Would you like to be a king or queen？ To have people waiting on you hand and foot？ Many Americans experience this royal treatment every day. How？ By being customers. The American idea of customer service is to make each customer the center of attention. Need proof？ Just listen to the commercials①. Most of them sound like the McDonald’s ad：“We do it all for you.” Actually， not all stores in America roll out the red carpet for their customers. But wherever you go， good customer service means making customers feel special.
People going shopping in America can expect to be treated with respect from the very beginning. Most places don’t have a “furniture street” or a “computer road” which allow you to compare prices easily. Instead， people often use the telephone and “let their fingers do the walking” through the Yellow Pages②. From the first “hello”， customers receive a courteous③ response to their questions. This initial contact can help them decide where to shop.
When customers get to the store， they are treated as honored guests. Customers don’t usually find store clerks sitting around watching TV or playing cards. Instead， the clerks greet them warmly and offer to help them find what they want. In most stores， the signs that label each department make shopping a breeze④. Customers usually don’t have to ask how much items cost， since prices are clearly marked. And unless they’re at a flea market or a yard sale， they don’t bother trying to bargain.
When customers are ready to check out， they find the nearest and shortest checkout lane. But as Murphy’s Law would have it， whichever lane they get in， all the other lanes will move faster. Good stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes get too long. Some even offer express lanes for customers with 10 items or less. After they pay for their purchases， customers receive a smile and a warm “thank you” from the clerk. Many stores even allow customers to take their shopping carts out to the parking lot. That way， they don’t have to carry heavy bags out to the car.
In America， customer service continues long after the sale. Many products come with a money-back guarantee⑤. Expensive items—like cars， computers or stereos—often have a warranty⑥ that ensures trouble-free use for a period of a year or more. Advertisements regularly include the motto“Your satisfaction is guaranteed.” So if there is a problem with the product， customers can take it back. The customer service representative will often allow them to exchange the item or return it for a full refund. Here’s a trivia question： Do you know what the busiest time is for most customer service representatives？ The week after Christmas.
For many American customers， service is everything. If a person receives poor service from a store， he probably will avoid shopping there in the future. On the other hand， customers often remain loyal⑦ to a business that has excellent service even if their prices are high. Customer service in America grows out of the belief that “the customer is always right.” That may not always be true. But， as someone has said， the customer is always the customer.
① commercialn. （电视、广播中的）商业广告
② Yellow Pages（电话簿中刊载公司、厂商电话的）黄页
③ courteousadj. 有礼貌的
④ breezen. 轻而易举的事
⑤ guaranteev. 保证，商品保证
⑥ warrantyn. 保证书，保单
⑦ loyaladj. 忠诚的
美式顾客服务
你想当国王或皇后吗？想有人把你服事得服服贴贴的吗？很多美国人每天都享受着皇室般的招待。怎样才能享受到呢？只要是顾客就可以了啊。美式的顾客服务就是使每一个顾客成为关注的焦点。需要证明吗？听听广告就知道了。大部份都很像麦当劳的广告一样：麦当劳都是为你。事实上，并不是所有美国的商店都待顾客如同上宾一般。不过无论你走到哪里，好的顾客服务就是让顾客觉得自己独特无比。
在美国逛街，顾客们可以从一开始就享受到受尊重的感觉。大部份的城市不会有“家具街”或是“计算机路”，让你可以轻松地比价一番；取而代之的是用电话，让他们的手指头来代步“走过电话簿”。从第一声“哈啰”开始，顾客们的疑问都接收到最殷勤的回答。这个初步的接触，可以协助他们决定该到哪儿去采买。
当顾客们来到店里的时候，他们会受到贵宾般的款待。他们通常不会看到店员坐在那儿看电视或是玩扑克牌。相反的，店员会亲切地打招呼，并且协助寻找需要的东西。大部份的商店里，每个商品分类区清楚的标示使逛街成为一项轻松的乐事。由于价钱已清楚地标示，顾客们通常不需要再问价钱。在美国，除非是跳蚤市场或是旧货大拍卖，否则人们不会费事去讨价还价的。
当顾客们要结帐的时候，他们会找一个最近、队伍排得最短的收银台去结帐。不过根据莫非定律的说法，不论你排得是哪一列，结果其它列都会前进得比你这一列要快。当结帐队伍太长时，好的商家会再开放新的收银柜台。有些甚至会为购物项目为十项以内的顾客，提供快速收银的服务。当他们付钱之后，店员会给予顾客一个微笑和一句温暖的“谢谢”。有些商店甚至让他们的顾客将购物推车推到停车场去，这样他们就不必提着重重的袋子到车上去了。
在美国，顾客服务在成交之后仍持续良久，很多货品都是保证可以退款的，像是车子、电脑或者音像这样高价位的商品，通常会有保证期限，以保证一年或更久的时间内使用该产品没有任何问题。广告中通常会有“保证让你满意”的标语。所以产品若是有问题，顾客可以把它送回去，而客户服务人员通常会让他们换商品或是全额退钱。这里有一个小问题：你知道什么时候是大部份顾客服务人员最忙的时候吗？圣诞节过后的那个礼拜。
对许多美国的顾客而言，服务就是一切，如果有人在某一家店里受到很糟的服务，他以后可能就会尽量不再去那家店购物。另外一方面，一家店若提供上乘的服务，就算价钱高一点，顾客们通常会保持对该店的忠诚度。美式的顾客服务源于一个信念：顾客永远是对的。这或许不见得全对，不过顾客永远都是顾客！