It’s not something you often hear in Kathmandu: ‘The customer is always right’. For those unfamiliar with the phrase, or living in Nepal for so long they have forgotten its meaning, it translates into ‘good customer service’! Having just bought a SIM card, and being wished happy birthday for the next day by the saleswoman (copy of passport required and it seems she had taken note) I stand outside Arrivals at Changi Airport wondering my best route. Instantly my body language is noted and there is assistance at hand. Changi employs people whose sole job is to advise lost-looking tourists. This was just the beginning of three days of great customer service!

 

 I’m amused to note that Singaporean taxi drivers have the same basic conversations as those in Nepal: where are you from, how do you like the country, etc, etc. They also have a great sense of humor. I’m told by a laughing (middle-aged) driver “That time has expired la” when I explain I lived in Singapore 25 years ago. He is highly amused and amusing. I notice waiting staff are very efficient and can make recommendations on or off the menu. I notice seats reserved for the elderly or people with special needs on public transport left vacant or given up willingly. But good customer service is not restricted only to human interaction. Great signposting and information boards make Singapore extremely easy to negotiate; it’s hard to go wrong really. So, yes, I enjoy my days of being ‘always right’ and the feeling of being welcome as a visitor to this small country.

 

 Then I move on to Indonesia. I’m instantly reminded of Nepal. People trying really hard to please but just being slightly off-point and often being a bit grumpy or employing that giggle that foreigners often mistake as rudeness but which is actually covering a momentary insecurity. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of conflict between a foreigner and a local because of that giggle. But last year when in Scotland I realized that I have come to not only accept but expect it.

 

 The occasion was getting out of a swimming pool which had steps rather than a ladder. Somehow I managed to slip and fall up the steps. Turning to the Scottish ladies nearby I expected the sympathetic, slightly embarrassed, not-quite-sure-whatto- say giggle. What I got was concerned words and looks. Which somehow made me feel more stupid for falling.

 

 “Don’t have” is the bored reply as an assistant gives a nanosecond glance to the sample bangle I have with me

 

 Meantime over in Bangkok I’m searching a huge shopping mall for the cheap bangles I bought there in the past. “Don’t have” is the bored reply as an assistant gives a nano-second glance to the sample bangle I have with me. “Don’t have” is a common response in Thailand but I’m never sure whether it means they really don’t have the item or you and your request are too small to deal with. Finding the required bangles myself, the assistant is happy enough to take my money though. My thoughts run something like “… see you had them, you just didn’t want to bother looking for an item costing less than $6 …..” I wander off into the maze of stalls. A few minutes later the girl comes running up, full of smiles at having found me, clutching my sample bangle which I had dropped. Sometimes cultural differences make it hard to see customer service which is there all along!

 

 No need to discuss the ‘customer service’ rolled-out at the TIA! In fact having been dazzled by Changi Airport I think a little comparison review is needed. Until then, have a great week and thank you for taking the time to read this column!