Nov 23, 2009
No more criticising Chinese nationals - they serve better and with a smile
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I AM a native-born Singaporean, one of the many who used to criticise the number of Chinese nationals in many of our retail outlets. But not any more.
Two recent incidents changed my opinion of Chinese nationals. I found them not only a pleasure to deal with but also very knowledgeable in their areas of service.
The first experience was when I wanted to buy a laptop from a popular retailer. At first, I ignored a Chinese national who tried to serve me because of my stereotyping all Chinese nationals as being unable to speak English. But after disappointing encounters with two Singaporean sales staff, I turned to the Chinese national when he came to me again.
I was astounded at his service skills. He understood my concerns and showed me three models, explaining the differences between them. Then, after asking me my usage preference, he suggested why I should buy one of them. It was a pleasant surprise.
Of course, he did not speak the Queen's English but he could get by. More important, he knew what he was selling and took
pains to understand the customer's preference and concerns. I parted with $1,500 just because of him.
Now, for my second experience. In my 20 years of eating good Chinese food, I have never had a dish explained to me in detail. But that happened recently. A waitress from China went over the menu in detail, telling me, for example, what herbal duck is. She spoke in 'Chinglish' but she did it with a smile that told me she wanted to serve me well.
We are in danger of being overrun by Chinese nationals, not because of their numbers but because of their many pluses.
Their humble demeanour and friendly manner more than compensate for their 'Chinglish'.
And soon, they will learn to speak better English as well.
Vasanthan Govindasamy
No more criticising Chinese nationals - they serve better and with a smile
<!-- by line --><!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
I AM a native-born Singaporean, one of the many who used to criticise the number of Chinese nationals in many of our retail outlets. But not any more.
Two recent incidents changed my opinion of Chinese nationals. I found them not only a pleasure to deal with but also very knowledgeable in their areas of service.
The first experience was when I wanted to buy a laptop from a popular retailer. At first, I ignored a Chinese national who tried to serve me because of my stereotyping all Chinese nationals as being unable to speak English. But after disappointing encounters with two Singaporean sales staff, I turned to the Chinese national when he came to me again.
I was astounded at his service skills. He understood my concerns and showed me three models, explaining the differences between them. Then, after asking me my usage preference, he suggested why I should buy one of them. It was a pleasant surprise.
Of course, he did not speak the Queen's English but he could get by. More important, he knew what he was selling and took
pains to understand the customer's preference and concerns. I parted with $1,500 just because of him.
Now, for my second experience. In my 20 years of eating good Chinese food, I have never had a dish explained to me in detail. But that happened recently. A waitress from China went over the menu in detail, telling me, for example, what herbal duck is. She spoke in 'Chinglish' but she did it with a smile that told me she wanted to serve me well.
We are in danger of being overrun by Chinese nationals, not because of their numbers but because of their many pluses.
Their humble demeanour and friendly manner more than compensate for their 'Chinglish'.
And soon, they will learn to speak better English as well.
Vasanthan Govindasamy
