As an Israeli, only after I have lived and worked in places like the US and especially Switzerland, I really understood the value of quality of service, integrity and reliability.
In Switzerland, for example, you pay the same prices as in Israel for services, but in dollars (=Franks) instead of Shekels. Now in the beginning, as an Israeli, you try to cut corners and save money, but after awhile you realize you are paying for quality and reliability and it is worth it.
A few examples:
1)You need an electrician, you call and make an appointment; he comes exactly on time! he takes his time to the job right, you pay through the nose, but, you NEVER have to worry about what he did, he cleans the floor after he finishes, you won’t have to call him back to fix it again in a few days/weeks because he is a professional, he uses only the best materials, he studied to be an electrician, he is proud of his job and service is most important to him.
By the way, the electrician is just an example. The same can be said for the receptionist in the municipality or the immigration or the post office - what a service? And it’s free.
2)You hire an IT person to work for a company. It will cost you $100,000+ a year. Or, you hire a consultant (IT, designer, whatever), it will costs you at least $160 an hour. Sounds a lot, right? But guess what, if you calculate the cost and productivity per hour and compare it to an Israeli in Israel, you will be surprised that it may actually be cheaper. Why? The Swiss IT / consultant, spends every hour of his/her time at work actually working (not like the Israeli). They will NOT use the time at work to talk to their wife and children, to chat with their colleagues about non-work stuff, to look for a babysitter, take long lunches, to search the internet for deals on a new phone / bicycle / vacuum cleaner / whatever.
In Switzerland you don’t ever look for the cheapest worker; you look for the best most qualified one. You don’t mind paying more because you know it will save you money in the end.
Instead of focusing on how you can save a few shekels here and there, you focus on how you can make more money, get more customers, and provide better service.
I think we Israelis are learning to appreciate that quality work and good service is worth paying for; it will just take a few years, but we will
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