DailyPost 2584
BUSINESS OF CONVENIENCE
Businesses are created to cater to the customer, provide him with product and services and in the process add to the convenience of life and business and in lieu of that they are paid a price. The price has a component of profit and that is the cardinal reason for businesses to exist. Notwithstanding the fact that businesses are wide ranging and cannot be painted by one brush yet the core principle remains as true as ever, whether the customer convenience is being taken care of, going out of the way.
A customer by his very nature is in the process of finding a solution to his problem or requirement and would like it to be solved as smooth as possible, with least amount of effort with the best pricing. Might be that is reason today we talk about customer experience and companies who are able to provide with sort of an experience are able to do better. While with the passage to time, improvement in business and management processes, regulatory controls and technology facilitation, the customer is better lot, if we talk of across-the-board business conveniences. On the other hand, whether the individual companies have done enough, or how have different sectors deliberately took a back seat needs to unraveled.
The running trend is Business of Convenience, which means, that the companies create * operational business as per their convenience* and that of the customer, which on face of it, claiming best for the customer. The behaviour of the sales team’s proactive approach to the service team’s reticent behaviour has been experienced by one all. From small products to big project this has been a major challenge. This is the first red flag. The general nature of business today is to do the sale and not bother about service. If you do bother under whatever pressure, the whole exercise will happen on the company’s terms.
Quite often we have heard of company rules being quoted, as if those rules are above the interests of the customers and that should supreme, even if it means immense inconvenience and financial loss to the customer. How many times have you been satisfied with the support provided by call centers on any complex issue? You are forced to keep hanging in a queue, totally helpless. Number of times you are asked to do things, and that too quite a few of them, which the company personnel should have performed in routine. Banks have become the worst. Anything beyond strict core banking information, it would be wild goose chase. They themselves are unaware. IT may be even worse; you will realize what has hit only when you have already landed in a complex software installation process or an integrated IT project execution. From human resources, to customization of the software to integration to even licensing have all become customers headache today.
BUSINESS OF CONVENIENCE IN THE ANTITHESIS OF BEING CUSTOMER CENTRIC.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.