Be Proactive

This year, I was lucky enough to finally make a holiday trip to Japan. I have always wanted to go there to enjoy the countryside and cities, temples and memorials, food and fuji and bullet trains and bento boxes. It was a fantastic eight days crammed full of the above plus more! I can honestly say the experience of Japan has left an indelible mark in me, one of five countries to date that has done that and a country that I could seriously consider living in.

So when I saw Marie Kondo's new book - Letters from Japan - out, I decided to have a trip down memory lane and imbibe Japan all over again. I just finished her book last night and one of the main things that resonated with me during the six chapters of her book and the sub chapters within it was the Japanese term 'Omotenashi' or hospitality.

During the trip to Japan I was bowled over by the Japanese hospitality and did not expect it to be fair. The positive and proactive attitude to helping us navigate the language and culture and just navigate was so kind, considerate, helpful and proactive.

Geoff Ramm talked about this proactive nature in his talk in October and about customer service being about being independent and considering your guests needs before they need it.

I experienced it in Japan - with many people coming up to us when we were lost to help us before we had to ask someone, to the man on the bullet train who spent 10 minutes working out if we were on the right train and then confirming we were even with the language barrier and to the receptionist in one of our hotels who found us the perfect restaurant and booked it for us and then being welcomed by the restaurant owner with our names before taking us to enjoy a truly authentic meal.

Omotenashi is the art - Marie Kondo says - was the buzz word in lead up to the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games held in Japan. Omotenashi embodies the Japanese idea of doing all that you can to make someone feel welcome with a respectful and earnest heart that does not seek compensation. It is not about service, it is more than that. Marie talks about a restaurant that she was dining at that she barely had to ask for anything from the waitress who anticipated her every need, so she asked the waitress about this and she said that they are all trained to observe customers closely and anticipate their needs before they call for you.

How incredible is that. Could you imagine if we paid attention to others so much that we anticipate their every need? How kind and considerate would this be, not just in the world of customer or celebrity service but in the world.

As its Christmas, I thought the image apt - a star promoting customer experience and passion for more than service. Lets try and embody that in everything we do - at work and at home. So if you look at a star, be reminded of Omotenashi.