futurechat

Go the extra mile is something one learns in the hospitality sector.

Its good that some of these sentiments are being witnessed in the work environment elsewhere.

Short but nice post on The New Normal more...

The relationship between the advertiser and the consumer is really captured well in this spoof by Microsoft. I came across this at the Web Community Forum . Enjoy..

Advertising, coupons, loyalty , redemptions and satisfaction are the words that one hears often. Would any company totally align their business to make customers happy ? In simple words, create experiences that make people happy

Lately, I have been reading up on customer satisfaction in the IT industry. Once such report I read up was by Dataquest. You can read it the 2006 and 2007 reports on their site. The numbers seemed disappointing.So the question I have is in a world where service SLA’s are in the region of 99.99% and increasing , how  is it that satisfaction scores are at the 85% level ?What is the gap between expectation and reality ?Are the services providers geared up to match expectations ?What are your views ?

The New York Times features a write  up on”New hotel brands aimed at younger travelers are trying to create experiences that feel unique but can be replicated globally.”  Do read it here.In India , hotel chains such as ITC Welcomgroup, Taj etc provide pretty good service and comfort. However. if one were on a slightly less budget then its a different story. Service etc tends to be variable and processes seem incomplete.New hotels and brands need to focus on service and not be complacent about the boom in the country today. After all reputations last long after the current boom.

Strategy+Business has an article on luxury brands and the emphasis they pay on superb service. The articles has used brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Nordstrom, and Lexus to highlight four key points.I am quoting the points , written by Robert Reppa and Evan Hirsh, verbatim here :

1. They create a customer-centered culture that identifies, nurtures, and reinforces service as a primary value.
2. They use a rigorous selection process to populate the organization with superior sales and support staff. The impulse to care about accommodating customers cannot be taught to people who are not predisposed to it.
3. They constantly retrain employees to perpetuate organizational values and to help them attain greater mastery of products and procedures.
4. They systematically measure and reward customer-centric behavior and excellence in sales and service to enforce high standards and reinforce expectations.

This article actually echoes almost all the points that I have been highlighting in my writing here and also in the course of my work. I also believe , not just luxury brands, but everyone should be focused on the highest possible level of service.

While browsing Rojo , I noticed a banner.The reason i clicked was the mix of the message and visuals. However once in, the campaign does focus on the quality of call issues with GSM services in India.A lot of people may explore the service. It is a strong promise that the brand is making.The brand experience everywhere..stores, web and much more is what the customer will evaluateOnce in, the site looks like this (more…)

In recent times Bangalore is the city that everyone wants to be in. The result is that hotels have never had it so good. The hotel reservation and check-in experience in Bangalore however gets a mention in most travel conversations and the tone generally is negative.I’m sure there is a demand and supply mismatch but that doesn’t mean that hotels need to loose their basic courtesies when interacting with customers.  I recently checked into a hotel . In the entire check-in experience the lady who was checking me in was indifferent except towards the end when she looks up at me as she hands over the key  and says “ Sir when would you be checking out “ .  I was appalled. I doubt if I will be checking into that hotel anytime soon.These are good times for the hotels there but they must remember that customer goodwill goes a long way in ensuring smooth sailing in times when things become rougher .After all, once room capacity increases in that city , things will change. It is simply a matter of time.  I do hope key people care enough about their customers to ensure that they do not end up losing them.

The Attitude of a WOW!!!As I begin to write this , the words of a Tom Peters‘ article are still fresh in my mind. I quote him from his blog“So I’ve been consciously working on a new (for me) approach, with at least a smidgeon of success. Either at day’s end or dawn’s early light, I have a little meditation and self-counseling session on making the day count, rather than devoting the day to eager anticipation of the moment I can cross it off the calendar. Professionally, that first means looking anew and in depth at the forthcoming lecture to be sure that it clearly encompasses (as best I can) an ennobling purpose, challenges participants’ minds and engages their souls. (Will it at least aspire to the JFK idea that no speechifier should utter a word unless she “aims to change the world”?) Also professionally, I “work on” my attitude. This may be day 45 and mile 76,000 for me, but for the Client it is D-Day for an Important Event (often their year’s #1 event, for God’s sake); hence my exhaustion and accompanying short temper must be thrust aside … and downright cheeriness and spirited engagement must become the invariant orders of the day.”These words encapsulate the attitude of delivering a WOW. (more…)

Have you ever asked a bank to change the mailing address because you have moved residence. It seems like a simple process but is it ? A colleague recently attempted this and finally gave up. Simply because the process communicated in the branch is different from the various communications that are sent to her. Last heard she was very aggravated about it. She has a card, a car loan and a salary account in this bank and they all require her to follow different processes to update this address. I’m sure if collections were given the task they would be very prompt in finding out where she is and track her down. (more…)