1to1 Magazine Demo

face to face DON PEPPERS AND MARTHA ROGERS, Ph.D. Ugly Americans at Our Immigration Desks? U.S. Customs and Border Protection needs a lesson in Customer Service 101. ven though the dollar is pushing record low levels and international travel is booming, statistics show that the U.S. is not enjoying its share of foreign visitors. We think we know why. As business authors frequently asked to address conferences and meetings around the world, we are extremely heavy international travelers, and one thing we each know a great deal about is how other countries’ immigration offices manage their processing of foreigners at their airports. We are ashamed to say that no country we have ever visited behaves as rudely to Americans as American immigration officials apparently behave to visitors arriving in the United States, including business travelers. Our international colleagues call this to our attention with increasing frequency. One British colleague told us just last week that he and his wife have stopped planning family vacations to the U.S., despite the attractiveness of the dollar, because it’s just no fun arriving here anymore. A few days earlier, two Spanish colleagues both mentioned how unsmiling and rude the immigration desk officers seem to be whenever they come to the U.S.—and they fly frequently into JFK, Miami, and Los Angeles. Last month a Malaysian business colleague told us that on arriving in the U.S. he was abruptly commanded to wait in a spare room for some paperwork and, when he simply asked the unsmiling agent about whether he would be able to make his flight connection, was rudely told to shut up and just stay put, because “it will take as long as it takes.” Of course, following 9/11 we Americans have understandably increased the level of scrutiny given to all foreign visitors. But as invasive as fingerprint scanning and tightened visa rules are, this is not what our international friends complain about. They all understand the need for security, and they are willing to grant that it’s going to take time to make security procedures more efficient. Slowly but surely, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) does seem to be getting its processes in order, and has just announced yet another new program designed to use computers to help speed foreign visitors through the U.S. Customs process. Instead, the biggest complaint we hear involves simple rudeness and unfriendliness on the part of the agents themselves. Curt orders, snide comments, and condescending, superior attitudes. We don’t know the facts firsthand, because we’ve never had to be “foreigners” when landing in our own country. But this is the nearly unanimous opinion of our foreign colleagues. And it doesn’t have to be that way. The first thing we recommend to any organization seeking to improve its customer service is to benchmark against other, similar organizations that have good service. For the CBP the benchmarking organization is easy to identify: its e There’s a lot of angst these days about foreigners’ low opinions of America. sister agency in Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Agency. Think about it. Many of you probably go through security checkpoints at U.S. airports all the time just like we do, and even though it’s frequently a hassle and sometimes a high-tension situation, don’t you usually find that the TSA people are personable and gracious? They know they have to put people through steps no one likes to go through, but they do it with politeness and courtesy. They smile. No one likes doing these ridiculous X-ray and body searches, but we all have to put up with it, and the TSA folks are almost always pleasant and helpful. They don’t sneer, they don’t issue their orders rudely, they’re happy to explain, and sometimes they even crack jokes. It really is possible to put people through difficult but necessary procedures while still maintaining a civil, respectful, and helpful attitude. So why can’t the CBP be more like the TSA? There’s a lot of angst these days about foreigners’ low opinions of America. But regardless of whom we choose as our next president, if we want to improve the opinions of foreign leaders traveling to this country, a good first step is simply to welcome them warmly, rather than rudely, and to smile courteously when we ask them to have their photos taken and their fingerprints scanned. These people bought tickets to come here, and they carry passports. Let’s give them a reason to convert their currency to U.S. dollars, and to want to come here in the future to do it again. It’s not just being a good world citizen; it’s good business. It’s nothing more complicated than Customer Service 101. Don Peppers and Martha Rogers wrote the recent best seller Rules to Break and Laws to Follow: How Your Business Can Beat the Crisis of Short-Termism (Wiley, 2008). Check out Peppers and Rogers’ thinking at www.rulesandlaws.com 50 1to1 magazine www.1to1media.com http://www.rulesandlaws.com http://www.1to1media.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 1to1 Magazine Demo

1to1 Magazine Demo Contents 1to1media.com Editor's Note Feedback Putting Care in Patients' Hands Loyalty at Work Redefining the Contact Center Agent Introducing Enterprise 2.0 Cigna Dental Drills for Loyal Customers On the Beat 19 Ways to Succeed Miami Heat Schools Its Staff on Sales and Service Marketing Lends a Helping Hand More Than Meets the Eye Customer Service by Committiee Textron's Business Soars by Tracking Customer Loyalty Resources Contact Center Agent as Trusted Advisor Mastering Global CRM Face to Face with Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Ph.D.

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