Let me tell you about Richard. I don’t know his given Chinese name but it doesn’t really matter. Last year when adding me on WeChat, he told me his name was Richard and he calls me Mr. Wu anyway. That’s my Chinese name, using my wife’s family name for convenience (Wu Lei, surname first).
这是一个关于Richard的故事。我不知道他的中文名字，但这并不重要。去年在微信上加我的时候，他告诉我他的名字叫Richard （理查德)，他叫我吴先生。那是我的中文名字,吴磊。
Richard just blew me away this morning (and, that’s not easy. I’m a pretty big guy). It was such a surprising experience that I felt compelled to write about it and share it. So, here’s the story.
Richard 今天早上让我大吃惊。这是一次如此令人惊讶的经历，我不得不写下来和大家分享。所以，故事是这样的。
I just finished dropping off the kids at kindergarten and I was on the phone with my dad. I often like to do our catch ups at this time. Like usual, I like to accompany the chat with a nice pour-over coffee. There’s this great Starbucks Reserve in the neighborhood that isn’t too crowded. There’s a faux waterfall and pond just outside, creating a perfect white noise that drowns out all the honks and clanks of the city.
我刚把孩子们送到幼儿园，就和我爸爸通了电话。我经常喜欢这时和他聊聊。像往常一样，我喜欢边喝咖啡边聊天。附近有个很棒的星巴克，人也不太多。外面有一个人造的瀑布和池塘，能很好的淹没城市所有的噪音。
Speaking through my blue tooth airpods, I step forward and pause the conversation to order my pour-over, a Hawaii Kau. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, admittedly. I just like nice coffee.
带着蓝牙耳机，我走上前，停了下来，点了一杯夏威夷豆的手冲咖啡。无可否认，我对咖啡有一定的要求。说白了，我就爱喝好的咖啡。
“Sorry, we can’t do it.”
“对不起先生。做不了。”
“What? This is the first time I’ve heard someone at Starbucks say they can’t do it.”
“什么？这是我第一次听到星巴克有人说他们做不了。”
“See all these orders. There’s about a twenty minute wait.”
“看看这些杯子。大约要等20分钟。”
I look at the cups lined up and see how unseasonably busy they are. Small pause. And, I walked away.
我看着一排排的杯子，发现它们有多么反常地忙碌。稍作停顿。然后，我走开了。
That’s all. Nothing dramatic. No explosive anger. No resentment or rude commentary. I simply thought more efficient to make my own later and should get back to my phone call.
仅此而已。没什么戏剧性或爆发性的愤怒。没有怨恨或粗鲁的评论。我只是觉得过一会自己做手冲更有效率，应该集中注意力好好和我爸通电话了。
As I closed the door behind me, the incident was already behind me.
当我关上身后的门时，事情已经过去了。
Or so I thought.
至少，我是这么想的。
About an hour later, I checked WeChat and saw this message pop up in the window. I copy and paste it with permission and offer an English translation.
大约一个小时后，我查看了微信，看到这个消息弹出在窗口。（我复制并粘贴它在下边，并提供一个简短的总结）。
“Hello Mr. Wu. Firstly, please allow me to sincerely apologize on behalf of my partner. I just called the store to understand the situation. This morning, the partner (staff member) who served you is a new partner in the store. Seeing there were many drinks in the cue, she was concerned you would wait too long and conveyed the wrong message to you. I would like to apologize for this.
At the same time, any time you are available and have time, please return to our store and allow us to serve you again, providing a renewed experience and making up for the unpleasant feelings this morning. I would like to bring you this special Costa Rica bean, which is just about to be launched in the market.”
Whoa. I’ve been in China for almost two decades, and I’ve had some big surprises over the years. And, I’ve had some great customer service over the years. (I’ve also had some extremely bad customer service, by the way). But, this is the first time I can remember actually being blown away with superb service.
哇！我在中国将近20年，我遇到了一些大惊喜。也有过良好的客户服务。（顺便说一下，也遇到过一些非常差的客服）。但是，这是我的第一次记得被优秀服务所震撼。
What Richard did was “over the top.” It far exceeds what is called for in the situation. And, yet, it feels wonderful.
无可否认，Richard远远超出了当时的要求。然而，我感觉很棒。
When seeing this message, I had to think to myself of whether or not I was inappropriately emotional. And, the answer is no. I was simply disappointed and verbalized it in a normal tone of voice. And, I walked away normally, not storming off.
当我看到这条信息时，我不得不想一想我是否有不恰当的情绪。答案是否定的，我只是很失望，用正常的语调说出来。而且，我正常地走开了，而不是怒气冲冲地离开。
So, I wanted Richard to know how much I appreciated him. His approach is unique and I wanted to encourage him – and, also let him know there isn’t an unhappy customer out there waiting for the next mistake.
所以，我想让Richard 知道我有多感激他。他的维护顾客关系方法很独特，我想鼓励他——同时，也要让他知道，我不是一个在等待下一个错误的顾客。
“Richard, I am very surprised to see your message! Your customer service is superb. At the time, when I heard her say the coffee couldn’t be made, I wasn’t angry. I was simply disappointed. It was the first time I heard this said at Starbucks. I trust it was simply the way of communicating that caused a misunderstanding. I’m completely fine, thanks for the concern. I remember a long time ago when I worked at a coffee shop when it was busy like that, so I completely understand. When I have time, I will certainly return. I think you are representative of China’s new generation of excellent customer service. People first. Thumbs up.”
He further expressed that the thing he is most concerned about it disappointing customers at the store, so he wanted to reach out right away, seek retribution and regain trust. He reminds to give him a heads up next time I plan to stop in so I can get some great service again.
他进一步表示，自己最关心的事情是让店里的顾客失望，所以他想马上伸出援手，寻求报应，重拾信任。他提醒我下次来的时候给先给他打个招呼，这样我就能再次得到很好的服务。
Wow again. I let him know that he won my trust along time ago, not to worry.
我让他知道他很久以前就赢得了我的信任，不用担心。
It’s true. Last year, there was a visiting group of market research people in the store. I was there, having my regular pour-over and focused on my own thing in the corner. I saw these people regarding me from afar with interest. Some time later, they came over and introduced themselves. They were speaking with some customers to understand their experience and were told I would be someone good to talk to.
这是真的。去年，店里就有一批市场调研人员来访。我在那里，有我在那集中在我自己的东西在角落里。我看到这些人从远处有兴趣地看着我。过了一会儿，他们过来做自我介绍。他们要与一些顾客交谈，了解他们的经验，并被告知我会是一个很好的谈话对象。
Some time before this, I would sit near the pour-over station and chat with Richard and other partners of his about my experience in China. I would sometimes brag about how I was here at the first Starbucks when it opened in 1999, talking about how things were then.
在此之前的一段时间，我会坐在吧台附近，和Richard和他的其他伙伴聊我在中国的经历。我曾经提到过1999年第一家星巴克开业时我是如何来到那里的，谈论当时的消费者情况。
These young coffee whizzes listen with honest respect and interest and ask me questions, probably trying to think back to how it was in kindergarten when their parents dropped them off and took a walk to get…certainly not coffee back then.
这些年轻的咖啡奇才带着真诚的尊重和兴趣听我说，问我问题，可能是想回想一下他们的父母送他们去幼儿园是否散步去哪。。。绝对不是去喝咖啡的。
So Richard and probably a few others were familiar with me, saw me bring my kids in from time to time and how the place seemed like a quiet refuge for me.
所以Richard和其他一些人可能对我很熟悉，看到我时不时地带着孩子们来，等等。
Naturally, I’d be an interesting candidate for internal market research.
当然，我会是一个有趣的候选人进行内部市场研究。
I think this group got more than they bargained for. Having spent my professional career building brands and managing reputations, I shared my perspective on many things, affirming the majority of how Richard and this specific store were doing.
我想这群人得到的比他们预想的要多。在我的职业生涯中，我一直致力于打造品牌和管理声誉，我对很多事情都有自己的看法，顺便也认可了Richard和这家店的大部分做法。
This was the start of a new relationship with Richard. He added my WeChat and although we don’t chat on a regular basis, he clearly has me in mind.
这是和Richard新关系的开始。他加了我的微信，虽然我们不经常聊天，但他显然在关注我。
Back in the end of December, Starbucks was opening a new store, a coffee shop / bar fusion in a mall area nearby. He sent me the below invite. A special pre-opening event invitation for friends and family of Starbucks. How nice. A VIP experience with free drinks, networking and learning a day or two before the public.
早在12月底，星巴克就在附近的一个购物中心开了一家新的咖啡店/酒吧。他给我发了下面的邀请。为星巴克的朋友和家人准备了一份特别的开业前活动邀请函。多好啊。以VIP身份来体验免费饮料、交新朋友和学习。
Closer to the date, Richard sent me a WeChat to check in and see if I was going. He wanted to be sure my name was on the list.
离约会更近的时候，Richard给我发了一个微信，看看我是否要去。他想确定我的名字在名单上。
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the VIP event, but his invitation made me curious and being in the neighborhood I actually stopped in during the day. Sure enough, lots of people milling about, an almost “waiting for the celebrity” feeling. The lady guarding the door politely declined my entry and mentioned they weren’t open for a couple more days. Too bad I couldn’t join the fun this time.
不幸的是，我没能参加VIP活动，但他的邀请让我很好奇，我白天正好在附近，就过去看看。果然，很多人围着，一种几乎“等名人”的感觉。守着门的女士礼貌地拒绝了我的进入，并提到他们还有几天没有开门。可惜这次我没能参加。
That was my last WeChat interaction with Richard before today.
这是我在今天之前最后一次与Richard的微信交流。
To wrap this up, I’d like to offer a couple summary points.
最后，我想总结几点。
- People are important. Companies talk about putting people first and customers first. But, there are no CRM tools that can teach you how to put people first. It’s a mindset. You’ve got to have the right people working for you who understand the value of other people. Notice how Richard doesn’t berate his new team member. He calls her a “partner” and mentions a misunderstanding, and takes responsibility. He has what many would call high EQ.
- 人最重要。公司谈论以人为本，顾客至上。但是，没有CRM工具可以教你如何把人放在首位。这是一种心态。你必须有合适的人为你工作，有了解其他人的心态。注意Richard是如何不斥责他的新同事的。他称她为“伙伴”，并提到一个误解，并承担责任。他就是有许多人所说的高情商。
- Relationships are interpersonal. This may sound tautological. But, what I mean is that good customer relationships are about give and take. Richard is boldly giving in his customer service. I too was pretty bold and giving in my market research feedback and appreciation last year. It’s symbiotic, not synthetic.
- 人际关系是人之间的关系。这听起来可能有些重复。但是，我的意思是，良好的客户关系是互通有无的。Richard很大方，很积极的处理客户服务。去年，我也非常大方地给出了我的市场调查反馈和赞赏。它是共生的，不是假装的。
- Brands need to act fast. While I am not the kind of person who would go and blow up a small incident like this morning, some people would. I am experienced in crisis management, and have helped organizations walk through some notorious crises. One of the first principles is to know your audience and respond fast and first. I’m not sure if Richard was guided by this principle, if it was taught, but his behavior felt sincere and natural. I’ve seen far too many situations today where brands observe unhappy customers, discuss how to respond and don’t take any restorative action until the complaint foments into a media issue days later. Simply reaching out to people with sincerity works!
- 品牌需要快速行动。虽然我不是那种会把小题大做的人，但有些人会。我是危机管理方面有了不少经验，曾帮助公司度过一些臭名昭著的危机。首要原则之一是了解你的听众，并迅速、第一时间做出反应。我不确定Richard是否被这个原则所引导，是否被教导过，但他的行为让人感觉自然。我见过太多的情况，品牌观察不满意的客户，讨论如何回应，不采取任何恢复性行动，直到投诉煽动成一个媒体问题。有时候只需真诚地与人接触就行了！
- Kill the cultural superiority. Each culture struggles with feeling superior to the other at times. I remember ordering a vodka martini in Beijing over twenty years ago. I tasted gin, and tried to return it. It didn’t matter that I didn’t order it. I already drank it. I couldn’t argue my way to getting back my 60 RMB, which was extremely expensive back in those student days. Well, those days are over. There is something to be learned from the Chinese in how they do customer service today.
- 摆脱自己文化的优越感。我记得二十多年前在北京点了一杯伏特加马提尼。我尝了一口杜松子酒，想把它还回去。服务员认为我没点也没关系。我已经喝了。我无法要回我的60元人民币（对于学生身份这是极其昂贵的）。好在那种服务的日子已经过去了。今天，中国人在做客户服务的方法有一些值得学习的地方。
Stark Discussion 