When famed anthropologist Margaret Mead first visited Samoa in the South Pacific, it led her to write in the preface of her book Coming of Age in Samoa, "Courtesy, modesty, good manners, conformity to definite ethical standards are universal… It is instructive to know that standards differ in the most unexpected ways.” Her non-judgmental approach to the target of her research enabled her to gain a level of intimacy with Samoan inhabitants that few researchers had been able to attain.
Customer service is anthropological. As customers we look for symbols, artifacts, language, and customs to signal trust and the potential for a happy ending. Doctors display credentials, bank branches parade the iron door of the safe, airline pilots sound safety conscious, and hospitals are spotless. We respond to cues that tell our subconscious where to go, what to like and what to avoid. We have learned the meaning of caution lights, shaking heads, yellow tape, sirens, church bells, furrowed eyes, electrical smells, and dashboard icons.
There are many components in the social encounter we call service. As service providers, how can we be effective at learning the cues and customs to be imbedded in our customers’ experiences? By taking the Mead approach—non-judgmental recognition that customer “standards differ in the most unexpected ways.” Woe to the service provider that assumes, guesses or stereotypes.
How are you gaining customer insight into your customers’ anthropology? What are ways to unearth the more subtle aspects of your customers’ expectations?
