Customer care in Cambodia

In General I find across Cambodia the Customer Service to be good.   Yes there are mistakes and misunderstandings but many of the people are not as experienced or have the worldly knowledge of other countries.   There is certainly no lack of enthusiasm and tons of politeness and when you connect and get a rapore with a Cambodian in the service industry it is a very rewarding experience.   Many problems are exacerbated by people who lose their tempers or are aggressive in their mannerisms  and do not attempt to communicate across the language barrier.   I suspect that if you researched the complaints you would find a lot of the perceived problem is generated by the complainer.   Visitors should remember that shouting or talking in an aggressive manner will get you nowhere and as everybody is an ambassador for their own country they should remember what their actions are doing to the perception of their own country.

Yes, people are generally friendly but business owners are unwilling to train their staff. Let's be honest: good service or relevant advice are pretty rare here; there are plenty of hiccups. The introduction of mobile phones has not helped.......

That comment is pretty general.      There are a lot of business owners who do go the extra mile.     We even provide swimming lessons.  We have a lot of programme running , even teaching one middle aged woman to read and write here own language so she develops skills in other areas.    It should be noted that many business's just Scape by.    By being a business owner does not automatically mean you are wealthy.

I see that a smile and being polite in spite of language barrier will get you along way , I can't tell you how many times I go in a store in the states and never a word to you , I find most Cambodians  go out of there way to be kind , I go to Gloria Jeans coffee on riverside each morning , and these people are soo kind , they go the extra mile to be very kind , David , Paula , Linda , saben,  they all within days get to know you and are kind and never forget your name , although I have had some bad customer service here, like anywhere , I just don't go back , but overall in Phnom Penh customer service is excellent, this is only my opinion, so I'm no expert although I have been in the hotel business for 40 years , so I do know a few things about customer service ,

I have been in the hotel business almost as long as you:-)

I do not doubt the general friendliness, that is a fact. However, for every business that provides proper training, there are 10 businesses that do not. I have generally had good experiences in the 7+ years that I have been here and yes, staff generally go out of their way to help, but knowledge is often lacking. Orders are mixed up or forgotten, staff in shops generally know little about the products they sell, the receptionist is more interested in candy crush than in the customer, and so on.

This is no complaint, I do not get upset or loud, but fact is that the service industry has a long way to go.

Yes I do agree , but honestly this is such a young group of basically children , I often thought of teaching a class on customer services, I told a hotel manager that his maid , and desk staff were his most important people in his business ,( face forward concept) he just could not understand that him sitting in his office all day was not the most important person at his hotel , so I agree , but I think it's just a lack of knowlage, not intentional , and as far a being on the phone and talking to there friends while working , it just drives me crazey !!! I own a small hotel in Ashland Oregon and a hotel in mahatten beach California , my son runs it and I don't allow personal phones on there person , they must leave them locked up during working hours , even my 30 year old sons who now manage my business's don't always follow this rule , and I threaten to fire them ha , but this is new generation, and I'm 59 , but still consider customer service the most important aspect of my business , in Oregon , we need new beds and honestly a overhaul on our furnishings, but our people are so kind , I have a 80% occupancy rate , , Manhattan beach not as well as all my staff are rich spoiled kids , and always have a big turnover , so I agree with what you said , I've only been here 6 months so I'm sure you know more about it than I do , so I defer to you , thank you for reply

Candy Crush and social media is the scourge of the earth when it comes to efficiency.   Even in places like PNG the head down stance is the norm.    I agree that many business's do not train and if they did could only afford basic in house training but I am heartened by those who do and do it well.   Encouragement from the authorities is very much lacking though.

I was thinking of the same: offering my services as an instructor in customer service. After having worked 15 years as a tour guide and 10 years in hospitality I've learned about expectations of customers, of course modifying them to the respective area they're visiting.