A Comparison between Japan and the U. S. on Complaint-Handling Attitudes: Survey of Customer Service Professionals

Abstract

Handling complaints from international customers effectively has become a primary focus in the tourism industry, with more and more inbound visitors coming to Japan. However, there is no academic study revealing how people cope with complaints from an international perspective. This paper compares the attitudes related to complaint processes in Japan and the US. More than 300 customer service professionals in each country participated in the survey. It elucidates various differences in responding to complaints between the Japanese customer service professionals and their counterparts in the US: When resolving complaints, Japanese respondents attempt to apologize properly whereas Americans try to meet the needs of the customers and make them happy. The differences also lie in the awareness of difficulties when responding to complaints: Americans are more likely to feel confident than the Japanese when addressing customer complaints. In addition, this research reveals the difference in attitudes towards complaints from foreign customers in each country. This paper will serve as a basic study of how Japanese customer service professionals can handle complaints from international customers effectively.