Not Being Sarkari

Just saying...

You can check out story behind Aloo Kachalu here. More Aloo Kachalu are here.

They have done a couple of good things here. They have sent me a list of stores along with their addresses and phone numbers. This is small, mundane but extremely useful thing to do. They are not assuming that I know the locations of Pizza Hut and they are also giving me an opportunity to visit some other Pizza Hut outlets and not my regular ones.

Pizza Hut have given me a window of one month to avail the discount coupons. It is not that I have to utilize these coupons on any given date and time. I can enjoy a sumptuous meal as per my own convenience. A thoughtful thing to do.

In terms of implementation, they could have done better. A personalized mail would have been great. A less-strict-sounding T&C would have had a more soothing effect on me.

Anyways, I am thankful to them as they remembered me on one of the most important days of my life. Thanks, Pizza Hut.
 

 With some of my ordinary experiences with so called organized players, my faith is back in local businesses. My mindset is changing because with the advent of organized retail, local businesses have also pulled their socks and raised their standards (service, hygiene etc.) to decent levels. And organized retailers are unable to compete with these resurgent small businesses. For the next four weeks, every Friday I intend to cover one small business to which I am sold because they offer me great service.   First in line is a restaurant, Sip and Bite in Gurgaon which is run by an old Uncle and Aunty. Couple of months back, I developed an allergy to red chilly powder and doctor has asked me to avoid it. One evening, I went to this restaurant asking what all is available without red chilly. Steward suggested a couple of dishes, and I ordered as per that. True to his advice it was without any red chilly.  After a few days, I again went to this place. Steward came to me with a menu and asked me, "Sir, you want without red chilly?". I was floored because he remembered me and my choices. After that moment, I knew I was going to be a regular at this place. After all, you do not find such places very often where people remember you very often.  Place is clean and kitchen is open and is visible to everyone. This exudes confidence in the diner as he can see that everything is cooked in a place which is spic and span. It also shows that owners have full faith in their facility.
 I am sold to this place because of their thoughtfulness and openness.

 Some of the points which I feel relevant to many businesses are: Greet warmly - An eye contact. A hearty smile. A friendly hello. A sincere greeting. All these things help in initiating a relationship which can be cherished for long time to come. Opening lines matter - Do not open your conversation with a lame sentence like "mineral water or tap water?" More the interesting opening lines are, more the customer will be inclined to stay with you. After all you do want him to come again and again because of you.  Interrupting a conversation is a sin - Yes, you have some wonderful ideas and bombarding your customer with those ideas is the only logical thing occurring to you. But hold on. Let your customer speak first. Do not interrupt him. If customer is accompanied by a friend or spouse and they are discussing something, do not interrupt them as well. Be patient, you will have enough time to throw your ideas at them. Take feedback and fix things which are not right - After customers are done with their shopping, dinner or window/floor shopping, do take their feedback. And taking feedback will be the first step only and it would be an incomplete step if you do what needs to be corrected. Be consistent throughout your conversation - Charming at the beginning of conversation. Listless in the middle. Tired at the end of the conversation. Not done. Hardly an impact which you want to leave on customer.
This is only part one and I can't wait to read the second part as well. Will share with you all as soon it is updated.

 With plunging footfalls and receding sales, retailers are re-thinking about their loyalty programs. Some retailers are promoting their loyalty cards aggressively. In West, many retailers are re-launching their loyalty cards with improved benefits (read - more points per transaction). While others are debating whether investment on loyalty cards in worth it or not. Discounters are promoting their heavy discounts unabashdely.  These discounters do not believe in investing in loyalty cards as customers do not find much value in it and results do not justify investments. Economic Times carried an interesting article on this trend.

Courtney stresses it is important for retailers to have a clear, simple problem resolution process. "The biggest issue is problem ownership," she says. "If all you can do is train everybody on one thing related to problem-solving it would be getting people to own the problem and not pass it off." Hoch says that while problem resolution was not as great a factor as some of the other five elements, one common thread emerged from the research: "A person stepped up to the plate and figured out how to solve the problem." Having that experience changed the consumer's state of mind from helplessness to, "'Boy, somebody came up and helped me.' We all like a hero, but it doesn't happen very often," Hoch notes.

Every retailer can have best quality products and can create great ambiance, but it is the small gestures that make a difference.

Yet Apple still managed to blow away iPhone expectations this last quarter.  Even in the midst of a recession.  And value-oriented attack ads from Microsoft.

I know, I know, Apple is the stereotypical poster brand.  It's almost cliché to talk about them as a marketing case study. And, yes, their computer sales are down.  But I still find the iPhone example pretty inspiring.  The average high street has shuttered shops and desperate Sale signs, yet the Apple store always feels crowded.

Why? Because Apple creates meaningful products.  They pass the "recession litmus test".  And because they excel at "share of wallet".

Some small budget movies are making lot of money in US.

But what's really driving this year's box-office surge? Three movies: Sony's "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," Fox's "Taken" and Universal's "Fast and Furious" have grossed more than $350 million combined, surprising analysts and outperforming even movie-mogul expectations.

Reason: they market it differently.

A closer examination of their success suggests Tinseltown's studios and stars aren't merely reaping the benefits of a nasty recession; they're also creating those benefits by making substantial changes in marketing and distribution -- tweaks that retailers and consumer brands should note too.

According to reports, these movies did four things right - Hit the bricks, Hire hungry talent with something to prove, Break taboos and Sizzle sells in any season.

The above four principle are also required to deliver some exceptional customer service.

Working at ground level :- Spend time with people who are face of your company. Nothing beats listening to customers. Spend time where your customers are. JetBlue CEO always spend time interacting with his passengers in the flights. He takes feedback about services. He is connected to ground and it is no surprise that JetBlue flying experience is always a pleasure.

Hire hungry people :- This is the most important point. Employees who are face of the company should be hired and trained with great care. They are the company for customers and customers will build image of company through them. Hire people who have passion and hunger for customer service.

Break taboos :- For years retailers have put up return policies which did not offer any benefit to customer. Policies were pro companies and did not offer any chance to customer for any negotiation. Then came Zappos and their 365 days return policies. They challenged the status quo and they have now 75% customers as return customers.

Sizzle always sell :- Adding your signatures while delivering customer service always delight customers. PizzaHut always sizzles if you happen to host your birthday part in their restaurant. You celebrate your birthday in PizzaHut and their staff sing a song for you. Employees go out of their way to ensure that you have fun.

Simple rules but great results.

Don't be surprised if you see Col. Sanders out filling potholes. In an unusual
cause-marketing push, KFC is tackling the pothole problem in Louisville, Ky. in
exchange for stamping the fresh pavement with "Re-freshed by KFC," a chalky
stencil likely to fade away in the next downpour.

But, as we all know, relationships are NOT a commodity. And never will be. I know a lot of people that would help me out if I begged them to and just a handful that would come to my rescue before I even opened my mouth. They are the ones that have got my back. It’s the STRENGTH of the relationships that I have, not the NUMBER.

• Tracking amount of business customer is doing with the organization
• Designing specific promotions based on customer's purchase history. Tesco never send same membership statement to three customers
• Giving discounts on products and service that matters to customer
  
• Remembering them on their birthdays and anniversary
• Sending handwritten thank you note (once in a while will not hurt).

I have been looking for a specific product in Spencer's Hyper, Gurgaon for last two-three weeks and was not able get it there. Every time I requested sales associate to get the product and he assured me that you will get it next time.

Today I went to Spencer's Hyper for my weekly shopping. Sales associate recognized me from a distance and came running to me with my product. I was impressed with his committment and intent to help customers. His timing and delivery of customer service gave me delightful and memorable customer experience.

I have always been fan (not a loyal customer but fan) of Spencer's Hyper and with today's incident this bond just got stronger.

Google baba sab janta hai (Google remeber everything)!

This is my favorite dialogue and also shows how much I trust Google searches. But I am sure, I am not the only one.

Lot of corporates use Google to check their prospective employees and customers are checking reviews of services and products offered by companies before making purchase.

Seth Godin has written a short post on how Google is can be used for personal branding.

Make sure you people speak positive things about your brand (personal and corporate) in social media because everyone is using this tool to know more about you.

“I would label the consumer of 2025 in three ways: more demanding, wiser and more worried.”

Mike Clasper (the former President of Procter and Gamble)

Going by above prediction, organizations which will understand the customer, have knowledgeable sales person and heart, will attract more loyal customers.

Adage came up with their analysis on some retailers who are doing well in these tough times.

"With the economy in a tailspin, the retailers that are flourishing -- and floundering -- may surprise you. ...look at varied categories for common threads and found a few that point to higher sales: Keep spending, target your marketing and look for ways to offer value."

Couple of retailers are targeting its customers through "personalized conversations." They are investing their marketing dollars in building relationships with customers.

Most of the retailers do have loyalty cards but they are often clueless on how to use them. Loyalty programs do not go beyond offering extra points, additional discounts and special promotions.

They are hardly used for:

• relationship building
• to learn what your customers really value
• experience that customers are looking for

Retailers are learning from Apple on how to build great relationship and loyalty with customers.