Companionship... it matters to everyone.. at every age.

Recently I learnt how fulfilling it is, to have companionship. It is a different experience that brings smile on your face. And while I was smiling, I just realized that difficult it becomes for our single parents to live without a companion, that too at that stage of their life when you need your companion the most. Most of us have had one heart break in life and some have multiple. If you are one of those, why don’t you flash back your memory and think of how you felt then. And also think of your age; chances are you could be fairly young that time. You had ample opportunity to find love again. Now I’d urge you to think of your single parent – your widow mother or widower father. It could be your grandparent or any aunt/uncle as well. If you empathize with them, you would be able to understand how difficult it is for them to cope up with that loneliness. Especially in a country like India, where finding a companion in old age is considered to be a taboo if not a sin.

So what is it that we can do in such situation? The answer I guess is simple – be with them to fulfill the void they feel within. You never know how much time do they have with them… whatever time they have, make it happy for them. There are many ways to do that.

• For the starters, greet them every morning, touch their feet if you believe in it
• Call them during the day from your college/workplace to check on how they are doing
• Ask them if they need anything that you can get while returning from office
• Spend some time with them in person preferably everyday. You could ask them how did they spend their day
• Ask them about their health
• Keep an eye on their medications, wardrobe, kitchen and ensure those needs are attended
• Buy them surprise gifts, even if the monetary value is minimal
• If you can, then buy a red rose; as they say that a red rose is a symbol of love… express it to the one who has always loved you and will continue to love you unconditionally. Trust me, it will touch their heart and will only add to their love for you

As I write this blog, I’m in the flight en route to my hometown. I am going to buy a red rose for my mom..

Try out these or any other means. Express your love and gratitude and more importantly make them feel special. Enable them fill the void they feel… don’t be just a son or daughter or son-in-law or daughter-in-law…. Be a companion to them. They’ve always been yours all your life. 

Why I love Ritz Carlton

How many times has it happened that you stay in a more luxurious and known hotel, yet you miss being in the another hotel... with me...every time I’ve not stayed at the Ritz Carlton when I’m in Bangalore. Here’s why.

This was my 3^rd stay at the hotel and I approached the reception desk in a drowsy and exhausted state coughing all along and that’s when began my connect with the hotel or should I say a place that’s more like home. I requested at check-in if a steam inhaler could be sent to my room. To my delight, I didn’t just get that but some oil capsules which must be dripped in the water to that helps in inhalation, throat lozenges and the manager accompanying the housekeeping person asking if there’s anything else they could do for me…. Truly touching. Now you may say, “oh it’s there duty and you are paying for service” … really am I paying for someone to come to my room with throat lozenges and other medication…. More importantly the concern and care that was displayed… am I really paying for it? The three days I spent at the hotel were nothing like staying in a hotel; it was like staying in hotel with the comfort of family around you. At every meal, I had at the restaurant, the staff went out of its way to prepare special dishes and hot beverages for me that would soothe my throat. Mind you, I didn’t pay for any of it… despite those preparations not being a part of the buffet. To top it all, the duty manager goes out his way to arrange a complimentary airport drop to ensure I reach the airport safe and sound just because he knew I wasn’t keeping well… this and all of the above I what I find truly touching.

One might think that all the concern and care was because of I was not well and would have been a one-off incident. So here it is; how many times do you see in a hotel that:

·         Your favorite garlic pickle is always there on your table in the restaurant as soon as you sit

·         An extra floor mat is laid out in the bathroom coz the hotel knows you like it

·         Your favorite dessert, which even if is not a part of the buffet is offered to you without any extra charge

·         The chef comes over to you and hands over a box of your favorite garlic pickle for you to take it with you at the time of check-out

·         The front office executive who always welcomes me stays beyond his office hours to ensure I’m greeted well at the time of check in and also escorts you to your cab at the time of check-out

Do you really think I pay for all of the above. The Ritz Carlton, Bangalore is a beautifully done up hotel – very chique and contemporary. However, it is not the infrastructure or the designs or the long corridors or the elaborate spread in the restaurant, it is the Ladies and Gentlemen of Ritz Carlton who touch your heart everytime you interact with them. They take such good care of you and that they leave a lasting impression on you mind and heart. They make you fall in love with them and the brand.

God bless them all and God bless Ritz Carlton… truly truly love it.  

The T&E Automation Wave: What it means … and why you should be a part of it

Did you know that using an automated travel and expense management solution cuts booking fees by 79%? That’s a significant cost-saving¹! Also, as much as 41% of time can be saved in completing expense reports.

T&E automation is a big part of the latest technology wave which is set to put the nation on a fast track to success—especially with the support of the country’s new leadership. Technology and automation have become a top priority as we connect every Indian school to the Internet, incorporate railway e-ticketing, provide mobile based wakeup calls for passengers and offer Wi-Fi services at stations as well as in select trains!

Optimism is at its peak, and positive results are expected as both corporations and individuals are welcoming the change. Long-term developments may take some time, but your business can benefit from automation now—starting with expense management.

Why? Because using manual processes for expense management can be time consuming and often result in errors. So the answer, of course, is automation. It eliminates the approval-cost-approval loop while simplifying travel bookings as well as expense submission.

Here are the top six benefits of expense automation:

1. Save time during the approval process.

Businesses often involve sudden travel plans — and — the process of research and approval can further delay planning, resulting in very expensive last-minute bookings. With an automated travel and expense management solution, employees can quickly and easily change or book flights, hotel rooms, taxis, etc. The system creates an itinerary including the costs involved, and it can be sent to the manager for approval from anywhere. If approved, the trip can then be booked automatically!

2. Stay in compliance via a designated booking tool.

Many companies require employees to book only through a corporate travel-booking tool or designated travel management company (TMC). An automated travel and expense management system makes it easy to offer just those options that align with a company’s policy.

3. Submit receipts on the go.

Employees need not carry every single receipt collected during their trip, anymore! Automated expense management solution enables them to capture their expenses either via a mobile app or online. They simply need to click images of their receipts and route the expense claim for approval, electronically. This reduces the time for the business traveller to complete expense claims as they can do it all on the road.

4. Anywhere, anytime approvals.

Managers can access expense receipts and claims easily on their mobile device or any computer with internet access — no matter where they are in the world. The claim is then routed electronically to the finance team for further processing, thus saving a great deal of time.

5. Avoid duplication of work.

An automated expense management solution eliminates the need to re-key the data. Data submitted by employees and approved by managers can simply be integrated with their financial system to allow them to process payments and keep their general ledger up-to-date. The receipts can then be archived and accessed as needed.

6. Faster reimbursements.

Delayed reimbursements only result in irritating employees and decreasing productivity. On the other hand, automated expense management helps speed up reimbursements.

According to research, using an end-to-end travel and expense management system reduces expense processing costs by 51% and allows for more accurate monitoring.

So bid adieu to manual processes, and hop on the automation wave!

Learn more about Concur on www.concur.co.in

https://www.concur.co.in/blog/the-te-automation-wave-what-it-means-and-why-you-should-be-a-part-of-it/

Pause. Think. Re-start.

Pause. Think. Re-start...

Three different words; however if brought together and put to practice can change lives for better. Wondering why... let me share a small story. I travel to office by local train. Every day while returning from office, I walk for a kilometer from my office to the train station. Man! I walk fast, and that’s a routine. It is only one day that my colleague accompanied me and took a turn on a street that I discovered was a short cut to the station. Over the next couple of days, I realized that I can save about 3 minutes if I take the short cut. It is then that it struck me...why is it that we keep running in our lives without really thinking. My sole aim was to catch the earliest train. I was so obsessed with the route I followed that all I cared about was walking faster. I never paused to think if there is an alternative route.  

And that’s where I think this is a powerful combination… Pause. Think. Re-start. 

We get so used to the routine or a single way of doing things that we forget to pause and think out of the box and then we complain of monotony and boredom. A lot of us crib about our jobs or the sales figures or our marriage. Whatever be your problem, these are all symptom of deficiency of vitamin P, T & RJ. 

When is a right time to pause… at times there are visible and obvious cracks and at times, we need to dwell deeper to identify them. The visible ones are those where we complain. The deeper ones are those where others complain. In either case, ask yourself and think are you working in the right direction. 

For example, you are not getting sales. May be you are not targeting the low hanging fruits to begin with or you are targeting the wrong prospects or you are not understanding their real concern and addressing them. Instead you are probably talking what you have with you and not what they want. It could be an issue of positioning it differently. 

Similarly in your marriage, pause and think what is killing the spark. Identify her expectations, what is it that she likes and dislikes about you? What is it that brings a smile on her face? Instead of expecting her to make changes, take the initiative to find what change she expects from you. Make the move my friend. Do a few things the way she likes it and see the difference. Do something differently. For instance, we use social media to build our social network, use it to re-build your marriage. We are all on FB these days, find out what has she liked or what she is discussing… mind you, don’t stalk her there. Do it to know what she likes that you don’t know. Take eating out as an example. Find out if there is any restaurant she has liked or commented or following. For a change, take her there. Once you do so, look at the difference it will make to her. You will immediately see the glow and surprise on her face. There are many such small things you can do to bring back the spark. All you need to do is pause a little, think over and then re-start. 

I’m telling you this principal applies to all walks of life and situations… identify yours, apply it and see the difference for yourself.

Advertising alone is not the answer to all sales problems

Some brands often commit the mistake of thinking that advertising heavily or anyhow will solve their problems. However, what they forget is that aggressive advertising alone does not suffice. Let us take the example of Quikr. Currently, Quikr is advertising heavily in the hope that it will draw mileage from the IPL fever. Personally, I find it one of the most meaningless ad campaigns in recent times. The campaign is picking on those players who did not have any takers in the IPL auction. It is claiming that if the same player was a commodity and put up on Quikr for sale, it would have sold easily and quickly. Need I say how disgraceful an ad it is and how desperate an attempt it is to regain its market share?

What Quikr needs to understand is that it is not advertising, rather meaningless advertising that will help it. It is the product itself that will fetch it the much needed customer traction. While we talk of Quikr, it is imperative that we talk of its nearest competitor, Olx that might soon surpass it. 

Let’s draw a little comparison between the two.

In India, Olx was launched in 2006 whereas Quikr in 2008. However, Olx re-positioned itself in 2010 with a massive ad campaign – “Bech De” promoting the idea of selling old items in a hassle-free manner.

Performance

·         User base – Quikr currently has 24 million visitors each month whereas exact stats of Olx are not available. However, the company claimed to have 8 million visitors per month a year ago – 3 times more than what it had in 2010

·         Search results – For a two-wheeler (both motorcycle and scooter) in Mumbai: Quikr – 4,132 results; OLX – 11,919 results

·         Relevance of results – Both sites offer a search bar on the top. On both sites, one can filter the results on various parameters; however Olx offers more criteria that further helps in deriving more relevant results

·         Mobile Apps – Google Play as of May 10: Quikr – 4.1 (with 1,652 reviews) and around 500,000 installs in the past 30 days; Olx – 4.3 (with 15,870 ratings) and around 1,000,000 installs in the past 30 days

There are more parameters on which Olx appears to be performing better. However the point is not who is performing better, but why it is performing better. At this stage, you may also note that my intent here is not to prove one better over the other. Olx and Quikr are mere examples. The key message I’m trying to communicate here is that aggressive advertising alone does not solve all sales related issues. There are many other factors that contribute to increase of market share. Continuing with the same example, let me tell you why I think Olx is better and poised to overtake Quikr.

Reasons for better performance of Olx

·         Better user interface – it is much easier to post an ad on Olx than Quikr

·         Instant gratification – as soon you submit your ad, you can actually view the ad, which gives you an immediate sense of gratification and something tangible to see, whereas on Quikr, you wonder where your ad is. You have to navigate to identify your ad

·         Premium services – Quikr constantly pokes you to subscribe to its premium services during and after the posting process; which quite frankly is annoying for the seller as well as the buyer

·         Junk listing – while searching for ad listings on Quikr, one often observes a long list of premium ads on the top of the page. This long list is generally of premium ads by traders of new commodities than actual sellers of used commodities. Need I say how annoying it is to find traders on a site wherein you are looking for real sellers of used commodities?

·         Chronological listing of ads – another downside of the premium services is old ads featuring on the top of the list, thereby leading to more confusion than clarity on Quikr. Olx on the other hand has little such ads and mainly maintains the chronological order of ad listings

There would definitely be more reasons than the ones mentioned above behind the success of Olx. However as mentioned above, the Quikr – Olx examples only goes on to prove that you need something much more than mere aggressive advertising to re-gain your share or develop it. Olx identified the challenges, consumers were facing with Quikr. It simply worked on those and ensured its consumers do not face the challenges and re-launched itself with a decent ad campaign. The results are for all to see.

As marketers, we need to see what is it about our product that can help the consumers accept it. Ask your product team, what specific features offer a better value to the consumer that the competition doesn’t. Once that is identified, developed and implemented, position it with a great meaningful campaign. That is when advertising will help you address challenges and achieve results.