B.T.W

By Eileen Yu

By the way, ZDNet Asia has more to say

Why you've gotta love the Germans

Posted in By The Way by Eileen Yu on 2008/05/23 01:11:21

Ich bin ein Berliner!

Okay, so I'm not exactly a Berliner--for that matter, neither am I a jelly donut--but I am in the German capital this week covering a conference--more than seven years since I last visited the country.

Germany has always been one of my favorite European nations, partly because I've got friends here and partly because I'm kinda fond of the Germans.

And what's there not to like? They love their beer... Germans are the world's second biggest consumers of beer, gulping down an average 119 liters per year, per person. And they love their sausages... Over 1,500 types of sausage are produced in Germany.

They also love their dogs... Both hotels I stayed in, including The Westin Grand, are more than willing to accommodate canine guests.

Most of all, Germans are famously efficient, dependable, organized...and, this one's my favorite, they're also known for being direct. During my stay at The Westin Grand, for example, I was up working at six in the morning when I lost my Internet connection.

Slightly peeved, particularly because I needed to send a couple of stories across, I picked up the phone and got more peeved when I couldn't find the frontdesk number. So I hit the first button on the speed-dial and a guy answered. I rattled off about how I'd paid for a 24-hour service package, and asked why I'd lost my connection when my time wasn't up yet.

After a brief silence, the guy on the other line said: "I can't help you, ma'am…I'm only the porter." Who says the Germans don't have a sense of humor?

After noting that the IT engineers may not be awake at that time to attend to me--did I mention Germans were direct, too--the, erm, "helpless" porter then suggested I try the frontdesk and transferred my call over.

The frontdesk operator promptly instructed me to call the 24-hour helpdesk number printed on a tag…attached to the network cable on my table--duh, stupid me. I called the IT helpdesk, and the guy was able to resolve the problem fairly quickly.

All three Germans I spoke with handled my call with one common trait: no frills. There were no forced chirpiness, no artificial politeness, no idle chitchat. It was a refreshing change in treatment that I would have no problem getting used to.

Don't get me wrong, they weren't at all rude. They simply did exactly what I needed them to do--they fixed my problem in the shortest time possible, without the frills, bells and whistles. If the IT engineer didn't know how to fix the problem, I have no doubt he would have told me so over the phone, plainly, instead of suggesting I uninstall and reinstall my software.

And that's what I think all IT helpdesks should be: German.

Disclaimer:
Views and opinions expressed in this blog are the author's, and do not necessarily represent those of ZDNet Asia.

Talkback 2 comments

Why you've gotta love the Germans
Hi Eileen
doing my usual morning clearing of mails I picked up your story because, yep, I happened to be a bona-fide, yep, you guessed it, Berliner. Having lived in this Lovely Little Red Dot for 18 years, and been exposed to Asia for more then 30 years now, I can only share, that you are one of the few that appreciated/s that level of directness. Haha, talk to those that worked with me, or even for me, and they will tell you how difficult it is for those not exposed to German culture to accept the direct, honest and no-frills approach. Reminds me of this one young lady, who I hired because she was tired of the "polite approach" by her bosses and fellow colleagues, i.e. smiling, polite but not necessarily "frank" after 3 month she resigned. Why? "Sir you are too direct" :-), anyhow, just nice to see that there are some that actually love this approach, meanwhile, I am still adapting, and trying to stay polite and proper, but not giving up this strength of the German heritage--Do it, Get the Job done, and do it as precisely as possible, leaving me the time to enjoy a Great Cold German Beer, rather then rattling away in the office till the wee hours. :-)
Posted by Peter Knipp on Friday, May 23 2008 11:55 AM

Why you've gotta love the Germans
I am an Australian, living in Australia and just into my second year of learning the German language. Learning German has brought me into contact with many Germans. I really appreciate their directness. Sometimes it surprises me and causes me to think twice. However having gone through those second thoughts I realise the directness is merely efficiency and ultimately thoughtfulness. That is, to save me time and embarrassment by getting straight to the point.
Posted by anonymous on Friday, May 23 2008 12:59 PM

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About the blogger

Eileen Yu

Eileen Yu began covering the IT industry when Asynchronous Transfer Mode was still hip and e-commerce was the new buzzword. These days, she gets stirred up over issues concerning Internet regulation, intellectual property rights and software patents, online privacy and data protection. Eileen is senior editor at ZDNet Asia, where she oversees the business tech news site.