What's in a name ?

TGIF!! Well, at XL, its not too significant - neither does TGIF have its outlet in Jamshedpur, nor does a Friday mean two days of recess ahead. However, that does not stop our indomitable spirits. With workloads still reasonably low, and the unpalatable mess food a big deterrent (or should I say stimulant), we decided to step out and dine.

Coming to a consensus on where to eat is a big decision here. While junta wanted to have pizzas or continental, at Jamshedpur you're not exactly spoilt for choice. After a lot of deliberation, at long last we settled for our good old "Novelty".

When we reached the restaurant, we realized (ruefully) that a major chunk of the city's population had also zeroed in on the same haven, and to make matters worse, had reached just before us. (Did I hear Murphy's Law being muttered?) We had no choice but to wait.

Chairs had been laid out on the road to accommodate the guests who'd have to wait. The line of chairs was long; long enough to reach within smelling distance of "Cocktail", the liquor outlet. (while for us this isn't an issue, one must remember Novelty is after all a family restaurant) The security at the gate though was extremely friendly, as he noted our name and the number of seats beside it. Our turn arrived earlier than stated/expected, but we weren't complaining.

Having seen Novelty when it was still in its nascent stages, I can spot the differences in its interiors now. Seats have been cramped in to account for as many guests at one go as possible. (the logic: why not?even post-expansion, we are running the show full-house) There is also a distinct change in the decor; things having been made more articulate in recent years.

Novelty has in place a dual system, with waiters to clean tables and serve the food, while a maître d' is in charge of table allocation and taking orders, etc. We ordered soup and kebabs for starters. One of the orders, one "Hot and Sour Soup" was particularly insipid, while in general too, the quality of food seemed to be stooping. Is capacity expansion causing quality to take a hit - we wondered. The maître d' offered to change the soup upon being apprised of the same. What returned after ten minutes in the name of soup was just the diluted version of the earlier, mixed with chilly sauce.

The main course too was nothing to go ga-ga over - overall, the food was disappointing. This is specially so, since we have started to expect a certain quality from a place as Novelty, and when that is not delivered, customers go dissatisfied. Also, customer selection is one area which the management needs to look into. (It is not too pleasant for a family coming in for dinner to discover the seats squeezed next to them occupied by drunken louts)

The prices at the place are still reasonably economical, and the XLRI discount makes it better for us. However, stepping out of the doors of what is touted as one of the best restaurants in Jamshedpur, one cannot help ponder:
Has the success Novelty has achieved been deserving? Is there scope for a new player to give it a tug? How much of a a bearing does increased demand have in degradation of quality? And, above all, has "Novelty" been able to do justice to its name?

SERVICE RATINGS
a> Reliable - 2 (Thus far, no further)
b> Assurance - 4 (Inherently, the restaurant is perceived to be maintaining quality standards, the brand value propels assurance levels)
c> Tangible - 3 (Changes in decor and seating arrangement have ultimately led to greater clutter inside the restaurant. The restaurant has every probability of losing its sophisticated clientele. Also, augmented lighting is switched off prior to guests parting the restaurant, which should be consciously avoided)
d> Empathy - 3 (Difficult to judge in case of restaurants. However, the attitude of the waiter upon being complained to regarding food quality reflects politeness, and at some stage may be considered as empathy)
e> Responsiveness - 4 (Reasonably good. Staffing inside appear optimum)

[ 1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Very Good, 5 = Excellent ]

Have you lately felt loan-ly …..

I love being at ease with every situation. I hate it when anything makes me compromise on that. The result: I detest going to banks. Somehow, I have never been able to come to grasps with the working of these financial institutions, and when forced to enter one, I just crave to exit it.

But then, fate can be cruel at times; at the start of every trimester, I am left with no option but to trudge out of the XL gates to the SBI branch situated just outside, deposit the fees challan, fill out the disbursement form and submit it. Sounds simple? Well believe it or not, I still go through a mental rehearsal and checklist every single time before heading to the bank.

And so was the case yesterday; with the deadline for the fourth installment nearing, I was left with little choice but to set forth. This exercise I believe culminates so many evils - seeing six-digit deductions from your account balance, the constant fear of having forgotten something in the hostel room and the scare of committing some embarrassing mistake.

However, this time I had prepared well. The challan, fee schedule, pass book and pen all ready, and savings and loan account numbers carefully noted down, I was set to enter the battlefield.

I have done this too many times. I headed straight for the manager's cabin to ask for the disbursement slip. For once, as I filled up the form I felt a sense of elation - there were no nagging queries, no forgotten account numbers. Stapling the challan with the schedule and disbursement slip, I handed it confidently to the manager.

"Sanmoy Talukdar", came the voice of the manager just as I was preparing to make a move.

"Yes?"

"So, you are also from XLRI?"

"Yes sir, I am a 2nd year student."

"Good. I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure. Please go ahead."

"You people in business schools must be studying voluminous books on finance and costing and accounting and what not?"

"Yes. In the first year, the basic courses are compulsory" (Now, where was this leading to? Had I made some silly error again?)

"Nice. But then, can you tell me what's the use of these books if you cannot fill out a form properly in real life? Do you not think that management students lack in the practical aspects?"

My heart skipped a beat as he continued:

"I ask you these questions because you are the first student to have filled the entire form without needing to be prompted, without asking me which account number I should fill in where or what should be the amount disbursed. We designed this form to make it easy for you people, but till now it doesn't seems to serve its purpose - can you tell me where the problem lies?"

Other people face problems? Now that was news to me. I had well and truly found my voice back now. For the next half an hour, I explained to him how management studies have little to do with mere banking transactions, it's dependent more on practical experience - and with experience, I assured him that an XLer would definitely come to terms much quicker than others. Then we debated on the lucidity of the language used in the form. I reasoned with him that although getting the customer to fill out the slip is a good idea, if you require a dedicated person to clarify doubts, the very purpose is defeated. On the contrary, I suggested, the directions should be given from the angle of a layman.

I am not sure how much of an impact my arguments had on him, but personally I was impressed with the quality discussion we had. Maybe, hereafter, I won't mind dropping in beyond the portals of the bank once in a while .....

SERVICE RATINGS

a> Reliable - 4 (Pretty much so. In the past 3 trimesters, drafts have never been late in arrival. Neither have I heard complaints from any of my batch mates)

b> Assurance - 5 (The reputation of State Bank makes it high on assurance. Even if the bank defaults, the belief is there the Government will bail it out ...)

c> Tangibles - 3 (While the renovated interior decor looks much more professional, the staff still seem to be from the mid-seventies. Further, I feel a dearth of smiling faces as compared to a private bank like ICICI for example.)

d> Empathy - 4 (Definitely present, at least for XLRI students. The disbursement form, with the intent of making the loan process smooth for students stands testimony)

e> Responsiveness - 4 (Impressive. Definitely commendable when in comparison with contemporary institutions)

[ 1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Very Good, 5 = Excellent ]

Things ain’t so SIMple out here …..

One of our batch-mates had a rather sorry start to his 2nd year stint at XL. It had been barely a day since his return to campus, when one fine evening he misplaced his cell-phone during a casual game of cricket – the rest as they say is history. (both in terms of the event as well as the mobile)

After the initial search period, the logical course of action was to call up Airtel customer service to apprise them of the issue, block calls being made from the number and also to inquire about the procedure to obtain a duplicate Sim-card. (A duplicate Sim comes of great help in the sense that not only does it eliminate the need to call/message every contact to inform about a change in number, but also the entire balance at the time of blocking the card is credited to the duplicate Sim by the service provider)

From the customer care executive, it was learnt that the formalities for the duplicate Sim would have to be completed at the Airtel outlet at Bistupur. There is some truth in the Reliance TVC, which projects network as the next basic necessity after food, water and shelter – most of our generation cannot think of passing a day without access to one’s mobile. It was little wonder therefore that our friend set out that very evening for Bistupur, with me the Good Samaritan riding pillion (the first of many to come) to give him company.

At the Bistupur store, we were told that duplicate sim cards for XLRI would be available from the Sonari outlet of Airtel, and off we headed in that direction. However, the misery had just started for us. At Sonari (after waiting for close to half an hour), it was conveyed to us that the Sim cards allotted to XLRI students are unique, and were not available at that point of time. “9006- Series ka nahin hota to araam se aapko aaj hi duplicate Sim mil jaati” – said the man at a counter with a rather bemused face. It was only on further coaxing on our part that he divulged that there is another outlet at Bhalobasha on the Baridih route handled by a distributor, who could possibly stock the label-H3 sims. “Nahi to kal shaam tak aap ko yahin pe paake se mil jayegi” was his promise.

We decided to give the distributor outlet a try, before calling it a night. At the distributor outlet, worse news was waiting. “H3 sims are sourced from Calcutta, and hence have to be ordered. The earliest you can expect it is around ten days from now” – the owner had to say. He passed on his telephone number to us, asking us to call up and inquire, rather than coming down all the way. (Incidentally, in spite of our repeated requests, the Sonari outlet had refused to share their number with us, stating that on-phone service was not offered by them)

The next day, we headed for the Sonari outlet once again – and to our dismay, the card had not arrived. Thereafter, my friend and me made three more trips to the same outlet, each time being asked to return either the next day, or in a couple of days or the like. We finally got the duplicate Sim yesterday, not from the Sonari outlet, but after receiving a call from the Baridih distributor, true to his word and the time line stated.

I can’t help comparing the service here at Jamshedpur with the same situation in Bangalore where my colleague had lost his mobile, but was provided a duplicate Sim that very evening, after verification of the FIR report, from the Airtel showroom – no-frills. Call it consistency issues, call it small-town mentality or whatever, the conclusion that one can come to is that things definitely ain’t so SIMple out here …..

SERVICE RATINGS:

And now for the ratings (for the authorized Airtel outlet at Sonari):

a> Reliable - 1 (Definitely not. Beyond a point, we as customers had lost all faith in the assurances of the dealer)

b> Assurance - 2 (Yes, at the outset, which changed to a resounding NO with the passage of time)

c> Tangibles - 3

d> Empathy - 1 (Missing. Five trips to his shop in the sweltering heat, and still he bluntly refused to share his number)

e> Responsiveness - 3 (Except for the waiting time on the 1st day, the responsiveness was reasonably good)

[ 1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Very Good, 5 = Excellent ]

Home Delivery

I ordered lunch from Hong Kong yesterday. Their takeaway menu is identical to their normal service menu. For home delivery, they charge an additional service charge of Rs. 20. They deliver the food not to the room but to the main gate of the institute. So, any customer who avails of their home delivery service is informed by the delivery person upon his arrival and is then asked to collect the food from the gate.

I called Hong Kong around 1 o'clock in the afternoon and placed my order. The person I spoke to was very cordial. He noted my order patiently and repeated it at the end to make sure it was exactly what I wanted. He noted down my name and phone number which would act as a reference for all future communication. Around 1:20, I received a call from the delivery person that the food had arrived. I picked up my wallet and just as I was leaving the room, a group-mate from my MRS group stopped me. He wanted to know what we were doing about a MRS submission which was due in a week's time. I went to his room to discuss the MRS project details with the other group members completely forgetting the fact that the Hong Kong delivery person was waiting for me. 20 minutes into the discussion, I received a call from him again. It was then it suddenly struck me that I had told him that I was on my way. I rushed out of the room and reached the gate as fast as I could. Upon reaching the gate, I saw that the delivery person was standing next to his scooter. It was a rather hot and humid day and the delivery person was visibly tired and exhausted. I went up to him and apologized for having made him wait for 20 minutes in the sun. He smiled at me and said "No problem, sir." His disarming smile and the way he said what he said made me feel really guilty about what I had done. The bill had amounted to a total of Rs. 270 inclusive of the Rs. 20 service charge. I paid him Rs. 300 for the food. The delivery person reached into his wallet to return the balance. I don't know whether it was the guilt of having made him wait for so long or something else, but I asked him to keep the balance with him. On a subconscious level, I probably thought I could buy-back the guilt of having made him wait.

SERVICE RATINGS

a) Reliability: The home delivery service is very reliable

b) Assurance: The person who took my order asssured me that the food would be delivered on time.

c) Tangibles: The phone at Hong Kong was picked up immediately. The scooter used for delivery did not have a box to carry the food. The delivery person kept the food packet between his legs on the floor of the scooter.

d) Empathy: The delivery person displayed a high degree of empathy.

e) Responsiveness: The entire home delivery process was very responsive.

Auto-matic Tranmission

Yesterday, I took an auto to take me to the Tata Steel Guest House on B-Road. As soon as I sat in the auto, the driver told me that it would cost me Rs. 40. Like with almost every other auto ride within the city of Jamshedpur, the fare is decided through a systematic process of bargaining between the auto-driver and the passenger. After briefly haggling with the auto-driver, he agreed to charge me Rs. 30. The work I had at the guest house was not supposed to take me more than 10 minutes. Since it was difficult to get an auto while coming back, I decided to ask the auto-driver to wait for me outside the guest house. Our conversation is mentioned below:

Me: Bhaiya! Aap yahaan dus minute ruk sakte hain? Mujhe phir XL hi wapas jaana hain. (Can you wait here for 10 minutes? I need to go back to XL anyway.)

Auto: Bees rupaiya zyada lagega! (It'll cost you 20 rupees more)

Me: Par iske bad aapko wapas XL hi jaana hain na? (You would anyway be going back to XL after this, right?)

Auto: Haan (Yes)

Me: Toh phir aap mujhse zyada paise kyun maang rahein hain? Tees rupaiya toh main doonga hi wapas jaane ke liye. Aap uske upar 20 rupaiya kyun maang rahe hain? (Why are you asking me for more? I would anyway be paying you 30 bucks for the return trip. Why do you want 20 bucks on top of that?)

Auto: Wait karne ke liye (For waiting, that's why!)

Me: Arrey! Yeh toh main aapke faiyede ke liye kar raha tha. Theek hai! Aap jaiye. Main doosra auto dhoond loonga! (I was doing this for your benefit. Its ok. You can leave. I'll find another auto)

Auto driver ponders for a while...

Auto: Theek hai. Chalenge. Par dus minute se zyada nahin (Ok. I will go. But don't take more than 10 minutes)

Me: Arrey bhaiya! Aap chale hi jaiye. Aapko kuch zyaada hi tension le rahe hain! (Oh my God! You leave. You are getting hassled by the slightest of things!)

Auto: Achcha theek hai. Aap apna kaam kar ke aieye. Main yaheen hoon. (Its ok. You take your time. I will be waiting here only)

SERVICE RATINGS

a) Reliability: I wouldn't rate the auto service as being very reliable

b) Assurance: Low degree of service assurance for the customer

c) Tangibles: The auto seemed to be in decent working condition

d) Empathy: The auto-driver showed little or no empathy

e) Responsiveness: The auto-driver's response was sluggish and ill-timed

Wash Rinse Wash

This particular experience pertains to the laundry service that is available within the campus. It's been almost a year since I have been availing of this service but it is really the first time that I have actually spent time appraising it. The service the laundry-man (as I like to call him) provides is simple. He charges Rs. 50 for one washing machine load. Typically, one washing machine load is the equivalent of a full laundry basket. So he basically charges you Rs. 50 irrespective of whether the laundry basket is full or half empty. Besides washing the clothes, he charges an additional Rs. 3 for every clothing item that he irons. Normally, he makes it a point to return the clothes on the same day itself. Customers are expected to deliver and collect the laundry baskets from the laundry room themselves.

Today's experience was rather unique for me for two reasons. The first one, as I mentioned earlier, was that it was the first time I was consciously appraising the laundry service. And secondly, today's experience was distinctly different. I went to the laundry room around 10-30 to deliver my laundry basket. In this laundry basket, with my usual pile of clothes was a new red shirt which was going for its first wash. I knew there was a chance that it would give off colour and thereby ruin the "whites" I had along with it. So the first thing I did was to tell the laundry man that the T-shirt had to be washed separately. I assumed that he would charge me for the T-shirt separately as he probably had to wash it either by hand or use a separate washing machine. But when I told him about the T-shirt, he simply said "Kya bhaiya? Aap ke liye itna toh kar he sakte hain." (What are you saying? This is the least I can do for you.) That was really a nice thing to hear. I felt flattered and for that one moment, I felt that I was indeed a special customer. But that was not the end of it. The laundry man told me to collect the basket from him around 4. When I went there around that time, I was told that the laundry wasn't done yet. I had some work to do so I told him that I would be back in half an hour. It longer for me than expected so I could only get back by 5. But even then the laundry cycle wasn't over. Although I was not particularly annoyed, one could say that I was visibly unimpressed. The laundry man could probably make that out from my disposition and he immediately chose to respond. Before I could even say anything, he said "Bhaiya, aap tension mat lijiye! Mujhe apna room no. bata deejiye. Main aapke room me basket pahucha doonga." (Don't get tense about it! Tell me your room number. I will deliver the basket to your room once its done.) Whatever dissatisfaction or feelings of resentment that were slowly festering inside me dissolved in an instant. I walked back to my room feeling happy and satisfied at being treated as a special customer.

SERVICE RATING

a) Reliable: Although today was an exception, I regard the service as very reliable

b) Assurance: I am assured of the quality of the wash and promptness of delivery

c) Tangibles: The laundry room is organised. All washing machines seem to be in working order

d) Empathy: The laundry man was quick to gauge how I was feeling and quickly altered his offering to satisfy my needs

e) Responsiveness: The laundry man was quick in his response.