Customer Delight!!

These days in service industries, Cutomer delight is a phenomena missing totally!!!

A small time business man in Bangalore, running a small but clean beauty parlour, is an excellent example of how to make your customer delighted by the service.

Look at this:

With these L’oreals and Shehnaz Hussains coming up, what can a chotu Beauty parlour guy do to make sure he keeps getting clients?? Its difficult pulling clients from the biggies, and yet not impossible!! This guy shows how!

Most beauty parlour businesses have a peak period and even peak hours during the day. For the rest of the day, the BP workers have no work! This guy found a way to keep his force busy and also make sure that his customers are delighted! My colleague and her friend went to this place when there was no other customer to be serviced. They got a clean-up done, which would cost around 650/- each.

Now, this guy told these ladies that we have a hair-spa and a feet massage worth Rs 2300/- absolutely free for both of you! They couldnt believe it initially… And then it started… the entire crew got busy giving them massages and hair-do for free… And it left them ecstatic! One thing is for sure, these women wont probably visit any other parlour in the future!!

And what did it cost this guy? Maybe a few spoons of a cream! And the efforts of a workforce which was anyways sitting idle!

Man, I can write a business case on this one!!

Taking decisions…

sometimes can be so damn tough!

You would rather not have options at all

[PS: Update: I spent a night analysing pros and cons and have decided finally ]

Height of plagiarism

Internet has made things far more easy for us - and also for stealers!! Now, all they need to do it google for things they want and without acknowledging the source, just blatantly steal it!!! Newspaper stealing a blogger’s photograph is the latest addition to this!

Very sad, I tell you! Whatever happened to the basic codes of ethics!

A trip to Hogenakkal

Hogenakkal is a very beautiful place around 130 kms from Bangalore.

Its a good one day trip and takes about 3-4 hours if you plan to hire a cab. You can leave Bangalore around Noon. By the time you reach, it wont be too hot and the weather would be quite pleasant.

Note those cute little boats…

It has cute little beaches…

Salesmen on boats… Reminded me of Shikaras in Dal-lake of Srinagar

A beautiful place! Check it out during monsoons…

And they won…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome nai?

Take a virtual tour of Great Lakes…

http://greatlakes.edu.in/manamaiAnimation.php

A note from a grieved passenger of Air India

Air India will remain Air India…

These morons should close down operations atleast that way India won’t be a topic of ridicule to outsiders!

I took a flight to NY from Banglore via Delhi. The journey was nothing short of “spectacular”… It started with the trip to the New Banglore Airport….we took an auto but 10 kms to the airport we were asked to take a bus as autos aren’t allowed after a point…then at the airport, visitors aren’t allowed inside (maybe they will bomb the airport)… the checking counter was same for international and domestic passengers and it took only 7-8 mins to process each passenger which ensured that there was a huge queue…

The flight was on time or so we thought… once in the plane the pilot somehow refused to start the plane… 20mins later he spoke up - “Due to some operational problems, we can’t take off now, we apologise for the delay and inconvenience caused, we will be reporting this problem to the highest authorities so that it doesn’t get repeated…” Whatever!!!! The plane finally took off after a delay of an hour and 10 mins… then the plane circled at the delhi airport for another 45 mins for an overall delay of around 2 hrs.

And then the real fun started ….First the horrible Delhi airport experience where it takes an hour and half for immigration check itself… and if that isn’t enough you are greeted to what promises to be the most unique and one of its kind services in the world. You have to screen your hand baggage not only after the immigration but also just before entering the plane… the gatekeeper who probably for the first time in his life moved anywhere above the ground floor, wanted to celebrate this huge occassion and what better way than try and show your non-existent power on individuals who would most probably give in cause he isn’t even worth that much pain… so he very authoritatively asks for my passport as if, if he doesn’t approve of it then I can’t pass, then he asks for my purpose of visit… when noticing that the visa was issued in HK he asks me why was it issued in HK and do I have an HK id or something to which I ask how does it matter if I have an id or not… If I don’t have one what will happen, I am anyways not suppposed to have one, I am an indian citizen going to the US and that is all that should matter to you…. to which his reply is “Do you have one or not… don’t get into arguments, if you want to then stand aside” Hah! Talk about a street dog showing off his barking skills!

Anyways I let go and proceed towards my seat in the plane. No it aint over yet…. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, you hear someone talking in a diplomatic voice– maam can you please sit here, the window seat is for the gentleman here… apparently they issued two tickets on the same seat… and guess what the flight isn’t even half full.
So the lady who happens to be a grieved foreigner says this ticket says this seat is mine and this is where i will sit… End of discussion!

After all this I just hope I get the one and only thing I was looking for when I chose Air India over the other carriers and that was the option of having three seats to myself wherein I can sleep as if in a bed… but going by what I have endured so far I won’t bet on that as well!

My prized possessions :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!

I now have an earring stand I have wanted for a longggggggggg time

And my first ever mp3 player, the iPod Touch

So so true…

A beautiful quote shamelessly lifted from here.

if he can’t handle me at my worst
then he doesn’t deserve me at my best

So so profound

Another one of those Memes…

I really couldnt think of a topic to write on and then I saw it on Ish’s blog, Sulz’ blog and then Poonam’s blog… and I was like what the heck… lets do this one…

i am: A fairy trapped in the body of a human… Wat!?? U dint know?? Oh! Come on!
i think: I am truly blessed… in more ways than one!
i know: that the next 4 days are going to be the most amazing
i want: to go on a longgggggggggggggg vacation
i have: all the raw materials to my life fruitful and worth living. Lets hope I manage to do that in the end
i wish: I could stay with my parents forever!
i hate: inhuman humans
i miss: my childhood… craving to go to the school daily… and then crying if I had to miss even a single day!
i fear: God
i feel: Ecstatic at the moment…
i hear: my alarm ringing every morning, trying to wake me up… all in vain!
i smell: at the moment, clean but not fresh A/C air
i crave: for a happy, stress-free life
i search: for moments of happiness
i wonder: why God created water blue and the grass green!
i regret: lots of things… though I wish I dint have to…
i love: all things beautiful
i ache: for a longgggggggggg fun-filled vacation in a deserted island, with someone special…
i care: for everything that concerns people I love
i always: forget something or the other… :? 
i am not: an atheist
i believe: with him by my side, I can conquer the world!
i dance: a lot… Oh yeah! Thats one thing I cant get enough of
i sing: when I am in a romantic mood
i cry: a lot… yeah that too
i don’t always: keep talking… I like listening too sometimes
i fight: with my sister more than anyone in the world… and I absolutely love that
i write: mostly in my blogs…
i win: all the time… yeah, I do
i lose: to win… Baazigar, Am I not?
i never: wake up on time
i confuse: people I want to confuse
i listen: mostly to oldies… I have a firm belief that I was born a few years too late
i can usually be found: stuck to my lappie or snuggling in my blanket with a book in my hand
i am scared: of the inevitable - something that has to happen, will… and that scares me the most! Being not in control of a lot of things around me…
i need: to get back in touch with some people…
i am happy about: the fact that life has been good to me so far!

I tag Maryam, Reema, Lallopallo, Anamika, Kanan, Anshul, KK, Amit, Nikesh, Jana, Alessandra, Minal, Prerna, Doc, Bikram, Laks

Anyone else willing to do this meme is most welcome

Back after a short stint…

You guys already know I was traveling… I was traveling from Kolkata. Have been there before… And this time around as well, I retain the early impressions of the city.

For me, Kolkata stands for

Loads and loads of tiny lanes
Phuchka and amazing road-side chaat
Shiny yellow-colored taxis
Victoria memorial and Taange waale
Beautiful sarees
Ancient buildings which still talk of colonial times
Sweaty, Sultry summer heat
Masala Thumbs-Up
Really messy and dirty roads
A lazy, relaxed and laid-back city
A city which reminds you of India of the bygone era

Overall a really really dirty city, which defies its status of a metropolitan! All this apart, the hard-core Kolkatans claim, this is what makes Kolkata what it is! You take away any of that, and you would puncture the soul of the city!

[PS This was the reason why I wasnt regular on my blog. Got back just today and promise to answer all the comments soon. ]

Welcome to the new airport of Bengaluru - Devanahalli

I had the (mis)fortune of traveling on the very same day as the opening day of the new Devanahalli Bangalore International Airport. It is only 60 kms from my house!!!

Here is a snippet of the new Bangalore Airport to the Bangaloreans…

This was inside the bus that took us from the plane to the arrival section of the airport. Kindly Note the fan like structure. This was just above the driver’s seat!

This is the view from the place we got down from the bus. The arrival section…

For some God forsaken reason, the ladies washrooms have shrunk… Do they expect lesser women to use the loo when every damn thing in the airport has blown to at least twice the size??

The new fresh trolley looks like this. Though there is a defect in its wheels and it has now become a pain to maneuver it… :O

Why is the new airport a pain?

• It is 55-60 kms from the main city areas. It will easily take you 2-2.5 hours to travel one way, on a good day.
• There are only two modes of public transport available at the airport:
  • Taxis - Pre-paid taxis are available in plenty. And they are out there to loot you. One guy asked me to shell out 1200/- for a ride to koramangala
  • Volvo Buses - Volvo buses are a cheaper option. They charge only 150/-. The only hitch is that the frequency is very less - one per hour!
• The time to wait for baggages to arrive has nearly doubled, as the distance between the baggage claim area and the plane has more than doubled and the technique continues to remain the same
• Usage tax - The airport is going to charge usage tax for every passenger flying off from the airport. Rs 1200/- is already being levied on the international passengers.

Airtel Service - BAD, BAD, BAD, Really BAD!

My Airtel Broadband bill need to be paid. As usual, the bill got lost in mail and I had to call up the customer care to ask them for the bill amount to be paid. After a series of verifications, he finally told me the amount XYZ. I went to the Koramangala Airtel center (which is quite huge and houses around 7 employees to take “care” of the customers)

I stood in the line for 45 mins after which he told me an amount double that of the actual amount told to me by the guy on the phone. I asked him to show me the bill. He said, “Mam, I can only tell u the amount. I can not show you the bill. For that you have to go to the enquiry counter (which againt had around 20 people already in the line). They will tell you bill details.”

This would mean I stand in another line for 45 mins to know the details and then back in the first line for another 45 mins to pay the bill!!!!!!

So much for the service!!!

Here is another one:

I lost my cell phone today morning I called up Airtel guys to block my sim. They refused. Yeah! ThEY REFUSED!!! There is no reason for this insanity. All they could tell me is that you need to go to the airtel outlet to fill a form and then it will be blocked. Yeah! Right! Like the guy who stole my phone is gonna wait all that long. For all I know, I would have lost all the money!! Does that make sense at all? Airtel’s service is anyways bad. Now their call center people have also started misbehaving! The girl i was talking to today said in a rude and impudent voice

Its your problem madam that you lost your phone. You should now pay for it.

I was shocked at this response! And I wonder if Airtel should stop paying Vidya Balan, Madhavan and Shahrukh Khan crores of rupees and maybe invest some of that amount into developing better processes and training better customer service people!

This is what is going to sell their product, not fancy stars!!!

What you think is healthy may not be so…

Check it out here…

Found these items which form part of our daily diet and we think they are healthy, but is that completely true?

Here is the list of 10 items we think are healthy but are NOT!

Calories intake

Fruit Juices: Shocking!!! Aint it? Juices take up very little place in the stomach, leaving you hungry and unsatisfied. They also lack the one important ingredient that whole fruits contain: fibre.

Raisins: Raisins are simply too dense in carbohydrates to be considered a diet food.

Corn Flakes: Lacking a decent amount of fiber, corn flakes fail to fill you up or provide a steady flow of energy. Go for Wheat flakes instead!!!

Ghee: 1 tablespoon of ghee gives you 115 calories! Need i say anything more?

Brown Bread: Not all brown breads are made of whole wheat! Most of them just have color as an ingredient! :O

Pasta: Nearly fat free but has 50 gms of Carbohydrate for every 200 gms of Pasta. Have it with some fibres like broccoli to increase digestion.

Margarine: You may as well have butter! It is high in Saturated fat.

Caesar Salad: A whopping 135 Calories for every 25 gms

Milk: A mere cup (145 grams) of whole milk yields a whopping 150 calories, 8 grams of fat and 35 milligrams of cholesterol.

Wine: 1 gram of alcohol equals 7 calories, making it almost as calorie heavy as fats (1 gram of fat is 9 calories).

Watch what you eat! More importantly, know what you eat!

Small things…

…make such big differences!!!

A small peck on the cheeks
A small flickering of the eye
A small smile on a droopy day
A small hug when feeling down
A small pat on the back
A light comforting touch
A small change when you are totally out of cash
A small word of appreciation

Some Most of the times it is only these small things and the small gestures that are worth so much more!!!