Diversity and Customer Service

Diversity and Customer Service
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Diversity and Customer Service
Communication is an essential aspect of our daily lives more specifically in the service industry. However, in some instance, the problem of language barriers arises leading to the breakdown in the process of communicating (Ting-Toomey, & Chung, 2005). . When this happens, it may lead to commotion between the two involved parties. I witnessed this first hand during my summer break vacation to China. After being dropped at the airport by my parents, I had to wait in line like the rest of the passengers to purchase my ticket. Since it was an impromptu trip buying online was not an option at the time. A few minutes waiting process turned into almost forty-five minutes after a confrontation ensued between one of the patrons and a passenger. One of the attendants at the airport had mistakenly sold a first class ticket to a native Chinese lady.
The different cultural backgrounds of the two parties had come in the way of efficient service delivery. Anger had got the better of the passenger who demanded a refund, but unfortunately, even her complaints were useless since none of the attendants understood what she was saying. It was only after the intervention of one of the crew member that the matter was resolved. I almost missed my flight because of a simple mistake that would have been avoided through embracing diversity. The company should have ensured that it had employed employees with knowledge of foreign language to prevent such incidences.

Such staff would be an asset to the firm especially one dealing with customers of different cultural backgrounds (Ting-Toomey, & Chung, 2005). . It would have been easier if the attendant had consulted his/her partners to determine if there was one who could converse with the Chinese passenger.
Reference
Ting-Toomey, S., & Chung, L. C. (2005). Understanding intercultural communication. New York: Oxford University Press.