Kikubari — Japan’s Key to Exceptional Customer Service
Anticipating customer needs can take your business to the next level
It’s humbling to hear what Japanese say about American customer service. On the positive side we’re “kind, friendly, charming and warm.” But we can just as easily be “mean, scary, obnoxious and aloof.”
America is indeed a culture of extremes: when we’re good, we’re really good. But when we’re bad, we’re really bad. Most Japanese would rank average American customer service well below the average in Japan. Problem is, Japanese customers are notorious for not complaining when they feel mistreated — while they quietly stew in their own juice.
Here’s what they tell their friends and family when we’re not around: Americans don’t always keep their promises; don’t apologize for breaking promises; make excuses; don’t know how to properly speak to customers; and are not considerate.
What level of customer service do Japanese get in Japan? A personal experience at a Japanese hotel tells the story.
On the way to meet the chairman of a company that employed me at the time, I walked for twenty minutes in the sticky heat of Japan’s late-July summer. Drenched in sweat, I entered the lobby of the Otsuki Hotel in Atami. The chairman had not yet arrived, so I found a sitting area to wait.
Meanwhile, an observant clerk behind the check-in counter noticed my discomfort, and took it upon herself to bring me a glass of iced barley tea and a chilled oshibori towel. She anticipated my needs and fulfilled them proactively, the ultimate in Japanese-style customer service.
The Japanese call this “kikubari” (pronounced “key-koo-bah-ree”).
The value of the employee’s thoughtful gesture was immeasurable. The cost to create this wonderful experience was a cup of tea.
What similar high-impact, low-cost measures bring instant value? Review the complaints listed above then educate your employees to do the opposite. Specifically, commit your organization to:
- Keeping promises
- Apologizing when customers are inconvenienced
- Taking action to solve problems rather than making excuses
- Learning to greet customers in a respectful way
- Being observant and paying attention to detail
- Practicing kikubari, the art of anticipation, with customers and with each other
All this requires training. But it cuts much deeper than training. Business leaders in companies that serve the Japanese market have to first acknowledge the need to upgrade their product. Once leaders get their heads wrapped around Japanese expectations, most will understand the need to improve. Without leadership’s understanding and support, there’s no point in educating the troops, because nothing will stick.
Education is essential for opening minds to the creative possibilities and guiding employees on innovative ways to connect with Japanese customers. It also happens to be an effective way to get quick results, because it sets favorable conditions for leveraging the mind-power of employees. The improvement ideas that come from their hearts and minds always work best: if it’s their idea, they’ll do it; if it’s someone else’s idea, they won’t.
The foundation of any improvement strategy is staying true to your organization’s values and culture. Japanese customers seek authenticity; the last thing they want is their foreign hosts acting like Japanese — you’ll creep ’em out! You have to be who you are.
In the end, human relationships trump all. They have the power to overcome mistakes and the inevitable cross-cultural faux pas. Human bonds cemented by acts of kindness add precious value to the customer experience that money can’t buy.
Stating the obvious, you don’t have to be Japanese to practice kikubari. It is a learned behavior that, if practiced correctly, can effectively transcend any language barrier or culture gap. (I know this to be true because I have trained thousands of non-Japanese to embrace and practice kikubari.)
Whether or not you serve the Japanese market, making kikubari part of your customer service culture gives you a powerful edge over competitors that are reacting rather than anticipating.
A quick teaser for my next article: as much as I rave about Japanese customer service, it is far from perfect. Next up: The Dark Side of Japanese Customer Service.
© Tim Sullivan 2022
