Archive - April, 2007

How much for your smile?

April 27, 2007 in Customer Service with 0 Comments

Indigo Air RampI liked their prices. Their airplanes were comfortable. The service was prompt and good. But when I approached the Indigo airline counter at the Chennai and Delhi airport, I did not see any smile on the lady behind the counter. When I entered the aircraft, the airhostess standing at the door did not smile. When they offered me the complementary bottle of water, there was no smile. It was like they had a ‘no smile’ poilicy. Eeks!

Then I got into a discussion with my friend and he thinks the reason they did not smile at me was because I look intimidating. I have a look that scares people. Hmmm. But really, do my looks really matter? I am a customer. I deserve a smile. Don’t I?

So what if the customer has a stern face? Or if he/she does not even smile back? But they still deserve a smile. Customer service must always be proactive. Every organization must lay down clear rules for customer service. It is definitely not dependent on one’s mood. The airline’s policy must be “Smile at every customer. Whenever you come across them.” It does not cost money. It is not time consuming. It is definitely not difficult.

Interestingly, there was only one person from Indigo Airlines who smiled at me. The man who took my luggage and kept it on the scale in Delhi airport. Now I wonder, where he got that from?

Powerpoint Presentations: Where are those words?

April 21, 2007 in Learning, Marketing with 1 Comment

I bought Seth Godin’s idea on presentations the first time I read it. And I have strived to follow his rules every time I make one.

But problem arises when I have to make presentations for others. I follow the same rule and when I show it to them, the first thing they say is “Where are the words?” :) (No, I really find that funny!)

We have got so conditioned to seeing bulleted points in PPTs that anything without them seems so vacant. Of course, it is a lot of work, as compared to dumping all the words into the PPT. But it would surely be effective. People are really bored with presentations. They expect the drag. So when you are different, they sit up and listen. If that is your goal, you should seriously think of investing some time into your slides.

Borrowing from Seth Godin, these are the rules that I keep in mind when making presentations -

  • Never use more than 5 words in a slide
  • Do not use the template backgrounds. I generally use plain white and stock images.
  • Images speak louder than words. So if you can find an appropriate image for what you want to say, use it.
  • Never read from the slide. Ofcourse, if you have less than 5 words, then you don’t have a choice!
  • If you want the listener/audience to take back something, give them handouts. But please don’t give them the slides.

It really works. Try it!

Happy presenting!

Customer, who?

April 2, 2007 in Customer Service, Marketing with 0 Comments

Last Friday, I got a call – a sales call. It was one of those leading banking instituitions. The lady introduced herself and then started talking about something she would like to introduce – in Tamil. I am not very good at understanding everything in Tamil. So I asked (or rather requested) her to “please speak in english”. Bleep. She had actually cut the phone!

Last Sunday, I was having my lunch. I get a call. It was one of those leading bankin…………”please speak in English”. Bleep. Another sales call cut me off.

What am I supposed to think? How much would it cost to teach those girls to say, “Sure sir, I will connect you to another executive. Please hold.” or “I am sorry, I don’t speak English. But I will ask another executive call you.” What does it really take for an organisation to give good customer service or a good sales call? Some basic courtesy, please!

I visited a photo studio today to get some prints. I carried my snaps in a USB drive. The copy process (from my USB drive to his computer) was very slow. The guy behind the counter actually asked me, “Is this a very old model USB drive?” I bought my Sandisk Cruzer less than six months back!

Customers enjoy it when you treat them well – with respect. We don’t need to stand on our heads for them. Give them the basics first – isn’t that the least we would expect ourselves?