All About Serving With Smile
By Ignatius Stephen

Bandar Seri Begawan - "APA Mahu?" There was a tinge of unmistakable hostility in her voice. Her unsmiling face confronted you as she surveyed you in person, as if, from head to foot with apparent displeasure.

And when you hesitated to respond, she blurted out bluntly and, in fact, .rather crudely, "Yes? What do you want?" Indeed, her tone was bordering on being rude.

And she still did not bother to get up and her focus was on the man sitting in front apparently having a long conversation most likely gossiping. He certainly was not another customer.

Therefore you sensed that your intrusion was most unwelcome. Certainly she wanted to get rid of you as soon as possible. Never mind about sales. That can wait. Her impatience was most evident.

And she indeed succeeded in getting you out of the shop. And real fast. But before you took an exit you glanced back. She had, in all likelihood, forgotten you. She was right back immersed in that morning's chatter with her male visitor.

It was Hari Raya season. Most shops were closed. But this one was open. As you were looking for something or other you had sauntered in.

But the reception you received made you leave in double quick time. However, your blood was beginning to boil. You certainly did not deserve that sort of treatment.

You were tempted to give her a stern lecture then and there. But held your peace. You kept that for another occasion. Besides the handphone rang.

You wanted to tell her the importance of. greeting her customers in a proper fashion, which many like her in Brunei regretfully don't.

How to make eye contact and serve your clients and to try to please them to the best of her ability. Most likely if the customer starts disliking her, he, in all certainty, would not buy anything from her.

You wanted to tell her that and much, much more. But you didn't. Time was not on your side. But this sort of unfriendly and arrogant behaviour is not restricted to small shops either.

Some of the nation's large supermarkets and department stores too are guilty of downright discourtesy and sloppy service. How many times you have noticed the sour demeanor of the cashier or the salesgirl in some of our larger establishments.

When was the last time a staff came to your rescue in a supermarket as you inquired for a particular item you were searching unsuccessfully for some time. "It's over there," the disinterested girl would say looking in one direction and pointing to the other.

Most probably you would not find it there either. It could be frustrating. Why couldn't the girl take the little trouble to accompany you to the shelf and show you where

it is? Oh no. That would be too much to expect. Sloth and laziness rule. Civilised behaviour and politeness are certainly not generally the norm.

That reminds you of your recent trip to Korea and Japan. There the leading supermarkets and departments have, to the pleasure of the customers, developed courtesy and service to a fine art.

An impeccably dressed young lady greets you at the entrance. She is all welcoming smiles and shows the way inside to the left.

Once inside you will only have to ask for an item you may not find. Here again you are led to the shelf so courteously and she sees to it that you are satisfied.

It is another joy at the cash counter. Not at all the grumpy, unhappy looking cashiers we have here who take your money away as if they are doing you a big favour.

And consequently unlike those in Korea and Japan, these miseries in Brunei do not at all help to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one.

They just do not have the class apparently.

So then when will places like Brunei emerge from the backwaters? Surely it is a time for change. But then it is up to the buying public to put pressure on errant shopkeepers.

However there isn't anything like the consumer association in the state. Shopkeepers are left to their devices and this is what you get: disdain and impertinence which Brunei shoppers seem to so willingly- swallow.

But the tide may soon change. Previously the shopkeepers in Bandar Seri Begawan (formerly Bandar Brunei) were an overbearing lot who tended to victimise the poor, ignorant Kampong Ayer people in a number of ways.

Many businesspeople also played the dual role of unofficial money lenders. And because of the power of money and being worldlier, they were able to lord it over the less schooled kampong folks.

But things are likely bound for a transformation. There is a middle class on the rise in the country. They have different tastes. They are used to modern day shopping trends. And they are far less gullible.

Rude shop assistants and sales girls who are not attentive and who refuse to keep with the times will be pushed out.

Most problems arise because of lack of training. Sales girls are not told how to behave. They are largely left on their own without any supervision.

The long-faced sales girls and cashiers who seldom flash a smile in local supermarkets are the result.

But watch out. This is a world where the fittest survive. The management should realise it. If not there will soon come a time when friendlier establishments professionally concerned about their customer service will take over.

Of that there can be little doubt.

Perhaps we should copy the Japanese and Korean model and teach our young the importance of the service industry.

Schools and colleges should also introduce it in their curriculum. If Brunei is to become a service hub and enhance its tourist potential, proper training of our service providers should be given-serious thought. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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