Airport Delay

Today I got a sms from a close mate who works for a PR agency. The message read " Airport delayed by 24 hours". Her message was ofcourse in the context of the delay in the launch of the new airport in bangalore.Now that was interesting. This was for the first time I thought airports could be delayed. We have got used to receiving text messages on flight delays,flight cancellation etc but it was interesting to see an airport itself getting delayed. Now how on earth can we blame delayed flights? where will those poor things land? Now the next time we get an sms informing us about flight delays lets not get agitated, but lets spare a thought for the aircrafts. After all where will they land?

After all, the more things change chances are that the more it will remain the same.

If Baalu asks "What is wrong ? Why can't Poongothai too ?

Trust Politics to give media juicy content. The recent resignation of social welfare minister Mrs Poongothai Aladi Aruna from the Tamilnadu cabinet on moral grounds is highly commendable.True the social welfare minister turning a family welfare minister is not ethical or acceptable. She realised this when the story broke and maintained her dignity by putting down her papers. Compare the same with our T R Baalu who turned around and asked 'What is Wrong" Who said Ministers can't be a family welfare minister ? So will he support the social welfare minister and ask her to ask the same question? And what is surprising is the Chief Minister who maintained a silence over the Baalu episode making a statement that he is ashamed. Was he not ashamed when Baalu asked " What is Wrong" The entire Tamilnadu was ashamed perhaps not the Chief Minister. I think a different yardstick applies to State and Centre Politics. Why cant he ask the Union Cabinet Minister to take a leaf out of party colleague and resign. Is it a classic case of gender bias here? Or perhaps it proves once again that politics is not for well educated professionals like Dr Aladi Aruna and its just for people like T R Baalu who are just hungry for power and intersted only in "family" welfare. or perhaps she failed to take proper lessons from Baalu and the Chief Minister !

Vodafone & Customer Service

The other day I dropped into one of the Vodafone shops to pay my bill. In walks a customer with a genuine complaint. He was getting text messages reminding him on his dues whereas he had made the payment about three days back. Our customer friendly Vodafone executive gives an irritated look and tells him to switch off and on the handset. The puzzled customer again asks her how that is going to change things. She hardly gives him a look, stares into the pc monitor and says they must have sent him a text thanking him for the payment and the customer must have misread it or worse he must have not checked the messages properly. How is that an answer from a company and too in a period when it is running its reintroduction of the PUG in its latest commercials and talking about its wonderful customer service, if at all it exists in the corridors of Vodafone.

It was one hell of a shocker to me. As an advertising person it hit me strongly. When employees themselves are unable to take ownership and live by of what the company is communicating why the hell a common man or a customer should believe or trust you? The latest commercial is cute, brilliant, establishes the connect etc, but when you are unable to live the core idea of excellent customer service then you are really taking the consumer for granted. Your money is down the drain.

Perhaps Vodafone can say is that only Pugs help and not humans. So I guess its high time for Vodafone to hire PUGS as customer service executives