It is 3.00 PM and I have already answered close to 80 calls for the day and the day is not yet over. It is one of those days when you really expected a low call volume but it turned out to be a disaster. You can just feel yourself being ripped apart through the day and to hold the spirit of the first call until the end is a real skill. Should say I managed it pretty well with almost three years of experience in the industry. Whatsoever, Customer Delight is the bottom-line and an imperative here.
With this, I go on to answer the next call, but this time from one of the black phones* (IDD).
Gathering energy lost, "HRSSC, How may I assist you?"
Customer (hereinafter addressed as EE): I am Cindy (name changed) from Malaysia.
"Hi Cindy! I am Anand and Can I take down your Peoplewise No*?"
EE gives the number.
"Thanks Cindy and how may I assist you?" while I look up the staff details on the CRM* and Peoplewise*.
EE: I want to take block leave la. Can I take block leave*?
Not expecting any more questions on leave, "Yes, if you have an approval from your Manager.
The policy, indeed says every employee will need to avail a block of privileged leave once a
year."
EE: ok ok…mm..I joined in April...so....can i take block leave la?
Puzzled..."Your privilege leave gets pro-rated based on your joining date and I would request you to speak to your Manager and take his consent before applying for the leave."
EE: What is the policy la?
Policy again?!.... "Well the policy says 10 days or half the entitlement; whichever is lesser can
be availed as block leave."
EE: ok ok….mmm..thank you!
Content already, "Thank you and you have a nice day."
Waiting to hear the click of the receiver but,
EE:…hello..hello…
Wondering what next, I release the mute, "Yes Cindy, can I help you?"
EE: But I did not join in January, so can I take block leave la?
No, not again! Determined to make it definite now, "Cindy, listen, I joined in July, I took block leave. You joined in April so, you also take block leave"
EE: Oh..wow...thank you...thank you...oho! I am happy la!
Convinced with the victory, "You have a great day and great holidays. Thanks for calling!" and I confirmed her closing the call.
In Customer Service, it is always necessary to understand the Customer and do it quick so that he is
happy with yours. I don't know if I did justice on this call, but I am certain, she was delighted at the end and will call for me again.
I had joined in July 2005 and took the call in December. Cindy had joined in April la!
*Black phones – a term used to address landline telephones as against the dialer ones.
*Block leave - an employee is required to avail a min of 10 days or half his privilege leaves entitlement, as leave at a single go, so that he can return to work with the best of health he would have gathered.
*CRM – Customer Relationship Management tool.
*Peoplewise – Employee database and Peoplewise No. is Employee Number.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Felicitation Ball!
One could, by watching the proceedings in the ballroom, for certain be awestruck as it is the felicitation ball organized for the first African-American, the 44th in line, Barack Obama, to become the President of the United States of America, and undoubtedly the most powerful man on earth!
All have gathered - the top senators, the biggies of politics and the rich and famous to grace the occasion. In the midst of these populars is also one proud cook from India who is a special invite and will be the menu bearer for Obama's love for Indian food. As the ball goes on, dinner is served and Obama is simply loving the food. He is thoroughly appreciative of the Cook's skills and speaks volumes of praise for him, while he goes on to continously fill his plate with the lovely delicacies.
With all these praises coming his way, the cook, overwhelmed with joy, takes to befriend Obama, hoping to continue it even after returning to India. With the intent of collecting his email, the cook approaches Obama and tries to engage a dialogue.
The two discuss various matters on Indian food and India and finally, the cook gathering the strength, spills the beans "Barack, Can I have your email". Obama, not expecting this and certain to avoid answering, tries to speak about food but the determined Cook will not let go. So, Obama relents "My email is obama@gov.in". Our man promptly writes it down on his napkin that he carries. Suddenly, Obama yells out "no no, thats not the correct one...here take this one...obama!@#)(*^^%%
$*@in.gov.com" and the cook, with utmost difficulty still manages to get this one also on the piece of cloth.
The cook, with unbearable joy (which will for sure be spread across India), turns and walks away when he overhears Obama tell a friend "the joker won't go easy". Annoyed on hearing this, the cook thinks to himself "I will become a superior power to you one day and that day is not far, Barack" - with this, I woke up on January 21st hearing myself reassuring Obama that I will better him someday, only to realize it was a dream! I laughed it away and started to get ready to work!
Post dream analysis showed; the reason for the Obama episode was, I was glued to the TV the previous night watching him take over as President, USA and was as inspired as any US citizen listening to the master Orator speak. And why was I at all a cook in the story; thats because of my new found love for cooking that I took to since the last ten days!
God bless my Cooking skills and hope my dream comes true!
All have gathered - the top senators, the biggies of politics and the rich and famous to grace the occasion. In the midst of these populars is also one proud cook from India who is a special invite and will be the menu bearer for Obama's love for Indian food. As the ball goes on, dinner is served and Obama is simply loving the food. He is thoroughly appreciative of the Cook's skills and speaks volumes of praise for him, while he goes on to continously fill his plate with the lovely delicacies.
With all these praises coming his way, the cook, overwhelmed with joy, takes to befriend Obama, hoping to continue it even after returning to India. With the intent of collecting his email, the cook approaches Obama and tries to engage a dialogue.
The two discuss various matters on Indian food and India and finally, the cook gathering the strength, spills the beans "Barack, Can I have your email". Obama, not expecting this and certain to avoid answering, tries to speak about food but the determined Cook will not let go. So, Obama relents "My email is obama@gov.in". Our man promptly writes it down on his napkin that he carries. Suddenly, Obama yells out "no no, thats not the correct one...here take this one...obama!@#)(*^^%%
$*@in.gov.com" and the cook, with utmost difficulty still manages to get this one also on the piece of cloth.
The cook, with unbearable joy (which will for sure be spread across India), turns and walks away when he overhears Obama tell a friend "the joker won't go easy". Annoyed on hearing this, the cook thinks to himself "I will become a superior power to you one day and that day is not far, Barack" - with this, I woke up on January 21st hearing myself reassuring Obama that I will better him someday, only to realize it was a dream! I laughed it away and started to get ready to work!
Post dream analysis showed; the reason for the Obama episode was, I was glued to the TV the previous night watching him take over as President, USA and was as inspired as any US citizen listening to the master Orator speak. And why was I at all a cook in the story; thats because of my new found love for cooking that I took to since the last ten days!
God bless my Cooking skills and hope my dream comes true!
First day, First show!
It is the day I was hoping for with anticipation and desperation; the joy I had since it was first announced, is beyond words to describe. 6.00 AM and I wake up with the fullest support of my body clock which cannot fail, given the excitement that has been stored in it for a long time now. I open my eyes only to capture what is engraved on the ceiling - ah, yes! that's what I wanted to see. I roll over to face the bed only to hug as much of what is spread on it. Voila! - on the ceiling and bedspread, that's my Childhood hero posing for a photograph with his left knee and right foot on the floor, his fingers (right hand) clinching his chin - wow! He is the best!
I jump out of my bed, realizing it is time to go. Today, I will be wearing my favorite clothes, my black jacket and jeans, goggles and shoes, as an expression of my mood. With great merriment to follow, I get ready for the celebration - yes, I am set to go! I light my cigarette, turn on my ipod and board my thunder bullet - a thundering sound as I cruise my way through the narrow streets of Triplicane, not without the music meant for the hour...yes..vroom I go! "Baasha Paaru Baasha Paaru from Baasha - a thunderous number for a thunderous moment! I am at Mount Road and I find myself sing along with SPB...Ivan perukullae gantham undu, unmaithanada...ha ha ha!
Moments later, I reach where I am destined to be for the day, the day that is the true Diwali for millions across the world, the day when we rise like tides and proceed like the waves of the ocean, the day when we stand taller than the tallest of mountains, the day when we unite with a force as strong as the roots of mountain rocks, the ultimate day!
Here I am at the Albert Theatre, the stage set for the magic to happen and just outside it - men on bullock carts with life-size hoardings of the man of the hour, shouting slogans in praise parade their way on the Station Road - wow! It’s an unbelievable sight. In another corner, just beneath one of the biggest hoardings at the venue, men have gathered for a worship of their lifetime and they go in circles offering their prayers to the Legend, with a few other staunch followers atop the hoarding trying to offer their respects by bathing it with milk! Such is the exodus joy at the Albert on this auspicious day.
Content witnessing the celebration, I force myself into the thick crowds and finally manage to get into the cinema hall. All I can now hear is a constant roar of the masses while I try to vaguely remember if I had parked my bullet to safety..ah..now who cares! Here it is in front of me..what I wanted to be a part of and I am enjoying it. Minutes pass as I wait with excitement, but there is no stopping the celebrations going on!
Finally, the wait for the occasion is over, and there on the screen appears the Thalaivar* of many, the man with the most number of registered fan clubs in the world (exceeds 53000), the only star - who can pull crowds to the theatre like no other can, whose movies are always hits - even his not-so-hit ones make it bigger than hits of others, the one who has a magical pull on people that every other envies, who is worshiped as God by millions and is the ultimate Force and the only Superstar on earth!
Yes that's the Demi-God, Rajnikanth and I sit there watching him, with tears in my eyes for 2 and a half hours, with undisturbed attention despite the incessant roaring of the disciples! I come out and start feeling a mild ache in the head and realize it is because of the downpour of coins while inside, by a group of ardant fans from the balcony seats, which came straight for our heads. Ah, the pain is disappeared the very next second as I start to think of what I had experienced just then! I walk ahead in search of my bike!
PS: ‘Thalaivar’ means the 'Leader' that his fans address him with affection.
The year was 1995 when BAASHA, the movie was released. I was in my 10th class and it was the release day of the movie and also the day prior to my exams. Oops! My parents knew that I had left to my friend’s to study while I had gone to watch it ‘First Day First Show’ - a show exclusively for Fan Clubs that starts at 7.00 AM
Some of the above mentioned are imaginary viz., the bullet, the ipod and the place, though I actually commuted only by my bicycle and the place was Pondicherry. The celebrations mentioned are real!
I jump out of my bed, realizing it is time to go. Today, I will be wearing my favorite clothes, my black jacket and jeans, goggles and shoes, as an expression of my mood. With great merriment to follow, I get ready for the celebration - yes, I am set to go! I light my cigarette, turn on my ipod and board my thunder bullet - a thundering sound as I cruise my way through the narrow streets of Triplicane, not without the music meant for the hour...yes..vroom I go! "Baasha Paaru Baasha Paaru from Baasha - a thunderous number for a thunderous moment! I am at Mount Road and I find myself sing along with SPB...Ivan perukullae gantham undu, unmaithanada...ha ha ha!
Moments later, I reach where I am destined to be for the day, the day that is the true Diwali for millions across the world, the day when we rise like tides and proceed like the waves of the ocean, the day when we stand taller than the tallest of mountains, the day when we unite with a force as strong as the roots of mountain rocks, the ultimate day!
Here I am at the Albert Theatre, the stage set for the magic to happen and just outside it - men on bullock carts with life-size hoardings of the man of the hour, shouting slogans in praise parade their way on the Station Road - wow! It’s an unbelievable sight. In another corner, just beneath one of the biggest hoardings at the venue, men have gathered for a worship of their lifetime and they go in circles offering their prayers to the Legend, with a few other staunch followers atop the hoarding trying to offer their respects by bathing it with milk! Such is the exodus joy at the Albert on this auspicious day.
Content witnessing the celebration, I force myself into the thick crowds and finally manage to get into the cinema hall. All I can now hear is a constant roar of the masses while I try to vaguely remember if I had parked my bullet to safety..ah..now who cares! Here it is in front of me..what I wanted to be a part of and I am enjoying it. Minutes pass as I wait with excitement, but there is no stopping the celebrations going on!
Finally, the wait for the occasion is over, and there on the screen appears the Thalaivar* of many, the man with the most number of registered fan clubs in the world (exceeds 53000), the only star - who can pull crowds to the theatre like no other can, whose movies are always hits - even his not-so-hit ones make it bigger than hits of others, the one who has a magical pull on people that every other envies, who is worshiped as God by millions and is the ultimate Force and the only Superstar on earth!
Yes that's the Demi-God, Rajnikanth and I sit there watching him, with tears in my eyes for 2 and a half hours, with undisturbed attention despite the incessant roaring of the disciples! I come out and start feeling a mild ache in the head and realize it is because of the downpour of coins while inside, by a group of ardant fans from the balcony seats, which came straight for our heads. Ah, the pain is disappeared the very next second as I start to think of what I had experienced just then! I walk ahead in search of my bike!
PS: ‘Thalaivar’ means the 'Leader' that his fans address him with affection.
The year was 1995 when BAASHA, the movie was released. I was in my 10th class and it was the release day of the movie and also the day prior to my exams. Oops! My parents knew that I had left to my friend’s to study while I had gone to watch it ‘First Day First Show’ - a show exclusively for Fan Clubs that starts at 7.00 AM
Some of the above mentioned are imaginary viz., the bullet, the ipod and the place, though I actually commuted only by my bicycle and the place was Pondicherry. The celebrations mentioned are real!
Opening Ceremony!
Hugely challenging it was to overcome stage fear, common amongst most of us, at every event I took to participating at School. Thanks to my Aunt, with whose guidance I had already succeeded by winning prizes in the various speech, elocution and singing competitions held. Over the last 9 years at Don Bosco (excluding KG) I was already a regular face on stage. Apart from being the daily News Reader at the daily-morning-Assembly, I was also an active member of the School Choir, who was known to start and end every function, be it the Christmas day or the Annual day Celebrations. Skits and Plays were also part of my plate where-in I have enacted different roles from a ‘flying bird’ to Gandhi (I had shaved then)!
It was at this juncture, I, having established myself as a boy with no stage fear (at least pretended), along with two friends planned to go on stage, this time with a song for one of the biggest functions at School. It was the Opening Ceremony of the new building we were to get in 1994, ten years after the School was first started. Everyone was so excited about the event for one, we were moving into a real building from under the thatched roofs we used to be. So, we decided, we will perform ‘I can’t help falling in love with you’ from the band UB40. We started by assigning responsibilities – my friend Marie will play the keyboard, Ranjith with the Guitar will join me as the second vocalist. We were set!
The first prompt act was to take a blanket approval from the ‘Father*’ to skip classes in order to rehearse. He, knowing us pretty well, with much reluctance approved. The rest of our classmates envied in our success, but we were determined to make the most of it.
So, we started by arranging for the instruments to be brought to School. We got them fixed at a room which was one of the hide-outs we used at times of painful School March Past drills, so as to evade being fried in the scorching heat. It was where the Table Tennis board used to be kept and we used to call it the favorite TT room.
Several days passed on practice sessions some of which was used to stealthily playing Table Tennis, our favorite pass time then. But I should say, we truly put our heart and soul into this song which was going to be our first as a ‘Band’ as we wanted it to be formed and carried on thereafter. We practiced several hours a day with the Grand event fast approaching!
It was then we got a call from Father. We were to perform our number in his midst as a final rehearsal for the event. He will approve of it for us to go on stage. We were to come to School the following Saturday and perform. We got nervous!
Saturday - Gathering courage and strength, we got on to the stage; we set up the guitar, the keyboard and connected them to the speakers. We had little time to check the speakers as Father had already arrived with the event manager, quickly grabbed a chair and said “Ok, lets go, lets hear what you have”.
The three of us looked at each other with puzzled faces and agreed, the moment was there in front of us and we have to win it. We heard ourselves say, “Let’s go”. The percussion guitar went first, followed by the keyboard and I heard myself singing the first line….and then the second, but baffled to see the second vocalist with his lips moving but not producing sounds. I thought to myself “Dude, we were fine all this while. Now, what’s wrong?” Suddenly, we realized a lot of things were far away from the way we had planned but we continued setting them right as we went on. After much of staring at him, Vocalist 2 joined me hesitantly and by now the song had taken a detour from the original tune. Though we tried desperately to bring it back to its true glory, we had reached the last verse of it and before we could realize, we were done!
We eagerly looked at Father’s face whose look by this time had turned from a strange curiosity to relief. It seemed though he already knew the results even before we started and without much hesitation he uttered to the event manager “Good show! Make sure you have this for the Closing Ceremony” and walked away.
We blamed each other for the disaster and understood by the looks all three carried that the idea of the ‘Band’ was at jeopardy!
It was the year 1994 and we were preparing ourselves for the Opening Ceremony of the new building at School and this incident went on to be one of the most embarrassing moments of our lives. We laughed about it for many years after.
* Father – Priest who runs Catholic Schools.
It was at this juncture, I, having established myself as a boy with no stage fear (at least pretended), along with two friends planned to go on stage, this time with a song for one of the biggest functions at School. It was the Opening Ceremony of the new building we were to get in 1994, ten years after the School was first started. Everyone was so excited about the event for one, we were moving into a real building from under the thatched roofs we used to be. So, we decided, we will perform ‘I can’t help falling in love with you’ from the band UB40. We started by assigning responsibilities – my friend Marie will play the keyboard, Ranjith with the Guitar will join me as the second vocalist. We were set!
The first prompt act was to take a blanket approval from the ‘Father*’ to skip classes in order to rehearse. He, knowing us pretty well, with much reluctance approved. The rest of our classmates envied in our success, but we were determined to make the most of it.
So, we started by arranging for the instruments to be brought to School. We got them fixed at a room which was one of the hide-outs we used at times of painful School March Past drills, so as to evade being fried in the scorching heat. It was where the Table Tennis board used to be kept and we used to call it the favorite TT room.
Several days passed on practice sessions some of which was used to stealthily playing Table Tennis, our favorite pass time then. But I should say, we truly put our heart and soul into this song which was going to be our first as a ‘Band’ as we wanted it to be formed and carried on thereafter. We practiced several hours a day with the Grand event fast approaching!
It was then we got a call from Father. We were to perform our number in his midst as a final rehearsal for the event. He will approve of it for us to go on stage. We were to come to School the following Saturday and perform. We got nervous!
Saturday - Gathering courage and strength, we got on to the stage; we set up the guitar, the keyboard and connected them to the speakers. We had little time to check the speakers as Father had already arrived with the event manager, quickly grabbed a chair and said “Ok, lets go, lets hear what you have”.
The three of us looked at each other with puzzled faces and agreed, the moment was there in front of us and we have to win it. We heard ourselves say, “Let’s go”. The percussion guitar went first, followed by the keyboard and I heard myself singing the first line….and then the second, but baffled to see the second vocalist with his lips moving but not producing sounds. I thought to myself “Dude, we were fine all this while. Now, what’s wrong?” Suddenly, we realized a lot of things were far away from the way we had planned but we continued setting them right as we went on. After much of staring at him, Vocalist 2 joined me hesitantly and by now the song had taken a detour from the original tune. Though we tried desperately to bring it back to its true glory, we had reached the last verse of it and before we could realize, we were done!
We eagerly looked at Father’s face whose look by this time had turned from a strange curiosity to relief. It seemed though he already knew the results even before we started and without much hesitation he uttered to the event manager “Good show! Make sure you have this for the Closing Ceremony” and walked away.
We blamed each other for the disaster and understood by the looks all three carried that the idea of the ‘Band’ was at jeopardy!
It was the year 1994 and we were preparing ourselves for the Opening Ceremony of the new building at School and this incident went on to be one of the most embarrassing moments of our lives. We laughed about it for many years after.
* Father – Priest who runs Catholic Schools.
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