Impulse purchase ?

Visited a mall on Christmas week-end . Went to a dept store to make a purchase. The item was located in 3 mins. Billing took nearly 15 mins . Cash counters were not adequately staffed + the usual 'system is slow today' problem .

Retailers put in lot of effort to stock 'impulse purchase' products. The prospect of waiting 15 mins at the cash counter is enough to deter the most impulsive purchaser.

The obscure we eventually see. The completely obvious takes a little longer !:)

Moral right

The NewsHour on Times Now today had a debate on the 2G scam with the usual list of panelists - one from Congress, one from BJP , 3-4 journalists . The Congress guy lamely defended the Prime Minister by saying ' BJP has no moral ground to talk on this issue considering the scam in Karnataka'. The TV show anchor miraculously picked up this brilliant idea and started a volley of questions to the BJP person.

By this yardstick there is no hope for India. Most of the political parties and politicians in India differ only in their degree of corruption. So , they can't ask anything of the government or of each other. Maybe they should sign a peace accord to amicably continue looting the country.

Why walk when you can fly ?

Soar beyond your fears

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons from
Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever
seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.

Months passed and one day the head falconer informed the king that
thoughone of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky,
the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the
falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task to the
member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace
windowthat the bird had still not moved from its perch. Having tried
everything else, the king thought to himself, "May be I need someone
more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this
problem." So he cried out to his court, "Go and get a farmer."

In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above
the palace gardens.He said to his court, "Bring me the doer of this
miracle"

The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king.
The king asked him, "How did you make the falcon fly?"

With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, " It was very easy, your
highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting."

We are all made to fly -- to realize our incredible potential as human beings.
But instead of doing that, we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that
are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but for most of us, they
remain undiscovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable, the
mundane.

So for the most part, our lives are mediocre instead of exciting, thrilling and
fulfilling.

So let us learn to destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to
the glory of flight.

From the Book "Why walk when you can fly"

CID

A popular detective serial CID is on TV. It's often entertaining in an amusing sort of way. What's striking is the luxury of linear assignments they enjoy :) They (the entire team ) work on one case only at any time. No calls ever from anyone asking about any other case.

Real life rarely ever offers such luxury. One has to switch from creation to trouble shooting to a whole range of opportunities and imperatives. The ability to do that ease fully is an increasingly essential skill in today's world.

Why customer service matters

While on the subject of service some thoughts from an undoubted champion of customer service.

Awesome service

Japan is undoubtedly the land of awesome service. It’s not unusual for a taxi driver to stop the meter if he feels he’s taking a longer route than necessary.

On asking a Muji store associate for the nearest train station location – she pulled out a map book of Tokyo , photocopied the relevant page and then came out 2 floors to the street level to explain the directions.

On a cold and rainy in Tokyo stopped at a cafe en route to collect a sandwich takeout. The restaurant manager invited us to wait inside where it was deliciously warm and comfortable. Served hot tea while we were waiting, added an extra topping to the orders placed. Brought warmth , comfort and joy. Raised the bar for service.

What happens when friendly awesome service is delivered ? The person doing so feels good and empowered. The customer is delighted. Possibly becomes an evangelist/regular customer of that company / store. If the customer is a visiting foreigner it enhances their experience of the country. At a basic human level we seek and appreciate a sense of connectedness. Some things go beyond the realm of business.

Muji is one of the largest retailers in Japan. The cafe is a much smaller business.

Awesome service is possible at any scale of business.

We or they ?

Visited a dept store today. The service at the counter was good (which was by the brand's team i.e not the store staff). There were 3 cash counters. Only 1 was manned. Resulting in avoidable waiting time for customers. Asked the cashier why don't they operate at least one more counter to service customers. The reply "There is a shortage of staff. They are not hiring enough people". One would have expected to hear "Sorry , we have a shortage of staff".

When a person refers to their company as "they" :

1. Maybe the company has not been able to create an environment where the person feels valued

2. If "they" are the problem then it is less likely that the person will take initiative/responsibility to address the customer's problem.

The "we/ they" problem could be specific to a location or a company wide problem. At whatever scale it exists it is detrimental to all involved - the customer , the employee and the company.

Listen to your team. What pronouns do you hear ?