What is Sharp’s OMOTENASHI Service?

Sharp has always been known for its simple engineering marvels designed to make everyday life easier and more convenient. But apart from its uniquely innovative products, what truly sets Sharp apart from many consumer electronic brands is that it prioritizes after-sales service as part of its “products”.

Long-time Sharp customers know that buying a Sharp product guarantees that there’s a certified service center nearby – one of over one hundred Sharp service centers nationwide – ready to help them with product concerns and repairs. More than new customers, Sharp values gaining customers’ trust long after the purchase is done. This is the very reason why Sharp continues to expand its nationwide reach: first with the newest concept service center in Davao, and with an all-encompassing customer service thrust that aims to raise the standards of service in the country, Omotenashi.

The newly renovated service center in Davao bears the look that Sharp is planning to execute for the rest of its service centers. Currently, there are 142 authorized service centers and 22 service centers which they own and control. Its very modern look is Sharp’s bid to position itself as a brand that stays relevant beyond its legacy. The interior is designed to look minimalist, cozy, and welcoming. With the grand opening of the newly renovated service center on the 23rd of March, 2015, Sharp hopes to expand both its reach and its definition of after-sales service, especially with the introduction of Omotenashi, a customer service thrust that pays tribute to Sharp’s Japanese heritage.

Omotenashi, for the uninitiated, is the Japanese word for “hospitality” – but it means more than that. For the Japanese, Omotenashi is the only way to treat a guest or a customer. It is reflected in many of their traditions – the tea ceremony is a particularly vivid example of the practice. A traditional tea ceremony in Japan is meticulously planned according to the event, the season, and the guests in attendance. Each step that goes into preparing the tea is carefully performed in front of the guest. For the Japanese, service is an art form.

It has even transitioned well into the present, with many of Japanese innovations such as the high-speed train and the taxi following the Omotenashi code.

With the tagline, “Service Beyond Expectations”, Omotenashi by Sharp is all about recreating the Japanese style of hospitality which entails a great deal of empathy and respect for the customers. This allows a customer service representative – a Sharp specialist – to anticipate what the customer needs at any given moment.

The Omotenashi mindset is a very particular kind of customer service mindset. It focuses on the small details that make a big difference – whether it’s arriving five minutes earlier for a product pickup for repair, or following through a week after the repair to check up on the product – and the bigger picture: the 1-1-1 initiative, which promises a 1-hour revert, 1-day response, and 1-week repair; the 48-hour installation guarantee for split-type air conditioners; and the 10-year warranty on all no-frost refrigerators.

With the opening of the newly renovated Davao service center and the launch of the Omotenashi customer service thrust, Sharp aims to solidify its philosophy of providing innovations to the Filipinos to make daily life better and more convenient.