Episode #47: Service The Way The Japanese Do It

I am sure you have you seen notices explaining that this location is going to close while the building is being reconstructed. One notice however has become much talked about amongst Japanese retailers. Toraya are a famous traditional Japanese sweets manufacturer and retailer. Mr. Mitsuhiro Kurokawa is the 17th generation of his family to lead the business and his “we are rebuilding” notice is considered outstanding, even in a country where omotenashi is renowned.

Most such notices tell facts, supply relevant data and provide the obligatory greetings about serving us again when they reopen. Kurokawa san did all of that but much more. He put the current change in historical perspective, noting the business started in Kyoto in 1586, moving to Tokyo in 1869 and to this location in 1964. He then started to tell some stories about the customers they have had at this shop on Aoyama Street in Akasaka, over the last 50 plus years.

He mentioned that every three days, a male customer visited the shop to enjoy oshiroko (bean paste sweet soup with grilled mochi). Another customer, a kindergarten aged boy came with his mother to the shop every day and bought a bite sized yookan (sweet bean paste block). A 100 year old lady regularly came by wheelchair to the shop. She later became hospitalized and her family came to buy namagashi (fresh Japanese sweets) and higashi (a dried sugar sweet), to take to the hospital for her.

Telling customer stories is powerful. Kurokawa san made the customers experiences come alive and he linked them to the products they enjoyed. The feeling of the notice is that there is a special bond they feel with all of their customers.

Are we communicating we feel a special bond with our customers? Are we weaving enough customer stories into our communications, real episodes that the reader can visualise in their mind’s eye? We know the human touch is so important but often we can get tied up with the spec, the data, the details and lose sight of how we can differentiate ourselves in the market. Is your communication all about you and what you can do and nothing about your customers?

We may not be the 17th generation in our business, but we can bring more heart into the service we provide our customers. We can start right now with the service we provide and how we communicate that service.