This is one of the best wins of my social media/ Internet career and I am feeling amazingly excited today. So here’s the story. The last blog I wrote on MakeMyTrip.com’s customers posting negative comments on their official fb page, got some interesting feedback.
And Here’s the Experiment
So, what I did was simple. I reached out to 3 people who had left negative comments on the MMT facebook fan page. When I say I reached out, I simply went to there fb profiles and sent them a message. A message which clearly said that I am not a MMT employee/ representative but someone who is amazingly passionate about customer service and obviously about creating a great organisational structure, which is driven by the customer WOWness.
After sending the message, I waited for them to reply and so the reply came, of 2 gentlemen, who had faced genuine problems in their respective cases while transacting with MMT.
And so came the reply
When I received the reply it was all about sharing by these gentlemen about how they faced problems and what solution would suffice them and what suggestions they have for MMT.
The reply was forwarded to relevant people at MMT and they Swung into ACTION
I forwarded the reply to the relevant people at MMT and wallah, they swung into action. Interestingly I was not even aware what was happening, till I got this ping on fb by this gentleman who said, Paritosh thanks, my issue has been sorted out and I have my refund from MMT. The issue was taken care of within hours of you reaching out to me.
I had and still have no Interest whatsoever in this story
Why did I do all this? Well, I have no personal interests. Neither am I being paid by anyone here, just that MMT is one company I have always respected, especially for the leadership it has in the form of Deep Kalra, someone I deeply respect. I personally could not see it going down like this and hence took the step of trying to get it right.
Social Media and Brand Reputation
People talk about social media and brand reputation (ORM), well, here’s a simple example of how a customer who was utterly negative about MMT, finally wrote a wonderful, thanking comment on the official MMT fb page
There’s no magic here, just pure passion for customer service and to see MMT from great to Greatness! I am happy that it all worked out well and that this experiment created an actual POC and a roadmap of what one needs to do. You don’t need to invest shit loads of money into your social media, you have to be passionate about your customer and the service.
Lets see if I do get a recommendation by MMT now he he..
This is for sure one of the most interesting posts I have ever done and why? Well, because it has everything which takes you from being Good to Great! From sweat to passion, challenges to emotions and much more. Lets start with the present and rewind…
What I did Yesterday on facebook, post a few phone calls:
A couple of days back, while conversing with couple of folks, about Indian entrepreneurs who have made it large and have created powerful Inspiration for many others, I cited Deep Kalra of Make My Trip. Personally I have said it multiple times and once again on record, Deep is one of the best folks Iv met and admire. Out of the many, Iv learnt the lesson of humility and humbleness from him.
Coming to the discussions we had, some folks pointed out, how they knew of relatives and friends, who have had bad experiences with Make My Trip. (For those who don’t know MMT) it created a history of sorts post its listing at NASDAQ on August 12th 2010. That day MMT created another milestone in the history of Indian entrepreneurship and gave wings and fire to zillions of dreams!
Now while the discussions were happening, I was very much only in the listening mode, as it was interesting for me to note reactions of these people who have been MMT customers at some point of time themselves.
My assessment: most of them were really referring to experiences they know other’s had and did not have personal stories to tell!
Moving On…
I searched the official https://www.facebook.com/mmtdeals. The page actually had some pretty sad experiences listed by customers of MMT. Most of them really referring to the ‘customer service’. To actually gather real feedback, I posted the following on my fb wall:
Right after I did this post, people started commenting and sharing. Though there were no real harsh comments (no more harsher than mine).
What happened in a few minutes?
In under 10 minutes of sharing this update, I got a tweet from @makemytripcare: I loved it. When I say I loved it, I mean it. Coz there was someone who followed my fb post through twitter and responded within minutes in a very neutral manner!
But what about the bad experiences on fb?
As always, I try my level best to really get the facts right and from the horses’ mouth. I reached out to the relevant representative(s) from MMT and apprised them of what’s happening on fb.
Interestingly, what came out was, that each of the issue as posted by the customers’ was actually being looked into and many of them actually being responded back. Just that the same was not followed up strongly on the social web.
Example: have a look at this:
Obviously there is more negative than the positive on the page, but there is actual action being taken, which is not being presented the right way, which is obviously creating a very negative context in the customer’s minds towards the brand MMT.
But There is an an issue for Sure!
Yes! There sure are issues and they happen with every organisation which is ever growing. Though obviously every growing organisation strives to achieve greatness, there always are challenges which convert into learning’s and those who learn, they grow to the next level.
My personal interaction with the top management of MMT ensured that there is actual response and action being taken to set things right.
An Email from MMT
I got this official communication from MMT, which said: “Thanks for sharing your candid and valid feedback. We’re passionate about Customer Service AND social media so disappointed to see where this is getting dropped. Will investigate and fix it”
And this is not from a customer care exec over the phone, that I can vouch for with my personal reputation. I don’t mean to demean any position here. Each one, from the lowest in the hierarchy to the top boss, makes for a strong organisation.
Its You and Me who Make the Story!
I want to raise a major question now and I ask of each one of you to introspect and you will know what’s wrong here. Its not the company which is bad. Who is the company? Nothing but you and me.
I personally know of so many people I would not like to work with in my lifetime, when I start-up again, because they are working only with one motivation, to make money to run their lives and have no passion for what feeds them and their children!
That’s the issue. There is only as much an organisation can do to motivate and inspire people, but if you have a problem with your attitude, well, then its a problem and you need to get out OR be made to part ways. Period. I strongly feel, that I am as much part of the issue here.
As a customer, if I am facing an issue with a service provider, let me own it up and make myself heard. And rightly so, people post on social media. But its also upon me to ensure that my message reaches to the right people, such that the issue I faced is NOT faced by others. The story won’t end only with my issue being resolved. A system which I am a part of (directly OR in-directly) will affect me, one day or the other, if I won’t help, make it better!
Someone has to own it up and why can’t we, the customers? The company will.
These are Challenging Times and You Can’t Leave a System, Coz its Not Working for You!
For all those who are a little in tune with the global dynamics int he online travel industry, there is much consolidation in the space and there is a lot happening in the domestic space with airlines directly reaching out to the customers. These are challenges which every online travel company is facing and is braving them!
Now, lets take it this way: if a system has started slowing down for me, OR somehow losing its efficiency, will I leave it and find another green ground somewhere OR can I still stand up and put up a stand and make a difference?
Well, personally I choose the second option. I won’t leave, till the system is absolutely worthless and is like dead for me.
Say it out Loud and I will help You Get Heard by the Right People
As a first step, let me open this out as a forum to anyone and everyone, who has had a bad experience with MMT over the past 1 month. Please be specific in your comments and I will take them to just the right folks and get the answers.
Let’s help the dream of one of the few Indian Internet Billion Dollar Companies, raise its game and create many more dreams!
Expectation Setting
Let me clarify straight ahead, that comments to this post will be moderated and anything which is a comment on a personal basis will NOT be entertained.
Creating Smiles!
Lets get the SMILES back and get the dream run, running faster!!
Okay, enough about which is that one site which is breaking all traffic records, is making everyone go gaga and crazy about the meteoric rise. I am not going to write all the stuff which has already been said. No point.
Lets look at some interesting trends
Interestingly, I have realized over the past few days/ weeks that I have been on Pinterest, how people in my network have started following me and my own trends of following people (how am I reacting to the information around) and sharing trends.
Here’s what I realized!
Almost every 10 minutes that I spent on Pinterest, I have shared (re-pinned) more pictures from my network than I have shared my originals. The similar is the trend which I have seen of my followers. I keep getting many repeated pictures from many in the network. One other trend I am seeing is, people are fiercely commenting on “objects”. Example: Cars, Flowers, Bags, Jewellery.
I see that people are not sharing thoughts here. Even if you follow the comments of a pin, you will find, people are expressing their views, like a customer to a product. More like a product review happening socially.
Interest based social networks: the future
Am I being futuristic in my thought by saying Interest based social networks are the future, absolutely not. Its anyone’s guess. But what is sure going to matter as we go ahead, is the way information is presented.
Content: which human sense are you touching!
In my view, what has always been said from the very beginning, that content is the key. I have a way to share this. Whenever I create content, I ensure that I ask myself and my client, the question, as to who are their customers and how are the customers going to be most touched about the proposition. Its really about which of the human senses are you touching with your content?
Is is the sense of sight, the sense of sound? In my view, the next level, is all about how do you create content, which is simple, yet moving. It might not be a WOW video, but something that actually delivers an ‘object’. The thought is to create content which in a single shot convey the message of what is it all about. Eg: a model wearing a dress, is effectively about either photography OR the dress. Simple.
The basics remain the same still!
The basics of internet still are the same. Bring the information to the customer in as less clicks as possible. Make sharing and gathering user’s views, like a simple handshake, this has already been enabled by great UI. The future clearly is greatly going to be driven by Static Images, Short videos and ‘mood oriented’ music.
Ol Rite, ladies and gentlemen, I have an interesting challenge for all you marketing guru’s out there. There is a new TV soap coming on BIG Magic called, Chulbulay Bulbule.
Okay, so what’s the big deal in a TV soap?
There aint a big deal here, but how do you market this ‘another in line’ comedy soap so well, that the audience get engaged and never again forget the name. How do you create a solid brand recall to the name, while keeping the marketing budget low? How do you innovate?
Lets get the marketing folks running their brains now!
So this is where it all begins. Marketing folks on the design table, understanding the TG from the client. Rattling their creative brains, they get together to design a powerful campaign. They advise the client on how to optimally choose marketing spends across print, digital, TV etc. Numbers will be shared and the campaigns will keep coming.
But there’s something still missing: Listen Hard!
Listening skills are great if you have them as a strong point. If you can strongly listen to someone and filter the information and structure it your way, it becomes far more easier and effective to create powerfully engaging propositions.
In the name of the soap above, it’s ChulBulay Bulbulay, the 2 words ‘heard’ mutually exclusively have an interesting product being spoken about which is also an engaging experience to make and anyone can make it actually: bulbulay! Yes, you ‘heard’ me right. Its bulbulay! BulBulay for the English folks are small water bubbles.
The most common of these can be seen each night at the India Gate Lawns.
User Behavior and Engagement
To make a bulbula, you have to pick up that soap filled water and blow a stream of air from your mouth on the plastic holder, which makes water bubbles light enough to float in the air, which you then love to burst!!
Open the IMPACT magazine and you will find something interesting this time!
The IMPACT magazine, printed by the exchange4media group in India, comes with one such plastic tube with soap water inside which upon opening simply gives you the instructions to make water bubbles. The plastic tube is obviously branded with the name of the program to be aired soon.
Interestingly wen you open the magazine, you notice this insert and you open the tube to make bubbles. This is simply such an amazingly engaging activity, which gives you instant results which you love seeing. In this too very complex world of advertising and marketing, a simple proposition which the customer engages with himself/ herself is fantastic.
High recall and stickiness with fantastic engagement in a highly usable manner!
The usability of the water bubble tube is so high that anyone can do it and hence the proposition reaches out from the magazine reader (professional) to his family (wife, kids). They as much engage or even more, with the proposition. Its a good learning from this exercise which effectively makes the marketing campaign absolutely simple and highly engaging. The simplicity and ease of understanding is another.
AdAsia was sure an interesting event, one which I missed. Interestingly I got to know that exchange4media got it all covered on Video. I found this valedictory keynote by Indira Nooyi, Chief, PepsiCo, worth a share. Hear Indira talk about Leadership and Governance and how it went missing and what’s the road ahead!
This one’s going to be interesting. Just a couple of days back, the Noida DND Flyway, which is one of the fastest ways to commute between Delhi and Noida, announced a toll hike of INR 2 for four wheelers, which in figures is INR 22 from INR 20 previously and INR 1 for two wheelers.
Now this is not the first ever toll hike in recent years, but what is interesting about this hike is the purpose with which it has been done. For people who are new to the entire thing, let me give a little introduction on the numbers:
According to a news report by the Times of India, in February 2011, almost 1 lakh vehicles use the DND Flyway daily. I am myself a daily user of the DND Flyway and I see a fairly large number of four wheelers using the DND Flyway on a daily basis.
I asked this question (why did DND Flyway increase the toll) to many people before this blog and almost everyone responded with an obvious answer, to increase their revenue. Now that’s obvious.
User Behavior and Revenue – penny saved is a penny earned
Lets look at the picture from a user behavior perspective! If you are using the toll plaza, you obviously are wanting to save on time and that’s why you are ready to invest money into crossing the toll, otherwise you are always free to use the kalindi kunj, Yamuna flyover, which is generally jammed during rush hours. Having INR 2 in your pocket each time you pass the toll plaza will sooner than later, become a frustrating activity. You cannot always keep looking for change and hence spend more time doing what you were initially doing to save time for.
Chances are, you will one day reach out and get yourself a silver/ gold card made, which will make your commute far simpler and easier. The cards will do couple of things:
Ensure that the Toll plaza confirm revenue at the first level of transaction itself
Reduce ground staff in terms of the actual toll management personnel and invest into better resources probably
Get correct data figures which help in strategic decision making
All of this, by simply playing with the user behavior. This is an interesting case which pretty much reflects, how powerful can real customer understanding can be. If you understand your customer amazingly well, you will always be able to visit and re-visit and engage your customer just the right way.
User behavior understanding and knowledge of the customer has led to making of brands like Apple and the amazing products that people take pride in owning today. Get the lesson straight, its about your customer and how well you know him/ her, so get this piece right and you will be on your way to a great business!
This blog post is not about marketing, its not even about New Media, which I write on, but this is about life. I have been lucky enough to see the evolution of a trend which is great, but has many in-built flaws.
If you really give it a minute of your time and think, then you will see a particular trend in everything in this world. The things we go through, what we do, its all a trend. Everything in this world has its own good and attached with it its own bad (or not so good) however you want to put it.
Lets talk about Independence
I am proud to be the citizen of one of world’s largest and strongest democracies, where people sacrificed their lives many years back to give us freedom. I can see dreams and do what I want to today because I have been bestowed with the freedom to do this. But over a period of time, I have strongly felt that whatever comes to us easily in life, we start taking its presence in our life by default. The appreciable value of the same thing goes down!
Women and Independence
Before I write this, I must confess there is a lot I have learnt from the leading ladies in my life, my Mother, Sister, Wife and Many of my female friends. There’s a certain way of life for them. Anyway, now let me share a picture and this is not a myopic view of things, so hold before you react.
My Mother (just like you’rs) went through much in life, she saw phases when she lived her life and raised us up with almost no means. Obviously my Sister and I were brought up well. My Sister belongs to the generation which has values from her Mother but is changing and evolving with the times. My Wife pretty much belongs to my Sister’s times.
What’s common though in all the three ladies?
Well, they have all been raised up and been ‘looking for’ a certain kind of a feeling called ‘Independence’. For my Mother, Independence lets say is about having enough means to build a strong happy family. For my Sister, lets say to ensure while she is a working woman, she is project managing her home. For my Wife its pretty much the same perspective.
My Mother raised my Sister, telling her stories about what all she has faced and hence made her daughter strong enough to face the world. My Wife’s mother did the same. But what is changing now is, these stories along with the times we are living in are becoming inspiration for the birth of a small ‘Rebel’ inside the heart of the otherwise sane human.
I earn my own money, I am Independent!
I have heard so many women today speak of this and I am sure many of you would agree, that I want to earn my own. A girl in college says I don’t want to be dependent on my parents and a Girl getting married says, I don’t want to be dependent on my Husband.
Hold for a second and think, its the same girl who is growing up and one day will have her own family and will tech her daughter/ son one day that I had to go through so much in my times, I will make you guys strong enough to ensure you don’t.
Does money really makes you independent in life? Well, yes it might buy you many things, but Independence, well, probably not. And mind you, it also does not buys you confidence. It only buys you things.
I have my own life, my own decisions: I am the 21st Century Woman!
Agreed. And everyone has the right to live a good happy life. But in this whole ‘want’ of living your ‘own’ life and taking your ‘own’ decisions, you are being ‘reduced to only you’. I take many workshops for college students and corporate(s), I have seen the shift in the thought process. Education must have made us go getters and more enlightened, somehow I feel its making us more like rats in a race.
Especially in India, where we are all ‘bechara’s’. Somehow I feel we have been fighters (not in the literal sense), but we have many fights in our lives. The whole thing is, we are trying to ‘prove ourselves right’ all the time, by getting over the whole scene of ‘boss life mei bahut fight hai’. From a railway station to a college form line, there’s fight in every sense of the word.
http://www.ambuuncle.com/images/indian_women.jpg
And one day we get married!
While we are growing up through all these fights of life, one day we get married and the whole thing of raising up a successful family dawns upon us. Now lets re-visit, what I said in the starting of this post. When a girl gets married, the same mother will give her lessons of life, her friends will give her some. But what’s happening in India, as I see it, today is, what a professor of mine at college told me: “Paritosh, chances are that the woman you will marry tomorrow might have multiple relationships in her life before and she must have learnt from all of them, for you life is not the same as what I had”.
And I agreed to him and accepted the fact with just a line from my side, I said whether a woman OR a man, I don’t see much differences other than physical. What I would really want is to see women in this world really creating a beautiful world (because I strongly believe, men are a little lacking in this). The only rider I have for women is, have fun ladies, but do take care of the future, which is changing for all of us.
I hear so many people talking of how the world is changing and I instantly get reminded of a line I heard from a gentleman many years back who said, in Bhagwad Gita, Bhagwan Shri Krishna has predicted that generations will go down because the raisers (women) are changing.
Do I have issues with women leading the game?
NO! Ask my current boss/ colleague Geetika, she is a wonderful person to work with (not because she is my boss). Entrepreneurs don’t have this thing of buttering and all, we are straight talkers and so am I. I love the fact that women lead the game, infact I would love to see women creating a whole compassionate environment in the corporate jungle. But not at the cost of creating a future in the name of a feeling called Independence. Remember Money in the short term is NOT independence.
But I do have issues seeing the future!
What we do will come back to us within this lifetime, I strongly believe in this as well. And hence the next generations. More sharp, more intelligent (great), but into drugs, cigarette buts in schools, liquor is a fashion statement. And I am not saying this is all due to women, it is NOT. Men are as much responsible. But Ladies, you always say it and its true, you guys can create a far better world and a great happy future.
Maintain your relationships, whatever it takes
Ensure that whatever it takes, build strong relationships, because a broken relationship in your early days is an experience which you will at some stage share it with your kids, your daughters who will be raising a world of their own tomorrow!
I just wanted to share this on this Saturday, because this is one thought which disturb me personally, this is one thing I am seeing building around me and I will be the happiest to see folks roaming around happily with each other, creating a future of this country, which is truly BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL
Now I know almost each one of you seeing this post must have seen either on hoardings or on YouTube or on television the strange advertisement wherein a Bikini clad babe (nothing hot about her) emerges out of the water and suddenly what pops is a message about JK Cement.
For those who haven’t yet seen this one and haven’t had another ounce of blood added to their system by laughing out loud, here’s the ad:
The first question which comes to my mind upon seeing this advert is : why the hell did they do this and who approved of this. Call the agency head, they need to learn a lesson or two. Anyway, all said and done, who handles the marketing for JK Cements, who actually approved of this ad. Did he/ she (I doubt if it was a She) think that a bikini clad woman will sell their cement.
I mean let me talk from personal experience. The place where I stay, about a year and a half back we got a new construction done from scratch. And obviously it was not all in the hands of the builder, I did my strong research. Went ahead knowing about many different Cements and which ones give what and finally in my list of the top 2, JK cements was not event there, infact in my list of top 4 there was nothing. A Cement is not just about strength, its about many other things. The composition matters.
So coming back to the point, this advert with freaking bill boards all over Delhi and to top it all, on the Delhi- Jaipur highway, with this woman a little darkened (did her skin tanned while being in the sun on the billboard?) makes no sense to me.
Advertising surely can be dumb, look at TATA Docomo’s advert’s with Ranbir Kapoor, if it sounds intelligent to you, well, then there’s a sense of dumbness in you!
Well, to end this one on a very confused note, well, I did not like either the babe, the Bikini was cheap and to talk about the cement, well, please read the post again!
Well, this one is going to be short and sweet. Since the past few days I have been hearing a lot of buzz about this new movie which released this Friday: Delhi- Belly! Though I haven’t seen the movie yet, but well, I know one thing for sure, its music is creating a whole connected scene with the intended audience. Especially this one song: bhaag DK Bose!
One interesting thought that came to my mind which connects with a line from the song where the singer says: Ohh by God Lag Gayee kya se kya hua?!
With the increasing inflation, almost everyday, prices of every commodity which is used by a normal household, is increasing and hence the need for discounts and sales arises all the more. It becomes normal human behavior to think of reducing prices one way or the other. Probably this is one reason many deals and discount sites are starting and doing so very well.
But lets stop for a moment and re-think it all, while you need discounts, you should be able to get them whenever you want and almost every-where you wish to. The Synergy Discounts Card actually helps you do just that!
So its as simple as walking to a partner store (it might be a food joint, a fun joint, a movie hall) and all you need to do is flash your Amity Synergy Discounts Card with the card number and wallah, the first wave of smile comes with at least a 15% discount.
As always, I never write anything on this blog, which has not been experienced by me, this discounts card is one thing I sure keep in my wallet daily. Who knows where you get a chance to save some money!
This video shows how easy it is:
So go ahead, get hold of this card and always remember, a penny saved is a penny earned.
Of all the things in the world, money makes everything go round and round. And well, in today’s times, when everything around you is growing, so is the inflation, when the top chart-buster song of the year is: mehngaai dayan khaaye jaat hai, you obviously need to ensure that you manage your money well.
Managing Money
Now, in my life, I have my parents, my wife, my grandma, everyone has their own view of how to manage money. And interestingly when I hear of their views, I feel like wow, how have we as humans evolved overtime to reach to where we are and how was our parent’s time and their tryst with earning money and building things from bottoms up and what times do we live in, when we have increasing buying power in our hands and we are growing!
The Challenge With Managing Money:
The biggest challenge which I see and have encountered with managing money is to keep a constant track of it while I am constantly on the move. Let me confess, life has become so upwardly mobile that today I check about my health as well, on my mobile devices. As we are growing to the next level of growth, we are getting dependent on technology to simplify our lives.
Thank God, My bank is in My Pocket!
YES! I am not kidding and neither have I lost it and sure I haven’t yet gotten a free debit card with unlimited cash to spend. What I do have is, I am a customer with the Standard Chartered bank, since the past couple of years. While I have been banking with them, overtime, I realized that in my tenure with them, I have rarely gone to the branch. The online banking is so fast and quick, that it serves me everything and in no time.
Sure, I had my own doubts in terms of being a “private bank” and how will it survive the Indian shores, but as their campaign says, here for good, I believe it now.
A Fresh Breeze of Mobility
Recently I got to know that SCB has launched a mobile banking platform across all possible devices and platforms which we know of today called: Breeze! I mean from iPhone to Nokia to whatever you can imagine, its there! So effectively speaking, now I have the bank in my pocket wherever I go, whatever I be doing. Its simple.
Why am I so happy about it that it occupies a space on my blog, well, because I realize how easy will it now be for me to access my bank without any hassles.
How does it look like?
As I always do, a sneak peek into the whole new world of easy, fast and on the move banking in your pocket!
And obviously I expect my bank to give this to me at no extra cost, so have they. The app is free for download on any mobile device you use.
Happy breezing, I am personally satisfied that SCB understands, as we grow ahead and move faster, technology has to make our lives simpler and not complex. Good to be your customer guys, keep up the great work!
"We thought we understood social media marketing and seo optimization fairly ok but after our one on one session realized many of the fundamental mistakes we were making plus learnt many new tools. Overall an investment I would recommend every entreprenuer to make"
- Nidhi, Founder CEO, Pinnacle Works
he he..
