorable person must do his or her utmost to fulfill it at all costs. Not to do so is a loss of face.
This helps explain why the Japanese have less tolerance for accepting what Americans call “reasons” after a promise has gone unfulfilled, especially when the broken promise involves the almighty customer. Most explanations deemed reasonable by American standards would be called “excuses” by many Japanese. And while this doesn’t jibe well with the American concept of fairness, it’s how the Japanese view the world through their collective Confucian-colored glasses. Breaking a promise to a customer — failing to deliver quality service and/or products in a timely manner — would require some pretty dire circumstances before you can expect any sympathy.
So if a mistake is made with your Japanese customer (whether it was your fault or not!), your first course of action should be to immediately bow and say “Moshi wake gozaimasen” (申し訳ございません), literally, “There is no excuse.”
How interesting that the most polite way of apologizing in Japanese forbids the offender to even consider making an excuse!
A Recipe for Redemption
A senior Japanese executive in a large automotive company told me years ago that all his suppliers made mistakes, but the good ones always responded quickly to rectify the problem.
And herein lies the path to redemption: If you goof up with a Japanese customer, don’t hesitate to apologize. Then focus on quickly solving the customer’s problem. Sincerity carries a lot of weight with the Japanese, so offering a small gift, discount or concession goes a long way in making things right. In the end, the Japanese customer will judge you on both your effort and end results. Fulfilling your promise to take care of the problem immediately is not only your ticket to redemption; it’s an opportunity to grow even closer to your customer.
© Tim Sullivan 2022
