Spice mobile:After sales service takes out all its spice

Some wise man said "You can fool some people some time,but you cannot fool all the people all the time"

I realized that I got fooled immediately after I took a Spice mobile 1.5 years back-it was the only company offering dual SIM handsets at that time.I had told the shopkeeper that I wanted the mobile for using as a modem for internet connection.I also told him that I had Tata indicom and BSNL SIM and I will be using them for internet.He told me that the mobile will connect with all service providers.The mobile booklet did not give any information on the same.My first shock came when I found that Spice mobile cannot be used for accessing internet via modem/GPRS in both Tata indicom and BSNL.The vendor told that to find out whether its a mobile issue or not,the mobile will have to be sent to Delhi.As Spice has limited own service centers in India and none in Nagpur.After using all my sources it was not a issue with handset but of Spice's tie up with service providers.

Before the warranty got over the keypad of the mobile got  stuck.That is I could not not use any of the keys.Luckily the problem resolved on its own in 24 hours.

I was in Jamshedpur this time.While I tried to use my dual SIM for the first time in six months,I found the phone not registering the GSM SIM.I finally found the service center of Spice. .The service center of Spice in Jamshedpur is "Care Point" which is a combined service center of Sony Ericssion and Spice. 

 

Filthy staircase & stinking corridor to center

                                             
The  service center  is on the first floor of a old building.The stairs leading to it are dingy and foul smell greets you.I could have thought of it as a norm in mobile service centers in Jamshedpur had I not visited Nokia service center which is just 500 mts from the Spice service center.While the Nokia one is spacious,clean and has adequate space for customer along with mobile charging point and water facility..the Spice one has three chairs and has 80 Sq feet for both customers and staff.There is just a fan which cannot even circulate air there.The technician works in a area which is 20 sq feet in area without a fan.You can actually see then working on your priced phones while clearing the sweat on their brow simultaneously.As soon as I showed the phone to the technician he told me that it was a software problem and will take 100 Rs to fix it.While I was apprehensive about the fact that he was telling me the solution before opening the phone,he assured me that he has seen enough of Spice phones to know their problems.However it comes only with a one month guarantee.My second shock came when the dealer did not even make an attempt to give me any bill.Seeing the rush of customers I too did not bother to obtain it.

Little did I knew  that I would have  to visit the same dis-service center again.Luckily or unluckily it was for a different problem.My mobile key pad had got stuck again.I  cursed myself for not rectifying it under warranty.The scene at the service center was of utter coarse.Customers were on top of each other in an attempt to deposit the handset.The service center was making manual bills taking more than extra time.The reception team had little idea of the instrument problems and kept calling the technicians to explain the same to customers.After 45 min of my handing over the mobile,the technician informed that the keypad needs to be changed and the warranty on the new keypad will be for one month.In an age when all mobile phone manufacturer gives warranty of at least six months(on even battery) post the limited warranty period,one month's warranty is like cheating the customer.This causes doubts on the quality of Spice mobiles. The third shock came when the service center refused to give me the old keypad. I was told that they need to deposit the old keypad back to the company.I have my concerns that the old keypad(if it was actually replaced) could find its way in some other customers mobile.

                          Unorganized reception / Insufficient waiting area

Nokia is quite concerned about electronic waste.So they have bins in their service center urging customers to put their E-waste in locked boxes(which can be opened by company reps) in the service center.They do not keep the customers replaced part with them.As usual,this time too the service center was reclusive in handing over the bill.But I finally took it ,to protect me for at least a month.

In an era when even the likes of Nokia are fighting Chinese and now Indian mobile players like Lava mobile,Spice seems to have lost the story.Even in the dual SIM technology it pioneered,new mobile manufacturer are beating it.Talking about service P's-the concepts of Physical evidence,Process,product....has no meaning for the company.Spice probably thinks that a customer's life time value is the cost of the one mobile handset he brought of Spice.The power of Word of mouth and the benefits of valuing the customer's life time seems useless to the company.It's about time,Indian companies start treating the customers with more respect.

Drops of Joy

One of the best sights if one gets up early morning..and early means real early..even before the sun has risen is to see drops of dew on leaves and flowers.They are fresh and pure.You might think that they are in love with the morning sun..smiling to them as the sun rises.The happiness they bestow to us is contagious, while their beauty  eternal.

While we were working in the placement office today, we felt the same joy.With another month to go before the course finishes we have some people to be placed.Even those who are placed understand the anxiousness of their colleagues.So much so,there are no parties being thrown by those who have got the job.So when today we heard news of job offers for two of our colleagues coming in,the environment in the placement office was that of ecstasy.All present there immersed in their joy.It was no longer the confined to the happiness of the two getting placed but the moment belonged to us too..all those there who were there when this news broke in.

As some wise man said,the real joy comes from  seeing and sharing the happiness of others.Well today was one such moment.It was like an adrenaline injection to those working there, rightly timed to pump them for future efforts.

It no longer mattered who was getting placed but the fact that we could all immerse in the joy of that moment.One had to be there to experience it and guess what, no amount of  money in the world can give one this opportunity ever again.

Tata Steel XLRI Peace Run

People of Jamshedpur came out in large number to participate in the Tata Steel XLRI Peace run on 21 Feb morning at 0700 Hrs. The atmosphere was electrifying and one could see people of all ages and sections of society coming out to show their solidarity and support the cause of Peace. The event was organized by CIIYi of XLRI.
The race had three categories for participation-

Tata Steel XLRI Peace Run Short Route (1 km in distance)

Tata Steel XLRI Peace Run Long Route (5 km in distance)
Among the 5 prizes, three were bagged by GMPians-
1. 1st Men - Shreerang Joshi
2. 1st Women - Deepti Chand

Tata Steel XLRI Peace Run Long Route Group (5 km in distance)
1st Group – Ankit Chordia, Bahvin Dalal, Suraj Kumar Singh

However, we managed to win among the XL group. The real winners were children from Tata Sports Academy who beat even the prize winners in our group comprehensively. Kudos to their spirit! With the faculties, families and students coming out in large numbers, the event was a great beginning to the Sunday.

But in GMP, we not only work hard but party even harder. So the same evening, the winners threw up the party for the batch. The party gave a breather to students reeling under the pressure of placements and studies.

Marketing Strategy for getting Defence deals of India

The purchase of a high involvement product is fairly different from the purchase of a low involvement product. Marketing strategies talk about post purchase dissonance for individual customers but rarely about the dissonance when the customer is a Nation. Incidentally, no government would display any post purchase dissonance due to the fear of facing the nation’s wrath. So a big ticket deal by a developing country does not end up being the dream script of movie writers.

In India, defense deals become a topic of mass consumption only when there are stories of kickbacks associated with them. For the billion plus of Indian population, the wedding at a politician’s residence is a more popular read than a multi billion deal concerning the security of the nation. Many defense equipment manufacturers have been lobbying along with their respective governments to persuade Indian government to buy their products.

In a product as sophisticated as a defense equipment and a deal so complex, is it actually possible to influence the decision makers? Well, I cannot comment on other nations but it is possible in India. A media campaign can create enough fury and flurry of responses to ensure that a Jessica Lal murder case is reopened. A Tata Nano can make the nation feel proud and sell without advertisements. The catch lies in connecting with the ordinary citizens of the Indian Democracy-they react, comment,decide and deliver. Well, India does not take a referendum on defense issues, but once a topic connects emotionally to Indians and comes in media glare, it becomes very difficult for the decision makers to take a decision favoring some Company or nation. Surprising but true, appealing to the emotions of the Indian citizens is the key to strike the defense deals in India.

This brings us to one of the biggest defense deals in the world .The sale of Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft(MMRCA) to India in a deal which can go up to US $ 10.5 billion. The decision makers in this MMRCA deal are the bureaucrats, Indian Air Force and finally the government of India. So is it possible to influence them by marketing? I believe if the Aircraft manufactures want a fair chance, they need to re think their strategies. India defies conventional wisdom when it comes to many a things.So who is the aircraft manufacturer that should be actually worried? The manufactures like Saab from Sweden who is pitched against the likes of Lockheed Martin, backed by the US government.

I will take the case od Saab Company to develop my strategy.The timing could have never been better for Saab. As the deal gets into the ‘Slog overs’ it is the ideal time to fire the final salvo. But guess what, the likes of Saab have to take the battle to the living rooms of India, something unheard of with defense deals. For an average Indian, a MMRCA is like a commodity, he wouldn’t know much about a twin engine or single engine aircraft. But if this uninterested Indian can be influenced, Saab will definitely have a fair chance in the game.

Let me discuss how Saab can plan its marketing and business strategy for clinching the MMRCA deal. Among all the competitors, Saab is a small fry which is facing financial difficulties. Among the six types of aircraft in consideration, only a deal with one of the two-Gripen and F-16 IN can leave India with a consumer surplus against the sanctioned budget of US $10.5 Billion. Amongst all countries in the race, Sweden is the least aggressive ones in selling its case. Indian government may be sensitized into diversifying its risk given that Boeing is now being awarded the contract of C-130 aircrafts. No other defense equipment excites Indians the way a fighter aircraft does. Fighter aircrafts stir emotions in the rich and masses alike in India. I recommend the following objectives of the marketing strategy for Saab-

a) The campaign should portray the legacy of European companies which produces the world’s most coveted automobiles even though they may not be the biggest automobile makers in the world. It should depict Saab as a class apart and how it produces legendary brands which have no correlation with its balance sheet size.

b) Saab should focus on the fact that it wants to offer its best to India and how a relationship with Saab is for a lifetime(Unlike that with US which is susceptible to future sanctions and arm twisting)

c) The campaigns should focus on Saab being portrayed as an underdog amongst the bigger names.

The stepwise plan to implement these objectives -

                                                 Displayed at a bus stop in Delhi

2. Online presence: A new website should be opened up, which should talk about the highlights of Saab’s offer for the deal without going into great deal of technicalities and financials. The website should talk about Saab’s strong lineage and how the present training of pilots in India prepares them for single engine aircrafts. Without mentioning it explicitly, the website should bring out that unlike deals with the US, which can be easily be manipulated by the US and can get into a limbo as a result of US sanctions, Saab offers a partnership for a lifetime. It should also draw attention to the fact that Saab has agreed to transfer of technology with India unlike other players. A contest can be launched, open to students in India. Winners of the contest will be given free ticket to come to Delhi and special passes for the Gripen exhibition.


3. Exhibition: Saab should arrange for a month long display of an actual Gripen aircraft in New Delhi in a prominent exhibition ground, starting 15 days before the actual trial and lasting for a total of one month. In case Saab does not get permission to land and display an actual aircraft, it should attempt to transport a real/full size model to India, even if it involves re assembly of an actual aircraft in India. An event management company should be hired. The Gripen should be made available for display to selected public which include all government officers, bureaucrats, media houses and Defense personnel. They should be given exclusive visitor rights during first 7 days and special slot of 2 hours for the following 3 weeks.

In the remaining 3 weeks, students of premier colleges and schools should be allowed to come for the exhibition after selection through a lucky draw. The journey of Saab and its facilities should be displayed by screening of movie/picture corridor. The visitors should be educated about the world class stature of Saab and Saab’s proposal for the deal. All visitors to the exhibition should be given free gifts like posters/key chains. Needless to say, the exhibition should be covered explicitly by tie up with media and most of the publicity should be generated through public relations and not advertisements. All the clippings of the exhibition should be displayed on Saab’s website and actively advertised on internet on facebook , You tube etc.

4. Public Relations: Ex defence officers of Indian Air Force should be hired to give opinion on the deal on major news channel. These programs are normally automatically aired on the News channel as the day of the deal allocation comes closer. National and regional magazines and Newspapers should be selected to ensure that Saab’s case is published in them.


5. Bollywood magic: Another way of achieving high degree of media publicity is to associate the leading Hindi movie actors of India with Saab’s Gripen. These actors have a cult like following in India. Any news reports which talk about both these association will generate lot of public relations automatically.

6. Competition: There is a strong possibility of the other Aircraft Companies to come up with similar marketing campaigns. Saab should plan the campaign discreetly so that it can have a free run of as many days as possible before other Companies come up with their campaigns. Saab should adequately plan for any negative advertisement campaigns which might come up. Equally important is to ensure that the planned marketing strategy till the exhibition should be successfully implemented lest the government of India comes up with a directive prohibiting advertisements by parties to the defense deals.

All this will entail an expenditure of US $ 25-50 million which can be justified. The Sweden government cannot match the political might of America in lobbying for Saab. The only way Saab can try to clinch this deal is to establish a rapport with the Indian public especially in New Delhi. The campaign will definitely affect the decision makers of the deal but more importantly, it will provide an equal chance to Gripen to get selected.

It is said that When in Rome do what Romans do.Customers be it individuals or Nations need to be influenced into buying a product.Be it for consumables or defence purchases,Branding and effective marketing can make the difference.

State machineries : How concerned are they for our security?

Health ministry

In the US, H1N1 Flu has taken alarming percentage. US is among the few countries for which travel advisory is given to passengers travelling abroad. India has got many deaths from H1N1 flu. THE MAJORITY OF THESE CASES HAVE COME UP BECAUSE OF PEOPLE WHO WERE AFFECTED WITH H1N1 FLU COMING FROM US.

The Indian health ministry says it does effective screening of passengers coming from abroad. To identify whether a person is suffering from H1N1 Flu, his blood sample needs to be taken and checked for which results are available after few days. It is not possible to do so for the large no of passengers coming from abroad. The only thing which the health ministry personnel do at the airport is wear masks and accept a passenger’s self declaration to identify a person who had/may have H1N1 flu. It is very likely the person himself will be unaware of these symptoms and even if he does know, he will hide it from the officials (This actually led to affected patients escaping from health officials and led to spreading of this disease in such major proportion in India).

If the health officials follow these steps, we have a more realistic chance of H1N1 not becoming a epidemic In India-

1. Conduct blood tests of all foreigners coming from abroad(No such test is taken when these foreigners travel from their native countries that is an affected person can easily pass from his/her country.

2. Do the same procedures for all Indians who have spent say greater than three month’s stay in any of the affected countries These people have a greater chance of being affected.

3. Have Infra red sensors installed which detect any abnormality in body temperature.If a passenger shows this symptoms get his blood test done despite what is written on his self – declaration form.

4. Create greater awareness at the airport to the passengers travelling to affected countries by means of posters, travel advisories being displayed prominently in Airport.

5. Last but not the least the health officials should understand the bigger picture in case the disease breaks as an epidemic and not treat this as mere routine.

CISF

At the airport CISF works very diligently. But there focus is on dangerous items being carried on board the aircraft. Little do they realize that any accident in the Airport premises will cause greater damage of life and material as compared to that in the aircraft. CISF does not do any checking of baggage when a person enters the airport. CISF allows any passenger to enter the airport only around 2 hours of departure of domestic flight or little earlier only if the airlines baggage counter inside the airport is open.

They presume that by allowing people to go inside the airport in this time frame will ensure that the passengers will pass their baggage at the X-ray machines immediately and the risk to the airport can be minimized.

They do not realize that any unscrupulous person can choose to go inside and not pass his baggage in the X-ray machine and leave the building leaving his bag behind. This eventuality can happen whether you leave a person 2 or 5 hours inside the airport. However due to this outlook of CISF many a times bonafide passengers who are in transit have to suffer as they are kept waiting for airline counters inside airport to open.

For solving any problem, its root needs to be identified. By just following superficial solutions we might just be putting it under the carpet for some time. The government machinery needs to back up their efforts with foresight and planned actions.

Indira Gandhi International Airport: State of Art or Misery

On my return from US, I landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi developed by GMR.I was pleasantly surprised to see clean lobbies with user friendly services like children’s play area, laptop stations, information centers etc. Indeed GMR group did spend some time and money in designing the airport.
However I felt that the Airport lacked the vision for future in certain areas and also lacked in some of its maintenance and coordination activities.

1. The airport did not have separate toilet earmarked and designed for the handicapped as is the basic norm in all worldwide airports.

2. The laptop stations plug points were non functional and worse the airport authorities were not even aware of it.

3. The conveyor belts did not display the luggage from which flight was moving on them.

4. The drinking water outlets were very few and there were hardly any overhead signboards indicating their location in the airport.

5. As a transit passenger when I moved to domestic terminal in night 12 o clock, I was denied entry into the airport by CISF. They had instructions from their boss(not the Airport manager) for not allowing passengers of a particular flight inside till the airline counter for check in inside the airport was not open .THE CISF could not risk passengers to hang in the airport without their baggage checked in.. On inquiring with the Airport manager I found that he has instructed all Airlines to man their counters for 24 hours. But since the airlines were not following laid down rules he will try to reinforce those orders. Owing to this 100 passengers , for almost 1.30 hours kept standing(little provision to sit} outside the Airport in the cold when we had valid tickets for travel. This is how a customer gets treated when he is even charged a USER DEVELOPMENT FEE!

6. The phone booths can be used with the help of a booth operator. There is no provision of inserting coins and calling up on your own independently of the operator. This is the state at all places where phone booths are there in airport.

7. The airport had no provision for metro/shuttles to reach till the Airport door.(This obviously requires collaboration from various departments) Imagine the plight of sportsmen and others who would land at the airport for common wealth games in 2010 and have to carry their kits to the buses parked in a distant parking spot. The best airports in the world have public transport like shuttles/metro dropping and picking customers from the airport door.

Since the Airport has a feedback mechanism(I used it too)I am hoping things will improve there..atleast those in their control.