Have a nice day? No thanks

Best say nothing...

By Giles Wilson BBC News Online

What's worse? A UK restaurant where you can't get the waiter's eye, or a US one where he tries to be your new best friend? British diners apparently want neither.

Hazel Duffy and her fellow diners were perplexed when the waitress in a West Midlands branch of a US restaurant chain squatted down almost to the point of kneeling to take their orders.

"We asked her what on earth she was doing, why she was crouching down like that," she said. "Her reply was that they had been trained to do it, so that they could be on the same level as their customers."

	Five points to good service, according to Datamonitor Be competent Acknowledge value of customer to business Treat customers as individuals Respond promptly to complaints and queries Know products thoroughly

Far from having the desired effect of seeming friendly, the crouching only succeeded in embarrassing these particular diners who felt it was completely unnecessary.

The cultural chasm in styles of service made by 5,000 miles of Atlantic Ocean is immediately obvious to anyone returning to the UK from a trip to the US.

Suddenly shop workers don't greet you cheerfully, they don't ask you if you want to try something on, they don't - mercifully - bid you farewell saying "Have a nice day".

Import danger

And woe betide any company which tries to import American service styles into Europe, warns a report by market analyst Datamonitor.

Report author Andrew Russell says that while many people in the UK would appreciate US levels of service, the American style of service is a definite turn-off.

Customers are not interested in being friends

Andrew Russell

"Ask people how they feel about a generic formula like 'Have a Nice Day', where customers are treated all the same way by rote, and they will tell you they don't want it," he says.

The problem, he says, is that US companies dictate strict policies for dealing with customers, for instance that people in clothes shops should be asked three times if they want to try something on.

"If they don't ask three times, their manager will want to know why. Anyone left to their own initiative would know that the customer was only wanting to browse, but they don't have the opportunity to say that. There's no room for dealing with customers as individuals, and that's what people in Europe really want," he says.

"Customers are after competent, prompt, efficient service, someone listening to their problems, but always acknowledging there's a business relationship there - they are not interested in being friends."

Lot to be desired

That is not to say that service in the UK and elsewhere in Europe is all it should be. Expert complainer Jasper Griegson, author of The Complete Complainer, says service in the UK is still appalling.

Machines can have their attractions

"The Americans do take it to extremes. Everything is 'Have a nice day', and ice cold water whether you want it or not. But we are at the other end of the universe. Service here is so appalling, I think I would rather tolerate the cheesiness and smiling face of American service, even if it is artificial."

There is, however, a big prize awaiting companies who can find the happy balance, says Andrew Russell.

Incentive

Each year, business worth 50 billion euros is transferred between retailers, he says, with quality of service being the primary reason people choose to change.

I would rather tolerate the cheesiness and smiling face of American service, even if it is artificial

Jasper Griegson

And there could be big prizes too for staff working in customer services who have the right skills.

"A revolution is taking place in customer facing industries. Staff are being hired not on the basis of technical skills or familiarity with the industry, but rather on the basis of their ability to deal with customers in a professional and personable manner.

"For a long time, customer service has been seen as the kind of job that anyone could do as long as they could stand upright."

Good news

But as customer service becomes more important, staff with the right skills will be able to command higher wages and become more recognised in management structures and career prospects."

"Companies spend a lot of money in research to find out what their customers want. That information hasn't traditionally been fed up the chain, but that's going to have change."

Jasper Griegson, who gives lectures to managing directors on the virtues of listening to customer complaints, says he would like to believe that customer service will play a more important role in business. But he is sceptical. "I would like to think that, but I haven't seen much evidence of it."

Whatever happens to levels of service, it seems unlikely that the phrase "Have a nice day" will become as widespread in the UK as it is in America.

Brewer's Dictionary of 20th Century Phrase and Fable recognises that the phrase, which it says originated in 1956 as 'Have a happy day' when an LA advertising agency adopted it as their slogan, is a distinctly American phenomenon.

It adds pointedly: "It is also used, rather self-consciously, in the UK, especially by those who wish to let it be known that they are frequent travellers to America." Ouch.

---

Add your comments on this story:

I've always been amazed at how badly people treat service staff in the US. Compared to the US our service people have it much easier. There is no culture of tipping in the UK which encourages toadies so frequently among waiters in the US.
John Everitt, UK

Pseudo-frendliness, in my opinion, is a much better policy than the stuffy and rude attitudes of Anglo-Saxon shopkeepers.
Scott, US

In reality service is no better in America than in the UK, as the 'have a nice day' you get usually lacks any sincerity. English shop assistants are still pretty bad in my opinion, but as long as we don't end up like the French who have made rudeness and bad service an art form among their shop assistants, I think we'll be fine.
Ed K, UK

When on a shopping trip to Chicago I was endlessly asked by shop assistants "how are you today"; answering them about my sore leg, the jet lag, having a good time nonetheless etc. seemed to un-nerve them for some reason.
Andy, Scotland

I've been living in England for the past two years and I much prefer to shop in this country, where I am not attacked by three rabid, commission-seeking saleswomen as soon as I walk through the door and repeatedly told I look fabulous in an outfit if I dare venture out of the changing room. The smiles and the lovely comments that come with customer service in the States are hardly ever sincere, and in most cases are little more than a reflex. I did a brief stint in retail in this country, and was often told by customers how nice and polite I was - I didn't have the heart to tell them that 'have a nice day' effectively means 'now get out of my face'
Carrie, UK (US citizen)

Maybe I am the only American who dislikes being told to have a nice day. I also hate being asked "how was your day?" Waiters in restaurants here tell us their names, and all I want is my food to be good. I'd be glad for the US to adopt some UK ways.
Neal, North Carolina, US

Managing directors seemingly aren't listening to Mr Griegson's advice about heeding customer complaints. These days, it's virtually impossible to get through to a human at any large company. All you get is a list of numbers to press on your phone, then, after perhaps a couple of hours wait, spread over several days, if you are lucky, you'll get through to someone at a call centre in Outer Mongolia. What kind of service is that?
David, England

I have noticed that more and more staff in shops tend to pounce on you when you are browsing and ask "Can I help you?". I like staff to be available in case I need something but I don't want the offer to be thrust in my face. My favourite shops are ones where staff are on hand to help but wait to be asked first.
Matt, UK

I just moved from England to Tokyo, and one of the truly awesome things here is the service. An example: The cab that took me to Heathrow was driven by a sullen, almost antagonistic guy who looked like he wanted to hit me despite my politeness, and the cab that picked me up from Tokyo Narita airport was driven by a friendly, upbeat guy who even helped me to find my flat after I'd paid for the ride.
Jamie Turner, Japan

I'm an Englishman living on assignment in New Jersey. The service in restaurants here is more attentive, but mainly down to the fact that they expect tips. I once had a meal with some friends. The tip expected is 15%. We gave about 10% and the waitress brought the bill back and loudly asked if we wanted her to alter it as we obviously weren't aware that the custom was 15%. I don't care what the waiter's or waitress's names are and I don't want to be wished have a nice day, unless they mean it. Overall, I'm not sure the service is really any better, it's just louder. The weather's nice though!
Richard Palmer, US

I live in the suburbs of San Francisco and nobody says "Have a nice day" these days.They have a whole dictionary of phrases: Have a good one, Enjoy the rest of the day, Drive Safely, to quote just a few.
Mary, US

Send us your comments:
Name:

Your E-mail Address:


Country:

Comments:

Disclaimer: The BBC will put up as many of your comments as possible but we cannot guarantee that all e-mails will be published. The BBC reserves the right to edit comments that are published.