20 June 2011

Customer Service in Ukraine - Who cares?

I am currently discussing with many people about the possibility of offering FREE training to restaurants and cafes/bars in Kyiv concerning helping them to improve their 'service to customers'.

BUT.......I wonder if its just foreign people who notice the level of bad service in Ukraine.
People who travel in and out of Ukraine many times will certainly see the big difference in how a customer is treated in other countries compared to Ukraine.

It would appear to me that local people..Ukrainians, just don't give a dam about customer service.
Why do I say this? Well they never seem to complain about anything when they are HERE in Ukraine.

I know it's not part of Ukrainian/Slavic culture to complain. So....all this talk lately about improving customer service is for who exactly? Just we foreigners who are visitors and a few who are residents? Does it matter to the vast majority of Ukrainians who live here?

Perhaps it is we foreigners who see the potential for great improvements in customer service in Ukraine and see how much better it could be for tourists coming here now and in the future.
Perhaps it is we foreigners who fear Ukraine will get a bad image during Euro 2012?

So, the big question is: Is it really worth it? Who cares if the level of customer service in restaurants/cafes/bars is terrible in Ukraine when compared to the rest of Europe.
Many here will claim that Ukraine already provides good customer service through its 5 Star hotels.

Ukraine is Ukraine. It's their country. Their culture. If they want to continue with the current level of service in restaurants/cafes/bars it's up to them to decide or change as they think appropriate.

Why change things just for a small group of foreigners and a few tourists?
Would appreciate any feedback from Ukrainians on this topic.

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