'Small Talk' success

Let me confess to you that I was hopeless at making small talk! Atleast I was until a few weeks ago. I was pathetic at the ‘connect’ with people on a personal level. Yeah, I could make conversation and also keep a group lively. I can perk up people with motivation and regale them with wit and humor. But when it comes to engaging someone in small talk especially when I bump into them unexpectedly, I was wanting. Here, I have to mention that I was the ‘go-to’ person whenever people wanted solutions, but I would never be approached if people wanted to chat casually. Infact, I would somehow manage to repel even those few who would approach me.

Then I watched charismatic people closely and figured out their ‘connect’ with people and what drew or attracted people to them. I figured out that they were very casual with their demeanor and would show a genuine interest in people. I would hear them talk to people very personally and obligingly.
I learnt and figured that, while engaging people in small talk, two things are a strict no-no – EGO and INHIBITION. These two emotions hinder us from engaging the other person. These evoke a feeling of ‘superiority’ or ‘inferiority’ and hampers people from being attracted. If we bring in these two feelings to the table (or corridor) when we make casual and informal talk, we automatically give way for an emotional disconnect and we botch up many things.
Another thing that I figured out if we need to be successful in engaging people is avoiding the ‘need to control’. Humanly, we feel the need to control the conversation and behave that we are the ‘know all’, but this disengages the conversation. We are created with 2 ears and 1 mouth. So speak less and listen more. There is also no need to have all answers and solutions. Sometimes, a smile and ears is all that is required to be a good conversationalist! I am incorporating these and am pretty successful in my ‘small talk’ now. I will keep you posted on the ‘super success’

Troubled times

Amid today's impressive technological innovations, business leaders sometimes forget that work is—at its core—a fundamental human endeavor. During the days of uncertainty the only factor that keeps organizations active and competitive in the markets is its 'employees'. As Maslow once said 'A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. This need we call self-actualization. … It refers to man's desire for self-fulfillment, namely to the tendency for him to become actually in what he is potentially: to become everything one is capable of becoming'. The same holds good for organizations, after all, these institutions are made up by people like you and me.

Lets get back to the topic 'troubled times'.During these days of financial uncertainity,job losses, redundancy- off shoring companies seem to be only concentrating on the need to survive this downturn. The need for being successful has diminished or holds little or no value. The junkbond crisis, Dot com bubble burst and then Lehman brothers have got Newton to act on all of us and the gravitational force is keeping all of us on the ground (9.8 also seems to be quite a hand full now!).The start of off shoring brought in a lot of opportunities that were first unheard of in the sub continent. Youngsters were given more than they could chew and liquid cash could be seen everywhere. The government also went on to change the basic education system to suit the needs of the industry. BPO/IT...ITeS. Half baked or semi literate individuals were out in the market vying for roles in MNCs doing graveyard shifts, speaking the language of the West, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. The west culture was slowly creeping in.

Individuals out of college now never had a thought or intention of studying any further. They could make a fast buck anywhere. call centers which existed in window less offices was the talk of the town. everyone wanted to be a part of it. Selling bra's, airline tickets, printers, comps, and financial data was the so called domain expertise. Major players in the software industry also joined the bandwagon.

This inturn created a lot of jobs and easy money. the number of Pubs in Bangalore has tripled. The average beer consumption also went up. The number of divorces also went up. the number of abortions went up. The number of people in the rehab centers also went up.The number of car sales also went up. The number of personal loans taken also went up. the number of housing loans also went up.The number of flats and builders in bangalore also went up. Loans were given upto 100% of the house value. everything was fine! A 24 year old was capable of owning a house for 24L INR. paying a monthly EMI of 20K, the rest of his money on cigarettes and pubs.The loans kept increasing.

The relationships no longer exist. For me the growth of any organization is simply the accumulated growth of the individual relationships that constitute it. And relationships largely are influenced by a lot of external factors.

Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone especially during these troubled times. Spider webs are both the strongest and the most fragile structures in the world. Pound for pound, spider webs are stronger than steel, yet they can stretch to nearly 40 percent of their length. They can also break with just the touch of a finger. The construction of spider webs is an apt metaphor for relationships long before the World Wide Web became our new medium for meeting and greeting. Relationships can be resilient or tenuous. They can stretch when tested, or they can break at the first sign of heavy winds.

Our traditional organizations are designed to provide for the first three levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: food, shelter, and belonging. Since these are now widely available to members of industrial society, our organizations do not provide significantly unique opportunities to command the loyalty and commitment of our people. The ferment in management will continue until organizations begin to address the higher order needs: self-respect and self-actualization.

Most economists think of employees as "units of production," customers as "units of consumption," and investors as "units of investment." I came to realize that there is no one unit of production because employees are influenced by their motivation, capacity, and the tools we've made available to them, and their results are a function of these influencers. Similarly, not all customers or investors approach their relationship with a company in the same way. In sum, many business observers view these "units" as fixed commodities (like steel) when in fact they truly are flexible (like a web), depending on how these relationships have been nurtured or "spun."

Human capital, unlike other assets, does not depreciate over time. Like good wine, it actually improves with age.

Awards – the debate whether they are administered correctly!

I haven't blogged in a long time! So here's one!

The recent Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Barack Obama and the subsequent voices, for and against this prompted me to post this blog!
We may have seen many awards given out to people, organizations, movies etc. We may have our own opinion of the awards. Ask around for their opinion of any award and you will get varied responses.
Some of these awards directly affect us, like an award for best performer at our work place and it raises questions in our minds. What has he done to receive this award? Why didn’t I get this award? Is the supervisor partial? And so on. It even sets off a water cooler gossip.
There could be some awards that have group opinions, like a movie award or a best restaurant award. We begin to discuss these awards in groups with varied opinions like – the actor doesn’t deserve the award. He has done a shoddy job. Someone else deserved it more! Oh, it is all rigged!!
There are still others that create a national or international debate – like the Nobel to Obama.
Twitter polls suggested that 69% of Americans felt that he didn’t deserve it yet!
There are posts on the web that denounce the awards, some that ridicule the process and lots of them that are funny. It may have given rise to talk show debates and jibes from some stand up comedians.
One of the posts that read went like this “I have worked relentlessly for the last 15 years to manage my mom, my wife and daughter and keep them from tearing each others' hair. I was successful yesterday. There was peace at home! Will I get the Nobel and a million bucks?”
Another one said that “Obama, in his acceptance speech should thank President Bush for the award, because he wouldn’t have got the award if Bush hadn’t screwed up and proven to the world that America is ready to go to war if the Iraqis sneeze ”
Media companies are quick to cash in. They will say “Do you think X deserves to get this award. Please sms your answers to 53238”.

But, I feel that awards are recognition of an achievement (?) by a group of people, which is not always correct. The people who confer these awards may be biased or do not have the opportunity to make a holistic decision. The awards do not always reflect the mass sentiments of the common man! So the next time awards are conferred, take it with a pinch of salt. They certainly are not your feelings or your awards. If they personally affect you, indulge in some water cooler gossip or some award bashing! Then move on ………..

Post your comments on awards that you would like to give and who deserves them.

Rakhi Sawant and her Swayamvar

Last weekend, I watched, "Rakhi Ka Swayamvar". Phew! what a show. I wonder why Ektaa Kapoor did not produce this show.
I feel the show is bull shit! but it definitely has improved the TRP ratings of the channel.
It is definitely unique ..........and original too!!
not a rip off of American Idol, Who wants to be a millionaire?, America's got talent etc
Atleast we can hope to have some foreign channels copy the idea. Then we may have "Britney Ka swayamvar" or "Sarkozy ka swayamvar" ........how nice!!
As I am typing, I am thinking of other sequels as well as related serials "Kyonki Rakhi bhi kabhi bahu thi", "Iss Rakhi se mujhe Bachao". he he
We could also have "Rakhi ki Honeymoon travails"
and the ultimate one would be "Rakhi Ka swayamvar - Part 2 ".
Kudos to the girl! she has taken Indian telly to new heights.
She is one girl who grabs eyeballs in whatever she says or does. Who can forget her famous statement "Jo Bhagwan nahi deta, woh doctor deta hain"
I wonder about the shooting of the show ..........did they have retakes to capture 'true' emotions?
did they have a script? ...........and finally, the guys who came on the show! was it a shot at stardom or publicity?
Will Rakhi get married to the chosen one .........or will she wriggle out?
Dekhiye, break ke baad!!

Signs behind Autorickshaws!

If you are living in Bangalore or most other parts of India, you will be exposed to the "Autorickshaws".You cant miss this ubiquitous and intricate part of transportation and be unaware of the antics of these contraptions on three wheels or their drivers.

They evoke tales of horror and amusement in most people!

But my tale is unique ...........though i have my share of horror stories to share about my travails with these!!

I am very fascinated by the signages that we see behind these Autos! Some of them are amusing, some downright ridiculous and still others are ..........well .............. grammatically challenged!!

If you havent noticed them, here are some of them which I have put together (my sister-in-law and I share a laugh over these whenever we find some new signages)

* Hi Rummy, God is Mummy (outright silly, but I like his attempt at poetry!)
* Love idre romancu illdidre Nimhansu (this is in Kannada and means-"if there is love there is romance else, u will go to Nimhans, a mental hospital- what a philosopher!!)
* Chee Thunti (Hey, what did she do?)
* Love is sweet poison (need I say more!!)
* Love Birads (Looks like he meant Love Birds!)

* Love is slow poison (Why are all these guys love gurus?)

* 420 girls take tick 20 (I can say this guy has got a head for figures!!)

* Love is Rose... Rose is Red.. Red is Danger... (Whoa! enough of this love sayings .............)
* A for Aids.. D for Death (I have learnt A for Apple, B for ball.........Now, here is a crusader - wonder what happened to the I and S of AIDS - does he mean AIDS is Death?)

* I also own a Ferrari (Now you became a monk?)

I am sure you have noticed a few of them yourself ............feel free to add more!

Relationships - the prelude

I have been attending a forum in which we are discussing relationships ………..and I have set my thought process moving and there are going to be a series of posts from me about this seemingly endless topic.
“No man is an island by himself” is an apt line to start my blog. We are all social beings with some form of relationship with another person or group.
I am just thinking about the kinds of relationships:
• Personal Relationship (includes family – spouse, parents, siblings, relatives etc)
• Professional Relationship (includes colleagues, bosses, associations etc)
• Social Relationship (includes friends, forums, clubs, affiliations etc)

…………..Please feel free to add more that you can think of!!

One key learning was from a young friend of mine and he said “Relationships are based on Respect, Understanding and Trust(RUT), if you don’t have these, then your relationships are in a RUT”.

In the first and primary relationship, I am going to take a closer look at the relationship with a spouse.
I borrow heavily from John Gray’s book- “Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus”
I recommend anyone reading this post to read the book and the sequels to it to understand the fundamental differences in the way a man’s thinking and behaviour are different from a woman’s.
I am sure it will benefit a lot of us in our daily relationship with the opposite sex!

My life before "Singh is King"

The hindi movie Singh is King proves to be a thorn in my flesh!
Whenever I meet people, they invariably hum the tune or mouth the song! Granted that they are doing a mind mapping with my name, my face and the movie - but ..........
I wouldnt have a problem if I looked like Akshay Kumar or had a series of movie hits like him. The only hits I have are the ones on my car or the ones that my wife gives me regularly!
I wouldnt even mind the least if I had Kat as my heroine .............singing, teri ore!
Before the movie was released, people would call me "KING" with a bemused voice because the name is quite unique in this part of the world!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the unique name which made me stand out whenever i accomplished something and also got me into trouble in a group because it has a very good recall value.
I now have to share my name with a movie .....................blaaaah!
but I'm not singing .............

Funny Post

Every where I go, people call me as the humorous guy, the ‘king of one-liners’, the person with a quick humorous repartee.
So I thought I will put together a collection of those that I quickly made up.
So here goes …………..

I was invited to propose the toast at the silver wedding anniversary of an uncle of mine. I started with “Marriages are made in heaven, but thereafter life is hell ………”
I woke up 3 hours later in the hospital.
People tell me I was struck on the head by a flying object that was hurled at me by someone in the crowd. I have a strange feeling there is a connection between my losing consciousness, the flying object and my wife.
Then I slowly turned around and to my surprise, saw my uncle in the bed next to mine. Apparently he had nodded in agreement and smiled at my opening line!

We started our work 1 hour late today, thanks to a health talk that we had yesterday. The speaker extolled us on the benefits of a simple thing like taking the stairs as opposed to taking the elevator. As a result, we had our employees taking the stairs and when they finally reached, huffing and puffing, they were in no state to work. They had to rest for half an hour before they were in any state to support themselves on the chair. Thank God we are located on the 5th floor.

We have all been lured by “Buy this, take that free”. Many times the FREE stuff troubles us more …………….Get married! You get the Mother-in-law free!!

And here is a one liner that I made up - “Never let an opportunity go by, it is just like lightning-never strikes twice at the same place” – Sunil King

More later!!

Climb Up!

How many times have we heard “Life is full of ups and downs”
I am writing aout the 4 ups to climb up in life!

DRESS UP: Have you heard the clichéd phrase “Clothes Maketh the Man”. Why are clothes so important? More often than not it is the first thing that gets noticed about a person! If we want to make a good first impression, it is imperative to wear appropriate clothes. Remember though, that dressing appropriately is very event-specific. You cannot wear a track suit and meet a business client or wear a loin cloth to meet the Governor – Unless you are Mahatma Gandhi!!! I am advocating the Right Clothes, Not the Best or most expensive.
It is also proven that wearing nice and bright colored clothing elevates one’s mood!! It’s also a sign of respect for others if you make an effort to look neat and tidy.

SHOW UP: A very important trait of successful people is being present at the right place at the right time.
You may ask me how? …………It is a habit.
When you dress up to go to an event, arrive there at the appointed time.
It is acceptable in India to be “fashionably late”.
It is one thing showing up late – and another not showing up at all.
Make it a habit to show up at promised events. If you are in doubt, say it or decline to show up. But if you promise it – SHOW UP.
So, if you want to move up ………….SHOW UP !!!

SPEAK UP: Learn how to say the right things. Especially in a group, if you want to make your presence felt, it isn’t good to have Mental Constipation. Learn to speak with confidence on any topic. Learn to be a good, polite conversationalist.
I have seen many people tongue tied at crucial junctures. Speak to make your presence felt!

SHUT UP: And finally, learn how and when to stop ………..to keep quiet!
Some people have a problem of verbal diarrhoea. Once they start they never know when to stop. There’s a saying by Plato:
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

Stop speaking when you have made your point. It is better to quit when you are winning.
And finally, to summarize, the 4 Ups to Climb up are:
Dress up, Show Up, Speak up and Shut Up!!

Now, the trick here is to follow the order and do these 4 in entirety.

If you Dress up and just Show up ………….. u actually belong on the ramp!!
If you speak up without dressing up ……………you run the risk of not being taken seriously!!

Aam aadmi votes!

This morning, I overheard a conversation that was taking place between my wife and our maid.
The story dates back to a few days back, when the maid very sheepishly asked for 2 days leave. “Why?” my wife asked!
The maid replied that she wanted to go to her native in Tamil Nadu to cast her vote.
“But you voted here, in Bangalore, on 23rd April” my wife said, to which the maid replied “Oh, that was for here. Now I am going to my hometown to vote for my leader who will form my government”
My wife gave up and agreed for her 2 days’ leave.

Cut, to the conversation that I overheard today!
My wife was asking the maid how the voting experience was. The maid was very excited and she began to explain how she, her husband and fellow dwellers went by a special van to her native and cast their vote, but she was disappointed that her vote will not elect her area leader but it will help someone else. She also said that they were paid Rs.200 and food per head for their vote. But more than that was the vote itself. Her area leader sought them out even though they were hundreds of miles away and asked for their vote. It was a matter of honor for them!
Who was the candidate? ………well, she didn’t know! She was told to vote for a symbol and she did!

I began to ponder!
We sit in our living rooms and watch different channels for exit polls, poll analysis and results. We watch the trends and go to the extent of analysing the stability of the elected government and the impact on economic growth and governmental policies.
The ground reality is that the government is elected mostly by people who are told by someone to stamp their vote for a symbol.
It also brought another thought in me: I read in the newspaper that C.N.R.Rao’s name did not figure in the voters list whilst our maid’s name was in two states.
Jai Ho!

Art of Control

I remember a scene from an English Movie where a plane is being hijacked!
The hijackers walk into the cockpit and ask the Pilots "who's in Charge"
one of them replies(unaware that they are hijackers) "I am".
then one of the hijackers puts a gun to his head and asks "now who's in charge"
The bewildered pilot replies "You are!"........

This set me thinking on the types of Control that humans exercise and i have classified some of them

Control by Manipulation
Control by Authority
Control by Selfless Giving

* Control by Manipulation - is exercised by manipulating people because of circumstances
or situation. Some politicians, Godmen, Cult Leaders or so called strategists exercise this kind of
control. They usually have a mass following by preaching and appealing to the emotional
quadrant. They manipulate the minds of people and control them.

* Control by Authority - This kind of control is exercised by people who have authority or power vested in them by some one higher(the government, education or economic status).
People can enjoy and exercise this control either because they have earned it or it is bestowed on them. People can control others because they are experts in a particular subject (SME) or because they have more economic power that helps them control other people's decisions (sometimes arm twisting).
There is a thin line in this form of control between positive Authority and negative authority.

* Control by Selfless Giving - This i feel is the best form of Control, always exercised when you have something on offer without expecting anything in return. A few examples are Helping those in distress, Counselling, community service etc.
There are people I know who are doing a wonderful job by helping people, counselling them, saving peoples' lives,saving marriages. These people too have a following of people who love them and trust them.
This is a very subtle form where you Control by not Controlling.
It would really help us if we exercise this form in our relationships.

All of us like to say "Dont worry, I'm in Control". But are we?
if yes, then what kind of control?

A Winning Attitude

A Winning Attitude

One of my favorite sayings, even today remains “Attitude determines Altitude”. How high you want to reach in life, what are the things that you want to achieve, are determined by the attitude that you carry towards that goal.

Why do some people seem to reach the top of the corporate ladder easily, while others remain stuck on the middle-management rung, or the lower rungs? Why do some people achieve great personal success and win almost everything, while others fall in the category of ‘also rans’? You might think that it is just because those people have more of what it takes to succeed, like brains, talent and powerful people in their corner. But there is something else that is just as important: A Winning Attitude

A winning attitude goes further beyond a Positive Mental Attitude. It is a concoction of desire, self belief, self backing, strategy and relentless effort.
Winston Churchill called Attitude- a small thing that can make a big difference.

One of the ways that we can develop a Winning Attitude is by changing the way we think and taking charge of our own destiny.
Take a look at the Indian Cricket team now. This was the same team, or much less talented than previous ones. They are winning almost every match now, against any opposition, in any location! What has changed now? They have changed the way they think! They have developed a Winning Attitude.
Winners go out and make good things happen. So let us commit ourselves to thinking about our career or goals in an entirely different way. We will make it to the top, and we are in charge of making it happen. This reminds me of a quote by Zig Ziglar “If It Is To Be- It Is Up To Me”. These, according to me are the 10 most powerful two letter words that can be life changing.
We have seen and heard of stories of extraordinary achievement of people who have overcome barriers and obstacles. Be it physical or social or economical. In fact, all the winners have!
Look at a Barack Obama, Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey or a Dhirubhai Ambani.
Obama’s “Yes, We Can” is by far the most compelling and winning campaign that I have seen.
If we read the life story of the above mentioned people, we will understand their desire, their thinking pattern and their Attitude.

One of the techniques that I use is to envisage the glory and triumph I will feel on winning or achieving a goal. This spurs me on to take up the task with zest and a winning attitude. If we can think about the accolades and recognition that we will receive on achieving goals, then we will come up with strategies that will assist us in surmounting the most improbable goals.

Future thinking is another powerful technique that will help us to build a winning attitude. We need to give all of our thinking to the future because the past is gone. We cannot change the past. Learn the lessons from the past and plan for winning in the future.

One of the other tenets of having a winning attitude is to be your own fan! Have you been waiting for someone in the office to recognize your talents and efforts? Maybe it's time you start tooting your own horn. Successful workers know how to point out their achievements without sounding boastful.
And finally, all teams Play to win, but if they don’t succeed at first, they follow “Winners never Quit and Quitters never Win”. So, never give up!
And as the protagonist in a popular movie says “There is a thin line between Attitude and Arrogance – “I CAN do it is Attitude and ONLY I can do it is Arrogance”.

Dad I miss you!

Dad passed away in 2007!
With each passing day i miss him much more. Everyday i find asking myself, why couldnt he live longer?
there are so many things that i want to share with him, so many advises that i require, so much of support that i need and so much of admiration that i want to shower but he is not there.
I want to see him, feel his presence physically, but .................
I know there are a lot of people out there who go through these feelings everyday about their loved ones, so many people languishing like me!
I know this feeling will persist for a long long time and there is NOTHING that I can do about it!!! and i have to live with the thought that all I can do is MISS HIM!!!

Corruption in School Admissions

Type the word "Corruption" in Google and you will get about 40,200,000 results. then you type "Honesty" and it returns about 21,900,000 results!
Does that mean there are twice as many corrupt people as Honest people?
I am writing this blog as i see me friends and colleagues struggle to secure an admission for their 4 year olds in an elementary school, in Bangalore, India.
Can you imagine you have to pay Rs. 70,000 for this to any one of the people who get your child's name on the first list. This, apart from the donation and the annual fees and all the sundry fees and loyalties. Gosh!!
Seats are "Sold" to the highest bidder in some of the schools in Bangalore.
As I see it, there is no end to this menace!
The diktat is: If you want your child to study in a school. PAY UP!!

I got certified as a Scrum Master!!!

I am now a Certified Scrum Master!! Yoo Hoo!! I am pretty excited about it.
It now feels good to write Sunil King, PMP, CSM, SSGB, CSTP.
I never ever imagined that the certifications will outnumber the letters in my name.
I still aspire to get my Ph.D .................one day I will!!
I must give credit to my trainer Bob Sarni who, when he obtained his CST, became the first person in the world to officially obtain all the current certifications (CSM, CSPO, CSP, CSC, CST) from the Scrum Alliance.
Thanks Bob !!

Moral / Cultural Policing – A few Proposals

What is this brouhaha over Moral Policing these days?
Here are a bunch of guys with mental constipation trying to drum up some publicity and we are paying unnecessary attention to them.
Instead of sending them “Pink Chaddis” and “Love” messages, let us try to view things from their angle (i.e. if they have an angle and view) …………..but let me tell you, I have a few proposals that they may even take seriously.

Forget just Moral Policing, there should be a Moral Police Station that is conveniently located near a pub or …………near Renuka Chaudhary’s house!!

They should have a convenient to remember, toll free help line, like 911 that we can call if the neighborhood dogs are on heat and are canoodling so that they can come and give them a sound thrashing and teach them a thing or two about Indian Culture.

The Moral Police Stations should have a huge display outside that they do NOT handle cases of dowry harassment, female infanticide, eve teasing etc.

The Universities should introduce a 1 year degree course (3 years are too long – these blokes can’t wait that long to beat the shit out of hapless women).
The prerequisites for joining this course are:
1. The candidate should HATE the word LOVE.
2. They should have a mind that is so narrow that two single celled bacteria can’t pass through side by side.
3. They should treat all women as their sisters and beat the hell out of them if they want to eat noodles ( noodle straps are not Indian Culture)
4. They should attribute everything normal to violation of Indian Culture and vehemently and violently protest any objections.

They should be called to travel in the back seat of any car in which a couple is travelling, lest they hold hands and defile Indian culture and endanger safety on roads.
And finally, they should have a National Moral Police Commissioner and the criteria for selection are that they should come out with an original slogan that reflects Indian Culture that everybody else feels is utterly insane.
I am vying for this post and my slogan is “Kissing in public is against Indian Culture while Pissing is acceptable”

John McCain's conceding speech

The conceding/ congratulatory speech of John McCain made in Phoenix, AZ after the defeat to Barack Obama was one of the most fabulous speeches that I have seen in recent times.Do watch it for the sheer pleasure of choice of words, the articulation, delivery and composure. The grace and humility in defeat is stupendous.

The Video can be watched on the URL:
http://www.huffingt onpost.com/ 2008/11/04/ mccain-concessio n-speech_ n_141196. html

Customer Service in India

Have you seen business establishments that proclaim “Customer is King”, some even say “Customer is GOD”. Is this true in the Indian context ? Tall claims are made in every establishment about treating the customer with utmost care and respect. There are even customer service departments / desks in place in many businesses.
Let me appraise you of the reality of customer care in India, which many of you would have come across in your daily life.
India has grown leaps and bounds in the way it conducts business. Businesses have learnt the art of wooing more customers using innovative ways. There are GOMBA’s (Grossly Over-paid MBA’s) who devise “customer centric” strategies to attract customers and sell their products and services. Millions are spent on campaigns to make customers purchase their wares. Be it chocolates or cars, soaps or software, there are luring advertisements for every brand and celebrities to endorse them.
The customer is also spoilt for choices and options. If he wants a certain product, there are a dozen brands to choose from and umpteen salespersons to “help” him purchase it.
Nowadays, there are swanky malls and glitzy showrooms to let the customer have that “wonderful experience” to purchase what he wants.
Once the purchase / sale / subscription is completed, the product is handed over with a ‘smile’ to the customer and the customer is handed over to the ‘customer service department’.
If the product or service purchased by the customer works as it should, it is the customer’s good fortune. If it is faulty or deficient, then starts the rigmarole of getting it replaced through interacting with the ‘Customer-Service’ department.
There are many businesses who strive hard to give a quality product and also have trained people in handling customers. But there are flaws that creep in.
Most present day sales people are made aware of the 80/20 principle (i.e. 80% of the business comes from 20% of the customers) and they are asked to treat the customer as their own.
But at the end of the day, they seem to forget it and forget to establish a long term relationship with the customer.
After the sale is made, the customer is treated with apathy, to say the least, or at the most, he is made to bide his time, face inordinate delays or run from pillar to post before getting the product rectified.
There was is this swanky superstore chain from where I purchased quite an expensive product and asked the product to be delivered home as I couldn’t carry it with me. I was promised delivery of the product within 7 days (and service with a smile). It was more than 10 days and my purchased item didn’t arrive. I called up the store and described my predicament and was promptly put on to the “customer service desk”. After a maze of queries and people, I was put onto the “person” in charge of dispatching my purchased item. He made some enquiries and traced my product and said it would be sent to my residence in 2-3 days, as the store policy was to send the item within 15 days (remember the salesperson said 7 days). He duly apologized for the delay and said that I could talk to him anytime and thanked me for my patience (should I feel like a “king” for this). After 3 more days, there was no sign of my product so I called up the store and asked for my ‘helpful service assistant’, only to be told that he was on vacation. I was again put onto the “customer service desk” who again asked me the same questions before putting me on to another ‘helpful service assistant’. I was losing my cool now! He again made the same enquiries and said that my product would be delivered the next day at 12 noon. I told him that it was a weekday and requested him to make the delivery after 6 PM. He told me that they don’t make deliveries after 5 PM (company policy you see!). I made arrangements to be there at home when the promised ‘delivery’ would occur and waited, and waited ………… for a good 4 hours after the promised time. Then the delivery people arrived and my joy knew no bounds.
Finally !!
Then they opened the product only to realize that it was the wrong package. Besides, the person who came from the store did not know how to assemble the product (the right product came after another day).
It was quite a hassle with the “customer service desk” before I got my product.
Right now I need to get an NOC from a finance company for a loan that I cleared 6 months ago. I have interacted with a dozen customer service reps, sent over half a dozen faxes and e-mails but I am still not able to get my hands on the piece of document. My request that they fax me a copy of the NOC before the original arrives was turned down as it wasn’t the company policy and the customer service desk only takes requests and forwards them to the concerned department. Phew!!
I am sure everyone of you who is reading this blog has some kind of an experience with the Customer Service akin to mine.

A lot has to be done in India, about providing quality Customer service and addressing the genuine concerns of a customer. It is not enough if policies are made and claims are displayed.
As the disposable income in India grows and customers are willing to spend more, it is about time, business establishments put in place Customer Service help in true spirit and educate the personnel that the sales process does not end with selling the product. And it isn’t sufficient if the Customer is made to feel like a King only until he pays for it.