Evil of Outsourcing

Customer Experience, WOW Factor, Customer orientation ... all these are jargons used by many so-called-the-business-legends. Many Business corporations fall into the virtual word webs these consultants during the initial interaction and start following just like a nerd. To be honest, I've never seen any consultant who can aptly define or say what is a customer orientation.



Is it just about giving the right product at right time to the customer? Well I feel it is much more than that. Companies often think that once the product is sold,they have won the customer. They implement all kind of CRM products to track what he wants and when he wants. Mind there is NO such CRM software in this world that is customer centric. All the CRM softwares you name it SAP or Seibel or Clarify just mine the data of existing customer, form a pattern out of it. They DON'T interact with actual consumers to gain data. Its all the company centric or focused information. You feed in data which is comfortable or relevant to your company / product.



A couple of weeks back, I went to a famous discount store in the city. After all my purchase, during billing an executive of the store came to me and asked, "Sir, we found that you are purchasing products worth more than Rs.XYZ and we are willing to give you a ABCD Card of our store. You can avail many discounts and prizes for the rewards point accumulated in the card for every purchase. Its a lifetime free card" . Though, I normally don't entertain these kind of impulse selling, keeping in mind that I may shop at this store in FUTURE, I accepted his offer. We signed a couple of documents and stamped all the relevant photocopy for proofs. He said, "Sir within a week, you will get the card at your residence".



Three days later, I got a call from PQR Bank asking for verification. I wasn't aware that this store is associated to this bank for credit card. So I promptly denied of applied for any credit card with PQR Bank. A day later, I got another call from the same bank, asking for verification, still I couldn't remember that I've applied for any card with the bank and I denied it. There after I didn't get any calls from them.



Yesterday, when I went back to the same store I met the executive. He asked " Why did you do like this sir?". I said," What I have done?" . He said, " Our people from PQR bank have been trying for verification, but you denied for applying any card. You have signed all the papers for the same last time." . I just then understood the link. I told him, " Boss, I honestly doesn't know that its for the card I have applied with you. They haven't told me that its for ABCD Card. They were selling for PQR Bank Card. Ask them to do verification another time, I would take it up".



What's wrong or what went wrong with the situation. They were trying to sell me a product with brand name ABCD which was then associated with another brand PQR. When they have outsourced everything, the backend team knows only about PQR and not about ABCD. The customer knows only about ABCD and nothing about PQR. They lost a sale here.



The evil of outsourcing is to maintain consistency in passing the information. Communicate & Collaborate are the TWO big thing that should be taken care when the business is outsourced. Due to mis interpretation and mis communication, both ABCD Store & PQR Bank have lost a sale. The executive lost his commision. The verifiying Agency lost a transaction. The verifiying agent lost his incentive.



Is this company a customer oriented company??

Nano - in my view

JANUARY 9 2008 - Another incredible day in the Indian Business world when TATA GROUP unveiled its "People's Car" - TATA NANO on the Auto Expo held here at country capital Delhi. Not only to the surprise of other Indian Industry vetrans, but even the World's big Car Manufacturers' taken aback by the success and determination of TATA. No doubt that Nano has sidelined all the doubts raised by the industry expert on Pollution, Cost and comfort.

What made Ratan Tata to make this "People's Car"?

Basically, just as an Indian, you know, I would be as concerned of my-self as one of the rickshaw pullers in Calcutta running with a rickshaw behind with two people sitting back. It bothered me. My mind will start thinking: Can we put a bicycle there? The same thing bothers me when I visit a plant also. The workers are bending over when the work piece should be raised or maybe they should sit in a pit or what-ever. Because I think human fatigue is something that affects safety.

So in this particular case, you could not help but notice that there were three or four family members on a scooter, the kid standing in the front, the guy driving the scooter and the wife sitting side saddle holding a little kid. And when you're driving a car, you certainly say, Oh my god, be careful, they may slip. Add to that slippery roads and night time too. Any of these reasons can be dangerous for transport. That does not mean that the scooter should not exist because scooters are an evolution of bicycles and it is all the path of prosperity. - ET.

So essentially Tata is projecting this car for a family of four and still commuting in Bike or Scooter. Keeping this mind they had built the car for 632 CC Engine which is efficient enough to drive four adults. As they have not compromised with height, they had still reduced the length of the car to park it easily and again to mention the width has been increased by 6 cm. So no compromise in the comfort.This car is not for long journey, because it was not made with that objective, though Tata Motors claims so.

Nano has many best feature. But on my view, I would not claim it as People's Car. Reasons???

1. Though it says it comes for 1 Lakh, that is just the capital cost for the middle class. What about the recurring, variable cost like maintanence and petrol bills? Earlier the 2 Wheelers have to shell petrol bills monthly twice, with Nano they have to do that four times in a month. My average 2W gives 45 kmpl, while Nano can give only 15 kmpl. My variables are more than what I'm paying now. Do you think with growing fuel price, will the middle class able to sustain a car? I don’t think so.



2. Lookwise Nano is like "Soorpanagai" without nose. It doesn't give a damn to look & design of the car. Cars traditionally seen as Luxury item and a social status.



3. We have seen several business which projects as low price, low cost product manufacturer, but later some point of time, they also join the high price band soon. Air Deccan, Reliance India Mobile etc., It is just like Reliance ka Mobile released for 501 bucks and finally joined the rest of the Telecom band with regular price. Nano will also join 1.5 L or 2L before 2010 due to the impossibility of capping cost structure to 1L.



4. Though they had taken lot of pain to built the car small, still I couldn't easily find right infrastructure in the city to park it. Take chennai into consideration, where we have space to park. If I want to use this car in bangalore, I should take it out before 6 am and come back home after 11 pm. The city traffic is not mature enough to hold this kind of car. So to where does this car fit. - Rural India. they don't use car often and they make better sense in using it. It means ultimately its not going to be used by people whom it has been intimated.

Ratanji, we appreciate your product, but unless you are clear about what it has to do and to whom this is not going to help out. But my heartfelt congragulations to Ratan & his team for once again proving our capability to the World.

Which side of the Brain are you using?

Almost in every blog this pretty gal appeared. It won't look good if I neglect this little gal in my post :) Experts says she test the way you think. If you are Right Brain oriented she revolves clockwise, else vice-versa.

Now, I always see her rotating clockwise no matter how hard I try to focus on her legs and make her go the other way.

The Right Brain vs Left Brain test ... do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of
the brain and vice versa.

Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

• uses logic


• detail oriented


• facts rule


• words and language


• present and past


• math and science


• can comprehend


• knowing


• acknowledges


• order/pattern perception


• knows object name


• reality based


• forms strategies


• practical


• safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

• uses feeling


• "big picture" oriented


• imagination rules


• symbols and images


• present and future


• philosophy & religion


• can "get it" (i.e. meaning)


• believes


• appreciates


• spatial perception


• knows object function


• fantasy based


• presents possibilities


• impetuous


• risk taking

So which side of the Brain are you using today??

environment. . .

Click on the image for better clarity. Got this today in my mail box from my friend. Thought of sharing :)

Puppy Love

Last two weeks were hell for me, when my company announced that it blocks BLOGGER website as its becoming more of a social chat kind of things. I strongly believe these people might have seen the comments section of PK or RAZ whose blog looks more like a online chat module than a blog.

Don't know whether I'm doing justice to myself, becuase I feel the contribution to blogs getting low day by day. External & Internal (don't read it as LAZY) forces pull me two steps down, if I climb one step :(

Have made a request to my IT team , not to block the blogspot.com website atleast as my noons are awake only because of them. Let see whether we get some response :)

Another good movie last friday night in STAR Movies, "Little MANHATTAN". Narrates a life of small boy who falls in love with a gal a year or two more than him. How he tries to attract her, how things goes wrong and how he retains / regains the love again. Watching all these bullshit love subjects of adults, this young puppy love story fascinated me a lot. If you have time just get a DVD or watch your TV column in newpaper to find out retelecast of the movie.

Gals....
More Gals... & more Gals.....

Ofcourse I'm not going to talk anything about them, but my room mate have a wild feeling that no gal is looking at him or his 'lady' LUCK is not wearing her contact lens properly. Sometime it happens that I too feel the same for him. Though he had a characteristics of Gajini Mohammed and tried atleast 10 to 12 gals still now from his engineering, unfortunately he couldn't convert even one He feels he is useless... What do I say?? People have strange things to worry about.

Negotiation Skill

Whenever we talk of salary increases and pay negotiations, nine out of ten people suffer palpitations. Remember, being shy, scared, whiny and my job speaks for itself never works. Raise your hand to be heard or learn the tactics to get your word in. Negotiation is an acquired skill.

I thought I wanted a career, turns I just wanted a paycheck
This is what most negotiations turn into, if we are not prepared beforehand and are not clear minded about our reasons for seeking the new job change.

Let the employers initiate the salary negotiations
Joy, a marketing executive was doing well in a small company. His salary was tied to the commissions he got on the business he brought in. He was out in the field and learnt a lot. The problems was there was no clear hierarchy in the job. His boss was doing the same, he saw no avenues for growth. Hence, he applied in an upcoming aviation company for the post of assistant marketing manager. When it came to salary negotiations he let it slip that his previous company paid him a commission on business brought in.

The employers outright rejected the idea and quoted a salary which was marginally higher than what he was getting, Joy accepted without buying any time to think through the offer.

Never accept outright
According to human resource managers there is a general band of salary that the prospective employers have in mind and they quote the lower end of that band.

You do not want to show your eagerness to settle for whatever salary being offered, they expect you to ask for more. Do so, but do not outprice yourself. According to a former human resource executive and a consultant, Neeta Navin, the employers always keep a 10 percent margin for negotiations.

And in case you do not get the salary you expect but the company is excellent with good prospects go for it, she advices. Most companies bring you at par within three months if you perform well.

Skill set and experience
Back your demands with your job achievements and skill sets. You cannot just ask for more because you are moving jobs, it is because you think you are suitable and deserve the hike.

Joy erred on the side of caution, the company was new, he had an excellent track record and brought tremendous goodwill and skill sets. He never calculated his worth right

Compensation package
Negotiations are not just about a salary hike. One can negotiate a good compensation package including healthcare benefits, stock options, profit sharing, quarterly salary review instead of yearly, a signing bonus, education allowances, relocating allowance, a company car, travel costs, the list is endless.

sutta idam : PayCheck

Do You Know ?

Do You Know that

Letters 'a', 'b', 'c' & 'd' do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 99
(Letter 'd' comes for the first time in Hundred)

Letters 'a', 'b' & 'c' do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 999
(Letter 'a' comes for the first time in Thousand)

Letters 'b' & 'c' do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 999,999,999
(Letter 'b' comes for the first time in Billion)

And

Letter 'c' does not appear anywhere in the spellings of entire English Counting

P.S.: above post was a Forwarded Mail from my friend :)