Saturday, July 12, 2008

Gone to SAP Summit 2008

Last Thursday (10/7) me and Ah Bi was going to SAP Summit. The venue was KL Convention Center. Ah Bi wanted to listen to SME Business forum where a Taiwan speaker Mr Zhang Hong Zhi on Internet Marketing in the afternoon. So, we arrived at 9.05 am. As I've registered via the internet earlier, I was able to collect my tags while Ah Bi proceed to register on site. To my surprise, Ah Bi was denied the registration ! Ah Jue was disappointed that they denied the registration simply because the position was Internet Marketer and without a company name. I guess those registration folks really see people by their title instead of intention. Ah Jue then proceed to reason with them why they denied the registration. They told us that she can only go in as a public in the afternoon. I voiced my dissatisfaction and finally they allowed Ah Bi to register. We then proceed to view the exhibition and listen to the intro, keynote, thought leadership and Sin Chew success story session.

We went off to register to SME business forum session on 11am after we get our initial info from those registration staff. After arriving there, people from the counter recommend us to come back at 1pm. Another issue of communication between group I guess. After 1pm arrived, we register our name for the SME business forum. Ah Jue was given a book on Eu Yan Sang success story while Ah Jue was queuing at the back. When it's time for Ah Bi turn, they only register her without giving a book. Looks like another discrimination when one register as Internet Marketer. How unfair ! How can we improve when the mentality still at the very primitive stage... At the business forum, we listen to Mr Loke Eng Hock (MD of Eu Yan Sang) on how Eu Yan Sang was innovating over the years to arrive at the current stage where it's in the business of selling gratitude.

All in all, we left at 4.50pm to escape the KLCC jam and we managed to do that.

Moral of the story :
Company see people based on title and not based on actual individual intentions. Is it because Internet Marketer cannot know how SAP work ?

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Nothing fails like success



Hi,

Today is Sunday. As usual Ah Jue had woke up on after 10 in the morning. Thinking that we should have a good breakfast and haven't have something good for a while, I decided that me and Ah Bi should eat our Pork noodle. This noodle stall is inside a coffee shop in Taman Taming Jaya - Jln Taming Kanan 2. There were many tables in that shop. Most of it occupied by patrons eating their breakfast. On those tables that are unoccupied, the plates and leftover was piling up on the table. When Ah Jue approach workers to cleanup those stuff on the table so that we can sit, it was met with Tidak Apa (Don't care) attitude. I guess the shop is having too much business that its completely forgotten about customer service. I decided to wait for another empty table that have not have much leftover to seat there.

In reality, I see that very often in business world. When business is becoming too good, it neglect the very essence of it's own success - the worker who help them, great environment and good food. The owner tend to overwork, underpaid them. They have low morale and tired all the time. Business is not just about profit all the time but include customer service. It includes creating/giving more value to the customer than they expected. Reflect about it, how might our personal life, company we work on, the country we life on had become the victim of it's own success. Try to understand and take appropriate action on your capacity and make it right. Isn't life would be much better to live in ?

As for me, I won't be going to that coffee shop in a near future. They just lost a customer there.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Bank's Good Customer Service!!

Ah Bi went to the Hong Hong Bank Branch at Seri Kembangan area yesterday to pay her insurance premium due to her standing instruction was declined (due to her credit card was cancelled by Pong Pong Bank with to an irrational reason!).

Ah Bi happily drove to the Branch and parked her car steadily. This was her first time visiting Hong Hong Bank. She expected this simple transaction should be settled fast. Her first impression when stepped into the Branch was, wah!! not enough lighting! and though there are about 4 desks and few staffs (she assumed those are the customer service officers) there but they were not friendly and showing the 'tidak apa' attitude as she was looking for some help. Of course she have to open her mouth finally and asked one of the staffs how she can proceed with her payment.

The staff simply answered her question and said 'You just go in la.. go in there la...' , Ah Bi was like???? puzzled a while? go where? any special counter for the transaction or need to take any number??? She asked further and the staff just said ' Ya, take number and wait la...'. OK!!! Ah Bi followed the instruction and quickly ran to the queue system machine to press for a number lor.. Ah Bi thought she will not wait long as there were not many customers waiting at the waiting area.

She got her lucky number 1143 and the number displaying on the electronic board was 1123 at that moment, that means she needs to wait for about 20 persons before her turn. As Ah Bi was working in the Pong Pong Bank before, 20 persons should take around 15 to 20 minutes with few counters opened. Ah Bi decided to wait patiently and doing nothing (because nothing to do...). Ah Bi started to observe the counter service in that branch. There are 4 counters but only 3 are occupied and 2 are operating! The 2 cashiers who were operating the counters were working as slow as the snails. Wow! how come until today these people still never changed to work faster and more efficient! They are wasting customers' time!

Besides their snail slow operations, they do not have proper signage to guide customers for special transactions eg. cheque book collection, foreign worker transactions (or maybe is some money transfer transactions), etc. Ah Bi saw some foreign workers who were started waiting before Ah Bi and later they found out they had taken a different/wrong queue of numbers when they thought it was their turns. That means they had to take their numbers again and keep waiting!! Though they are foreign workers, they deserved respects and proper guidance in doing their transactions! Furthermore there all only 2 counters serving for all kinds of transactions! What is the purpose of having another queue of tickets! To be fair, it should be done via first come first serve basis!

After all, it took Ah Bi an hour sharp to wait for her turn (it was also due to most of the numbers called in between had gone). At this new age, it was such a disappointment on their customer service, and Ah Bi think she won't bank with this bank in future.