Tackle business culture from top

TOO OFTEN, we have heard complaints about the quality of service in Barbados.

These complaints are often directed at the front line service providers - the cashiers and salespeople who have direct contact with the public who can sometimes be surly and unhelpful.

These criticisms have validity and are certainly natural since these are the main people with whom most of us interact when doing business.

Indeed, lots of time, effort and money have been spent on improving the service attitudes in Barbados, and the National Initiative for Service Excellence has been innovative and persistent in trying to address this problem.

However, we assert that the problems with service attitudes in Barbados come from the top and any efforts that do not tackle the attitude at the management level will ultimately be doomed to failure.

The truth is there is a lack of respect and consideration for customers in Barbados that is reflected in many of the business practices that are determined by management.

The business culture in Barbados seems to be that the customers must accommodate themselves to businesses, rather than the other way around.

The fact that even as we approach the second decade of the 21 century, most retail outlets in our main business hub of Bridgetown still shut by 5 p.m. on weekdays is staggering.

This is despite the fact that most working Barbadians finish work at 4:30 p.m. and so, if they want to purchase anything on a weekday, must hustle to get into the stores within a small window of time after work. Otherwise, they are forced to use their lunch hour.

In other words, they must accommodate themselves to the habits and whims of the business because the business is certainly not going to accommodate them.

It is an embarrassing incongruity that sets us apart even from our Caribbean neighbours such as Trinidad and Jamaica, where shopping can generally be done in Port-of-Spain and Kingston until 7 p.m. or later.

Is this truly the world-class island that aspires to First World status?

This culture even affects Barbados' main 'bread and butter' industry of tourism.

Last Boxing Day, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association complained that most stores and restaurants in Bridgetown and the West Coast were closed, despite the fact that between Christmas Day and Boxing Day there were eight cruise ships that docked with thousands of passengers.

"If we are going to be serious about tourism we have to be serious. The City can't be shut down just because it is Christmas or New Year's," BHTA president Wayne Capaldi said then.

In light of how ingrained and pervasive this culture is, it is somewhat surprising that many of the island's established businesses have managed to survive for so long. All that has held them up is the fact that they have often managed to stifle and frustrate genuine competition.

It also helps that the culture is widely shared - both big businesses and small are guilty of it and there are few willing to make the effort to offer truly customer-considerate service and shake the others out of their mediocrity.

Could there be hope on the horizon?

In June, president of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Glenda Medford, announced that the chamber intended to establish a private company to revive activity in The City and transform it into a place where "citizens can come to work, do business, shop and play 24/7".

That comment is intriguing, because truly, a 24/7 commercial centre must be in our future - and our near future at that, if we are to compete in an increasingly open global economy.

We have not heard anymore from Medford or the chamber on this proposal in the last few months, but we are interested in seeing and hearing what plans they have.