The Leader Who Had No Title!

Book Mark : The Leader Who Had No Title!

- Robin Sharma

When you go to  a book shop, you will feel a strangely depressing similarity in self help books. The celebrated author Robin Sharma is a notable exception, who took 15 years to produce a well-thought out product:  'The Leader Who Had No Title' 

Is this a self-help book? Or a peppy conversation? Or is it a story with powerful characters?  You cannot portray it in any isolated form, but a blend of success. The eminent writer has redefined leadership.  Anyone can read this 200-page script to make a positive contrast to his/her life.

Do you believe in an emotional story studded with powerful techniques for achieving the best in your career and life?

Having already read Robin Sharma’s success master piece “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”, I enthusiastically grabbed  “The Leader Who Had No Title”, which I recently received as a gift.  

World renowned leadership master Robin Sharma is distinctly known for fable-dialogue-presentation format, where he instantly synchronises you, the reader, with the first main character (Blake), and Tommy is your mentor.  Tommy responsively escorts you to four very powerful human beings for further journey.  The four pillars of success techniques  present  their acronym prescriptions like SHINE, HUMAN, SPARK, IMAGE with plenty of inspiring insights .... 

The story relates to four major thoughts:

• You need no title to be a leader
• To be a great leader, first become a great person
• Turbulent times build exceptional leaders
• The deeper your relationships, the stronger your leadership

The author frequently keeps using the acronyms like LWT (Leader Without Title), BIW (Best in World), to sample a few.  Plenty of anecdotes, real-life situations, techniques, qualifying statements occupy the quality space. You will  often entertain the statement "You don't need to have a title to show leadership", which is not to be misread for redundancy, but only the author's intent to reinforce the message.  The author himself confirms "good coaching does involve the repetition of the laws of success".  His easy-to-follow actionable steps is straight away inspiring. One wonders if Robin Sharma knows the reader more than the reader knows himself!

Soon as you start reading the book it will be interestiing to observe that you will easily identify some of the true-life situations with your friends, colleagues,  family members  and, of course, not the least, your own self.    The author thus  creates a friendly ambience and helps readers obtain all clarifications. When you start making self-introspection, then you have really gone into the book!

A few captivating quotes:

"Victims recite problems; leaders present solutions".

"Each of us is born in to genius; sadly most of us die amid mediocrity".

"Worrying about things beyond your control is a pretty good formula for illness".

"In the middle of difficulty is opportunity".

"It is no longer an excuse to say you don't have a high rank, so you don't need to take ownership for the results of the orgnisation".

"In work - and in life in general - you need to pay the price of success before you get all the rewards due to you".

"The best way to help poor people is to make sure you don't become one".

"Leadership isn't just for CEOs, military generals, and people who govern nations;  leadership  is for everyone".

"Lucky breaks are nothing more than unexpected rewards for intelligent choices we have chosen to make".

"There is a large difference between being alive and knowing how to live".

"A number of studies have confirmed that it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at something".

Plenty more ..... But then reader interest needs to be sustained!

Though the book stimulates everyone to become a LWT, equally is it valid for the existing leaders, should they feel inadequate. If you care for career and life, believe in discipline, this should be your hand book to be read, and re-read.  Robin Sharma, as always his wont, keeps the text and dialogue reader-friendly, nay leader-friendly. True, what I admire in |Robin Sharma is that he is not sadistic to use verbal monstrosity, chase you and stay glued to the lexicon, which many a time loathes to continue the read.

If you are new to success coach books, you couldn't have asked for a better title.  Catch it young, as later you may retrospectively regret for the delay.

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http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2012/08/book-review-monk-who-sold-his-ferrari.html

ATM gives free money!

• Buy one – Get one free! A common form of sales promotion!
• Ask 20  Take 40 – ATM special scheme! New marketing?

“An ATM in London has paid twice the money asked for” (Times of India, June 23, 2012) – due to human error- “an employee accidentally loaded GBP10 tray with GBP 20 notes.  Soon the word  spread (thanks to SMS, FB……); long queues were formed outside the ATM, some queued up repeatedly and withdrew even more. One person clinically “checked his online statement, only to find the amount asked for had  been debited, not what was paid out”.   Some customers claimed they were “lucky”.  The programming  should generally be to debit amount of cash dispensed by the machine.  Dangerously strange!

The acronym for ATM , as we all know, is Automated Teller Machine. Any Time Money, doesn’t matter. All Time Money, accepted.  In Canada, it is known as ABM – Automated Banking Machine.  But has Any Time Money at any time  become Any Time Double Money?!

Last month I read a news item that “Residents cash in ATM pays out double – and the bank says they can keep the windfall” (The Daily Mail, May 19, 2012).  Some customers walked away richer by thousands of pounds. A very reputed multinational Bank (the benevolent institution!) said “they would not be asking any customers to return the money as the mistake was theirs”. A spokesman of the bank 'dutifully' added that it was not the customer’s fault. Atrociously distressing to digest how spokesman could dish out such a blatant assertion!

Human error is understandable (not acceptable, though).  Machines sometimes misdispense other than the amount of the withdrawal request.

Two things are nagging:

• The responsibility of the bank (for a moment even ignoring the human error factor and/or computer glitch)

Is this the way the bank authorities safeguard the organization’s interests?  Instead of rectifying the mistake and initiate instant efforts to recover the excess funds from those customers (?), it is harmfully damaging that the bank “would not ask any customers to return the money”.  Highly despicable!   Whose money is it, anyway?  Where do the bank draw the authority to make such extravagant resolutions and throw such “free cash”?  Are they, by compelling such decisions, trying to glorify the excess cash receivers as any sort of Lucky/Lottery Winners?

The excess payment spewed by the rogue ATM should engage a functional guilt and  be a nightmare to the bank.  Even if it is a system outage, how can the management  respond in such negligent and reckless mode?  Clearly sending a wrong signal!

The bank should have sought the local police help and warned the ‘excess’ customers that those who failed to return the money would face criminal charges.  They should have created an alarm that even though ATM had threw up excess cash, they are not legally and morally entitled to that money and are committing criminal offence if they keep it, adding that ATM locations are under surveillance.  No initiative  has been made to contact the customer at all!  In view of no due diligence was exercised by the concerned officials of the bank, whoever has been a party to the decision not to call back the excess money should be shown the exit door and the loss incurred thereof must be recovered in full from his/her wages/end of service benefits without any prejudice.

• Customer ethics

Just because a bank makes a mistake, doesn’t mean you get to benefit. If the ATM  “accidentally” gives you more money than it should, report it and return the excess cash.   Make no mistake! The moment you bid to grab the excess cash , you instantly cease to be a customer.  That is not all! You have wilfully defrauded the bank, looting on their inefficiency.

Beware! What would you have done if it is the other way? If you punched $1000, but got $500?  You would have used the choicest language in bad-mouthing the bank and its officials. The reverse error would have baffled and infuriated you, true?

We have interfaced with many bank frauds and robberies.  Even wherever bank lapses/errors were highlighted, no where it has been advocated that the “beneficiary” can enjoy the spoils. Disgrace, there is a queue for “doubling their money” in front of the ATM!  We think only of one Lehman Brothers or one Ramalinga Raju for corporate scams and malpractices.  What about any number of small thieves we witness in cases like these, such small drops which make up a stinking mighty ocean! We may forget the individuals (like we have for instance deleted Harshad Mehta from our memory), but we are steadily merging with the depth of the virus.

Well, coming to the ATM plight, the bank is well within its ambit to impact the so-called  customers of criminal charge of fraudulently acquiring pecuniary advantage by conscious and wilful deception, which amounts to a clear case of theft.

All said and done, I am ashamed on both counts - as an ex-banker and a customer!

Dad is Bad?!

 Dad is Bad ?!

“The greatest gift I have ever had came from God, and I call him Dad”  -Anonymous

              

                                                 

These are troubled times! Turbulent too!!

Hardly a week ago, it was reported that "a furious Texas father pulled a man who was molesting his four-year old daughter off the child and beat him to death!"

More recently:  "Seven-year old raped, murdered" (“The Hindu”, June 18)

And now:

Another father, still worse, allegedly raped his own four-year old daughter in Bangalore.

The report (detailed write up already published in all leading Indian dailes) :

Suja Jones, a travel agent in Kolkatta meets Pascal Mazurier, a French Consulate employee.  The two marry in France (2001).  They have three children. The first one is son (2005), second,  a baby girl and the unfortunate victim of this story(2008), and the third a boy baby (2010). 

While pregnant with her third child, Suja says she learnt from her daughter that Pascal  (more appropriate if you misspelt  his name)  was hurting her on her private parts. The girl starts complaining of pain and her father is sexually abusing her.  The upset mother referred her daughter to a doctor, and the latter’s report confirmed the abuse.

Suja immediately lodged a complaint against her husband, accusing him of raping her daughter. Pascal has been arrested since.  The wife, obviously, wants no mercy to be shown.

Well, now, to comprehend the two issues:

·         The trauma of the little girl

·         What punishment to be meted out to the father

The worst agony: If a third person (next to father and mother) inflicts the abuse, the child can cry and complain to the dearest father and/or mother.  Especially the father, the man every girl is supposed to be able to trust.  Alas, if the father himself is the perpetrator, nay predator …… who can console the little one? 

“I love my papa; he hurts me”, cries the traumatized child, who is clearly confused.  Physically and emotionally hurt, she is too small to understand the impacts and intricacies. In case of murder, there is only a one-time death.  Whereas, here, the child will die everyday!  Once the girl deeply realizes the crime done by her father, she will begin to cry and continue to cry till she is tired of crying. Everyday!  Nightmarish!  After all, it is not easy to be only four years old and have this happened to you!  The long term emotional and psychological damage of sexual abuse and the repressed memories thereof can be devastating to the child.

If the child is of the age of 4 or 5 years (as in this case) and tries to break away from the abuser (father, in this case) , the latter may threaten the child with violence or loss of love.  If the abuse occurs within the family, the child may fear the anger or shame of other family members, or get afraid that the family will break up if the secret is told.

What a tragic shame!     He looted the innocence!!      He robbed her of being a child!!  How is a child to act when she is violated?  For most part they don’t understand what has happened to them or why.  Perverts of this nature don’t or can’t interact with normal adults so they prey on children.

A cross section of the people, on condition of anonymity,  ventilated their feelings:

“Any crime starts with “child” has to be worth minimum of 10 years R.I.  He is a monster, pure and simple” said a soft-ware engineer.

“May I remind that we live in India and people are INNOCENT until proven guilty”, sarcastically quipped an office-goer in his mid-forties.

“He deserved to be beaten to death.  Why a public hanging should not be recommended?”  exploded an angry young man.

“All pedophiles need to be killed”.

“Cut him up in little pieces and feed them to the vultures”.  “This is a very sick act to commit by any human standard”.

“If a four-year old girl is not spared, why should you spare the “Pascal’?
"Why this kola veri?"

The anger was all round,  loud and clear.  A disgrace to see so many perverts these days, we do not know how many cases go unreported because the kids are afraid to tell any one what had happened and the medico- legal procedure to validate is cumbersome.

Parents can be preventive by telling the children that if someone tries to touch your body and do things that will make you funny, say NO to that person and tell mom straight away.  As parents, our job is primarily to protect our children.  When parents are absent or not productively involved in their children’s life, that puts the kids at risk of the predators and other such sick people who prey on innocent little girls.

Take care!  Accidents always arrive unannounced!!

Dear parents,  you better tune into your instincts and listen to your children.  Your children are the best thing in your life, the most valuable. Protect them at any costs!

We are living with crimes. Crimes against children are not new. We have already accepted dilution of core values.  But this story of the father-turned-predator pricked in me a beyond-disappointment.

The verdict:

1. The father in question, nay, the questionable father must be penalized with death sentence, if not castration, without delay; (no wonder crime rates are low in Gulf nations!)

2. Paid expert-counselling and comprehensive medical attention should be afforded to the girl, and the mother (if need be).

Let's pray the small girl speedily recovers from such abhorrent experience.   And hope she will  be able to move forward in her life.

Wishing her nothing but the Best!

=====

Also read: http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2014/07/campus-rape-who-are-these-predators.html

Book Mark: "The Last Lecture"

Book Mark:  “THE LAST LECTURE”

“I have an engineering  problem.  While for the most part I am in terrific physical shape, I have ten tumors in my liver and I have only a few months to live………………….”   Randy Pausch, the author introduces his true life story.

It is the academic  ritual of Carnegie Mellon University, where the professors are required to imagine that they are close to embracing death and needed to deliver a lecture  in the campus on their reflections of  knowledge and wisdom, for the future generations.  The beauty of this book, whereas, is the outcome of the actual lecture delivered by Prof.  Randy Pausch, where he didn’t have to imagine that he was facing death, in fact he was!  What is emotionally binding is that the 47-year old Randy prepared and delivered the lecture after undergoing a diagnosis of terminal  pancreatic cancer. 

The audience assembled in the lecture hall  include Randy’s family, friends along with students and colleagues.  The  Computer Science Professor  discusses the importance of "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" and  the procedure to hit the targets, en-route his experience and anecdotes, and advises the readers with a   guideline while attempting to reach goals and dreams.

The lecture was a rattling success, not an easy one though. After all, if you know your date of death, the remaining days obviously will be hell, if not worse! He has his wife, Jai and three children (Dylan, Logan and Chloe).  Ten tumours.  And three months to live! We all have come to mean “deadline” in a figurative form, but to come to terms with the  literal definition, well, Randy is the living(?) example of how to reckon with reality; everyday will be busy prepare for the inevitable!

His wife Jai  opposed to the last lecture project as it will snatch the precious time from the husband and that he will not be able to spend with his family.  The date of the lecture was set for Jai’s birthday, her last birthday with the husband in Viriginia;  whereas  Randy will be in Pittsburgh preparing for the last lecture.  He reasons the significance of “Last Lecture” as it will be recorded in front of a large audience, which will be evidenced for posterity. Also, he feels that the lecture will be quite powerful for his children as they grow up.

The 206-page script, co-authored by Wall Street Journal Reporter Jeffrey Zaslow, has lots of anecdotes and adages, wherein the professor explains the fulfillment of dreams he had since childhood and the lessons he learnt through the journey.  The book was primarily written for his three children, and a fourth one - the society.  The author instructs to: dream big, stop complaining, work harder, treat the disease not the symptoms, seeking for the best in everybody, be thankful and mean it when you say “thanks”.

A few memorable excerpts:

“Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less time than you think”.

“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted”.

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets with opportunity”.

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand”.

“Check egos at the door”.   “I don’t have much patience for incompetence”.

“Time spent complaining is time wasted”.

“When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a bad place to be….”

Some of these left me long and late in the night!   Is it an  autobiography or life lessons?  Incredible optimism or positive psychology?  Randy makes you think what you want most out of life – your career, your hobby, your wife, your children.  If you had to reckon  that there are only 3  - 6 months to live, how would you prioritise?  It makes one contemplate!

The tough part are those chapters where Randy reflects on his family.  Heart-breaking,  how painful he should have felt to plan many things on the eve of death! Randy richly deserves a big salute for giving the lecture and that was life easily far above the ordinary. His last lecture was really the last lecture to become “The Last Lecture”.  In this age of self-seeking individuals and self-centered societies, rarely we appreciate other people in our lives.

A gripping read!     An easy prose!!      And a must for your book-shelf!!!

Open Letter to Sachin Tendulkar

                                                                                                                           

                                                    

Place : Bangalore                                                                                                                            

05/06/2012

Dear  Sachin Tendulkar

Greetings!

I am not writing this letter to you to amplify your cricketing class and quality, which can of course be perpetually quantified.  The whole world is a witness to your potential! You have broken and created all cricketing records and made every Indian feel so proud. You have made every cricket fan all over the world to debate if Sachin is Cricket or Cricket is Sachin!  In the subsequent editions of Dictionary, we won’t be surprised to find the meaning of cricket as Sachin.

Today you have entered a different field.

You have made a good beginning that you would  “vow to bat for other sports” demonstrating your farsightedness and zeal for development of other sports. Probably you have commenced your new innings in a new wicket, notching your first record outside cricket.

While the gesture shown by you would not only overwhelm the other sportsmen and their fraternity, as a cricketer-cum-MP you have tried to lead by example for other cricketers to follow suit. As a token of first complement, can we expect our cricket heroes and officials to openly send greeting messages to our Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand on  his retaining the World Championship, by all means a great feat, which every Indian citizen should be proud of?

It is noteworthy to recall in the recently concluded IPL Edition-5, celebrities from other sports like Sania Mirza, Pankaj Advani ….enthusiastically presented themselves in the stadiums and cheered their favourite teams.  Such nice gestures opens the gate for mutual regards, respect and recognition for the sports as such.

Good!

 Let us for a moment consider your new found profession:

Becoming an MP is, nevertheless, a different assignment altogether.  Unlike contesting elections for MLA, MP posts, being nominated is undoubtedly a great honor (that does not, of course,  take away your due  of getting the highest civilian award- Bharat Ratna). Here is a chance for you, the record holder to open another record account.  This time with a difference, we will be spectators to see Sachin as a politician. Politician has become such an ugly word (no pun intended). You are a gentleman, but almost  a loner in politics.

Sachin, for all your contribution and dedication to the sport, you have not been involved even remotely in any controversy.  You are known for your straightforward disposition and impeccable integrity. In this field of politics, even if you  remain tightlipped, interpretations and misinterpretations will be galore.  Your will to deliver will be tested; after all, you have made entry into Indian politics. Will you be allowed to play a fair game in this field? For instance, Will you show your support for Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption? Which party you will  be joining/supporting? Can you ensure the sportsmen from other games are treated and rewarded on par with cricketers and  help bridge the gap of socio-economic disparity?

At 39, you will  be under pressure in cricket to take a decision about your impending retirement.  In politics you will be entering as a trainee; no pressures of retirement, educational background, past experience….

In cricket, you relinquished captaincy; in public life leadership trait is imminent.

In the cricket field, your favorite position is first slip! Outside cricket, I wonder if you are making the first slip!!

When you bat, you are, and, we are elated to watch your straight drive!  In politics, can you drive straight?

In a match, if you lose the toss, you can still win the game!  In party politics, if you don’t match with the team even for a genuine reason, you will go for a toss!!

For good on-field behavior and sportsmanship, you will be given fair play award!  Can you recall when was the last time fair play was observed in parliament?

Millions of children have taken you for a role-model because you are a  champion!  Can you show one role model in today’s politics? Can you cite at least one family advising their children to follow any one in politics?

You are a national obsession and every word you utter and every move you make will be minutely scrutinized.  All along, India as a whole has been following you  beyond parties and politics.  Sooner than later when you join a political party, you will be disappointing a fair portion of the nation.

Ensure your innocence and integrity is intact, which will be under tremendous pressure! Hard earned fame and glory!! Take care there is no dent!!!

Some quarters echo that cricketers in politics is far better than politicians in cricket! It is perfectly fair that it is your individual right and privilege of what to do or undo.  But the people of India has seen you not just as an impeccable individual, but an institution. You have set such high standards, it is difficult and disappointing to accept you as a politician!

I hope, Sachin as a cricketer prevails over Sachin as a politician!

All the very best for your new debut!

Take guard! Right Arm Over!! Play……..

Regards /C.S. Krishnamurthy

http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2012/08/catches-win-matches-yet-fielder-is.html
http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2012/08/book-mark-rahul-dravid-timeless-steel.html

Celebrities are social leaders!

Are we to congratulate Mr. Sharukh  Khan for being the proud franchisee winning owner of Kolkatta Knight Riders in the recently concluded IPL Edition-5 or to reject him for exhibiting his outburst and indulging in misbehaviour in public?  It is even more surprising to see Mr. Khan in such a state, as generally he is known for his people-friendly mannerisms and who is invariably familiar of carrying himself in an exuberant manner in public.

We live in a world where boorish behavior is captured and amplified, particularly when the boors are our heroes and celebrities. Then they issue an apology and all is forgotten.  Is this new?  All this would be just media noise if these people weren’t  such role-models to our children/youth. You can endlessly perpetuate the sensational element behind such episodes. Media are happy, their channels are busy with continuous assignments, people have free entertainment (if not a movie, a sort of reality show!).

Do you embrace them, talk about them and invite debate? Or just ignore and move on? After all, the next news will be ever ready.  In fact when this news broke, people started slowly forgetting the RCB Player Luke Pomersbach and the American lady episode. Celebrities make news, good, bad or ugly. If the news is bad or ugly, the readership and viewership immensely and instantly multiplies.

When celebrities fall short, more when it comes to the stature of Mr. Khan, it affects nearly a whole generation of youth.  If only had Mr. Khan come forward to immediately tender an open apology to the authorities taking ownership of the  incident, not only the controversy would have instantly ended, he would have earned tons of love and goodwill of millions of fans and fellow country-men.  Make no mistake. King Khan is an icon to reckon with. People are likely to imitate the behavior which they associate with success or successful people.

For instance, half the kids who start smoking do so because they see it in movies. Make an announcement that you are bidding adieu to smoking! See the impact it would make on your fan-following!

We are also witness to a great deal of celebrities who have put huge amount of time, money and resources into charity work.  Bill Gates,  Azim Premji,  Rakesh Jhunjhunwala …  always come to mind instantly when it comes to positive celebrity.

 “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”.

CUSTOMER DELIGHT

Cheques meant for someone else get deposited in your account or vice versa, dividend warrants go astray, account balances on the ATM terminal are wrong and overstate or understate the actual by thousands of rupees, cheques get bounced and are re-credited with no explanation and the Internet banking facility is so full of glitches that one can never be sure how far one can trust the replies one gets on the paperless mail.  None of this is mere speculation or hypothesis but based on actual happenings. If one cannot be sure of reasonably immediate attention and a fair hearing from bank officials, one should not be surprised to see irate customers bad-mouthing the bank.

Has the combination of high technology and competition in financial services in particular served us well as customers? Has it truly introduced a service orientation amongst those staff who manage the various points of contact between the company and the general public? The answers to these questions depend upon your personal experience with institutions such as banks, hotels, airlines, railways, which in turn seems to be largely a matter of luck.

Global competition today is fierce, and customers who are merely satisfied with the products and services of an organization will soon be lured away by competition.  If you need to stand up to the competition and retain your customer base, you need to move beyond “satisfaction” to discover and fill each customer’s essential needs.  So customer service is steadily being attempted to be replaced by customer delight.

Two most fundamental requirements for creating delight—a thorough understanding of customers’ expectations and the commitment of service providers. Companies who fail to make customer delight a part of their business strategy will quickly be overrun by those who embrace this concept and make it an essential part of their daily lives. That means that not only organizations, but also every department within them must understand the principles of what delights their customers and eliminate anything that causes pain.

The trouble with banks which catch the limelight with high key advertising and glossy, plush offices are the ones that find the smaller savings bank account holder a thankless job to deal with, from their business point of view and at times deal with him in a cavalier way. The returns on the time spent on the individual customer must seem trivial in comparison with the lucrative large corporate accounts. Even less attractive is the prospect of dealing with the daily aches and pains of the retail customers due to myriad faults and slips that seem inevitable in transactions running into millions.

Some companies measure customer satisfaction daily and rewards its staff monthly for exceeding customer satisfaction targets.  Short term cost reduction and profit maximization decisions often outweigh investment in service levels and customer satisfaction, turning out to be a myopic view.

If you are serious about the importance of satisfied customers, you need to have objective measures of the extent to which you are succeeding.  Feedback from customer contact staff is very useful, but it may not be objective.  Monitoring complaints is essential.  Not all dissatisfied customers complain, and even if they did, a complaints measure provides no indication of the extent to which you are satisfying and retaining the customer who are for complaining.  It is also an established fact that satisfied customer do defect.  Being a good service provider alone is not enough.  Today’s customer decide whether the value delivered by your business is better than they could provide elsewhere.

A customer satisfaction programme must be launched in every unit/branch of the organization, which will enable to: 1) understand how customers perceive your organization and whether your performance meets their expectations. 2) Identify priorities for improvements in performance. 3) Pinpoint “understanding gaps” where your own staff have a misunderstanding of customers’ priorities or their ability to meet customer’s needs. 4) Set goals for service improvement and monitor progress against a customer satisfaction index. 5) Benchmark your performance against that of other organization. 6) Increase profits through improved customer and loyalty and retention.

Satisfaction is customer’s perception that his expectations have been met or surpassed.  You buy something and you expect it to work properly.  If it does, you are satisfied.  If it does not, you are dissatisfied.  Now, it is up to the seller to find a way to fix the problem so that you can become satisfied. Satisfied customer buy more, and more often.  It is a simple truth.  Quality, service, satisfaction and retention all are important in a distinct way.  Your main goal should be to produce a satisfied and loyal customer who will stay with you over time.  Quality and service are the means to the ends of satisfaction and retention.  

Superior customer service and quality performance that result in customer delight can only be provided by competent, quality people.  After hiring, train them extensively to provide superior customer service.  Once trained, compensate them well. One may be aware of the costs associated with losing a customer and acquiring the new ones.  The same formula holds goods true for recruiting, hiring and training new staff.  The acquisition costs can be staggering.  Finally empower your people to make decisions and do the right thing to satisfy your customer. The staff should not look for you or a manager every time a customer asks a question.  There are stories about empowered employees whose decisions that were against the company policy but that satisfied and retained a customer, with the end result of both the customer and the business winning.

At times, we come across instances, where a few  relationship managers, stressed with approaching deadlines, give false promises, unable to deliver, ultimately lose customers.  No doubt they are able to grab the next.  In the bargain, professionalism and reputation become the primary casualty. Also. If you need to deliver delight, it is not only the role of the Relationship Managers and their support Customer Service Officers, but those working in the back office should also show same level of zeal and commitment.  Every back office employee should initially be posted in the branch to have a first hand experience of the customer expectations and the responsive service that accompanies to make a perfect harmony.