4 ms·
I don't mean for this to sound patronizing but that's because your compatriots (Americans) expect and want this kind of support. I know this from working in sup
by hnarn 7y ago
I don't mean for this to sound patronizing but that's because your compatriots (Americans) expect and want this kind of support. I know this from working in support for a long time and handling customers from all over the globe. Nowhere is the entitlement and expectation for "beyond friendly" service as problematic as it is for US customers.
And it's not just B2C, this type of behavior is creeping into B2B interactions as well, to the degree that technical consultants and specially trained staff are expected to act in a vapid and thoroughly "insincere" manner as well, anything else is seen as unprofessional.
In most parts of Europe, it's another story entirely. If you know what you're doing and you're doing it well, most people understand you're just doing your job, and they will not expect faked enthusiasm or insincere empathy. In fact, in many markets a dash of cynicism will actually get you closer to the customer.
Of course, this is generalizing and there are Americans who "act European" and vice versa, but the minefield of attempting to be sincere to a US customer is like nothing I've experienced anywhere else. It's almost like an angebergesellschaft where some people are just waiting to pounce on you for your unprofessional behavior, knowing that they will be backed up by management because noone wants people to be unprofessional, right.
- totololo 7y ago> angebergesellschaft Google didn't help with translating this one, can you shed Teutonic light on this word?
- mjmasn 7y agoI got angeber = "show off" and gesellschaft = "society", which I think makes sense in the context of hnarn's comment. I'm not German though so not 100% sure.
- hnarn 7y ago"Angeber" is a somewhat archaic word for an informant (but apparently means "show-off" today), so it's someone who reports you to the authorities, essentially a "snitch" but with a much more authoritarian connotation. So it's a society of informants, where everybody's afraid to be genuine due to the possible repercussions.