Cricket and the quality of service

An observation on the quality of service we expect and see in our dealings every day:
Saw day-3 of the current India-England cricket test match at the Brit Oval in London on Saturday. Excellent weather, great atmosphere, and lots of beer.

We had a 'big' man sitting next to us and that made things quite cramped. We couldn't imagine sitting like that for the whole day, and so we decided to go and talk to the ticketing authorities, though we were not expecting much. Lo and behold, they gave us complimentary seats that were a lot better - not just in terms of comfort, but in terms of the view we had. Meanwhile, the girl at the ticket counter knocked down one of our beer glasses accidentally, but immediately trumped up cash for a replacement glass of beer! We would have been very pleased with just the better seats, but the gesture with the beer was the icing on the cake.

Having lived the most of my life in India but having spent the last few years in the UK, I have heard many a comparison about the quality of service available in both countries. Usually I agree that the service industry in India is more responsive. However, I am equally sure that examples such as this are rarely to be seen in India, if ever. In fact, I think there are some very distinct differences in the levels and kinds of service available. At the basic level service in India is much superior. You visit a shop and the shop attendants fawn upon you; you can visit a garage and more or less dictate when you want your work done; doctors are available when you want them, even where you want them - and so are plumbers and electricians (the quality of the work they do is questionable, though). These cannot even be imagined in the UK.

However, at a different level, the service one receives in the UK cannot be expected in India. One example, of course, is the one above. A few years ago when we were in a large store my 3 year old daughter accidentally knocked down a display of crystal glasses. Now I imagine that the broken glasses would have cost a small fortune, but the shop manager would not hear of my offer to pay for the damage. In the UK, bus drivers wait for you, and politely give you any directions you may need; shops take back unwanted goods, no questions asked; you move home to a less risky area and the insurer will make a refund of part of the premium, without your having to ask for it. In the UK plumbers and electricians can take weeks to just turn up, but when they do turn up they usually do justice to the work.

Of course there are exceptions, just like there are in India. However the mindsets and social psyches are very different in the two countries, and this is reflected in the level and quality of service. It certainly makes for very interesting study. It is also extremely relevant, in this era of globalisation, to people in business, whether or not they are in the service industry. And certainly very relevant to anyone going in for an MBA!

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