Its Always Time for …… Back to the Basics

Last week I wrote about my personal experiences with some Big Brands & asked you “Do Big Brands disappoint you? ”

My experiences tell me that as Brands grow & start their journey with standards, processes & systems that need to keep their focus on the purpose of building Customer Relationships rather than just the activity. It’s always time for Back to the Basics….

I see a ray of light too but from unexpected corners. These were lesser “know”, less “sophisticated” growing setups and it was a delight to see the kind empowerment given to the frontline and how beautifully the frontline uses it.

I would love to put down those brand names as: iBall (mobiles, computer & peripherals) and GM Bells (makes remote calling bells).

iBall Experience: Had my iBalls popping out and left me in disbelief. iBall designed a mobile for senior citizens a while ago– iBall Asaan, loaded with very practical and easy to use features. One of my colleagues had bought a handset for an elder member of the family and it was working perfectly until one day when she was out town and the phone’s ringer gave away. Since that was the only means to communicate with the elders at home, left with no alternate, she called iBall customer care and explained the situation & why she was so worried.

True to the spirit of service and level of commitment, iBall representative came to the house to collect the phone (as iBall understood and did not want a senior citizen to travel to the customer care centre). Offered a standby phone, repaired the phone and gave it back the very next day (realizing the urgency and utility of device for the senior citizen). And of course this was an exception and not the company policy.

GM Bells: The remote controller of the bell stopped functioning and there was no way it could be repaired. We wrote to the company asking if there is anything that can be done as the bell was not in the warranty period anymore. The response was quick and we were requested to visit the nearest dealer and get it replaced.

The person who replied from the company was not the MD or the owner; it was an empowered team member who cared to understand the issue and was graceful enough to make the service gesture without spending too much time on investigating and making the replacement sound like a big favour.

Something is going right for these companies; I guess it is the culture coupled with the hunger to stay ahead in the market. Perhaps they have a lean operation with plenty of ownership.

My sincere hope that while their businesses see plenty of growth, they don’t lose sight of what they are really doing well besides their products. Someone in their team has found the road to success for their organization. Here’s hoping they will cherish those employees & teach others to operate on a similar instinct

Do you have the most amazing & unexpected service experiences when you least expected them?

Share your inspiring stories here. As a silent Thank you to those Brands – small or large, that made their space in our hearts & minds