Service with a Smile?

I had the pleasure to visit the US. Entering through the US Immigration does however, not always equate to the pleasure of the rest of the trip. I saw that they had put up new signs by the immigration checking booth stating that they are the Face of America followed by list of items that they commit to, such as greeting the traveller with respect and stating that the supervisor will listen to you if the officer is not granting you access, and so on. This is good and it is a step in the right direction. The question is, if this also connects to the term “Service with a smile”? I had hoped so, but was disappointed. Entering the aisle by the checking booth, tired after a long trip and screwed up by the jet lag it is not always easy to be at your best. Then to be met by a stony face official and asked critical questions does not help.

I have met immigrations officers that understood the implications of being “the face of America”, by smiling and making the traveller feel comfortable. This makes sure that the arrival is really a nice experience alongside the rest of the trip and not an adrenaline-increasing situation. A couple of years back I had the pleasure of visiting Malaysia. There we were met by an immigrations officer who smiled and greeted us with the words “Welcome to Malaysia”, and thereafter she started to run through standard checks for travellers.

Who is the customer here? Many would say that the citizens are the customers. I do not agree. In my mind the citizens are the owners of this process and the travellers are the customer, as this is a part of the travellers’ process. It is also the people or the businesses that the traveller is going to visit, if any, who are the customers, that is because they want the visitor to be fairly treated and want to encourage them to come and visit again. Owners are the citizens of the country as they are the ones who want their border checked to ensure that no unwanted individuals enter the country.

Is it possible to do a high-quality security job at the same time, as being pleasant and professional? YES it is!  You have, as an Immigration officer, to understand that you ARE the face of your country. You have the responsibility to behave in a service-like way to all those 99,9% (do not have exact figures) who are law-abiding individuals who want to experience your country or are engaged in business, at the same time as you stop unwanted elements, as they are called, from entering the country.

We can learn from the experience in the US Immigration, that it is easier to print new posters and to say that you are going to act in a certain way, than it is to change a culture.

So take a deep look into your own culture within your business. What is it that stops you from achieving Business Excellence?

To your Excellence!

Matts

PS.

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