Customer Relations

Abstract

Everywhere customer satisfaction is crucial to business success. As a result, cross-cultural marketing has extensively studied the specific cultural expectations of customers regarding products and services. It has also investigated the influence of cultures on negotiation processes, especially in business-to-business transactions. However, the literature has overshadowed that what customer relations mean and how they are maintained vary across cultures. Three examples from China, France, and Côte d’Ivoire respectively illustrate different conceptions of customer relations. In each country, relations to customers make sense according to the prevailing forms of social relations. Providing, as well as obtaining, good customer service in each context requires an understanding of that specific cultural background.