A toll booth worker flashing a broad grin and moving mechanically has turned heads in China after surveillance camera footage of his interpretation of what "standard service" entails emerged online.

The man, identified as Deng Chuan, could be seen sitting straight at his toll booth in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing on Lima Highway, with his shoulders drawn back. He swiftly turns his upper body to the window on his side to greet the motorists and collect the money, while grinning from ear to ear, before returning to the computer in front of him. He then bids farewell to drivers by waving his hand and watching them take off, without effacing the smile from his face.

The "perfect" movements have made Deng stand out from other staff members in his company. According to his manager, Zhang Wei, Deng is an ideal employee, and the clip is used as a standard for ranking the workers' "smiling service."

Since the video went viral, many expressed their sympathy for Deng because of his work ethics.

"He must be so tired. Why is there such a requirement?" a Weibo user who goes by the name @6Shiqi commented below a post of the video.

"He is really working so hard," commented @Shiminqiuxiansheng.

Some were quick to point out how robotic the man looked, and criticized the company's requirements for workers to plaster on a smile.

"[He is] overcorrected. There is no difference between him and a robot. He is a human [though he’s working in service industry.] Why don’t you employ a robot!?" A Weibo user who goes by the name @Xiaoleyiludebaosi said.

"Is this used to encourage more drivers to use the ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) channels?" @Dangshianjiubuleyile quipped, denouncing the mechanical requirements.

"It’s too robotic and feels a little eerie," commented @Nijiaoxiachuandewodouyou.

Smiling to customers, especially in the service sector, has always been an unspoken norm to show hospitality. But some in China have taken it to the extreme, driven by competition.

Toll gate workers on highways in east China’s Anhui Province have been praised by drivers, setting the bar high for others in the business around the country. 

Zang Xiaojun, a trainer with Anhui Transportation Holding Group described to Guancha, a Shanghai-based news portal, the tough path to become an excellent toll booth worker.

"[Workers] need to raise their hands to wave at drivers with their five fingers tightly pressed and palm kept flat. There should be a proper eye contact with drivers and the voice should be kept between 85 decibels and 90 decibels," Zang said.

Despite the frowns at the rigid requirements, the smiling technique seems to be working.

A survey by the State Administration for Market Regulation shows that customer satisfaction in China was 74.75 percent in 2017, up 2.86 percent from a year earlier.