Work Life balance Vs Pleasing the customer

I have always been under the impression that in the open western economies like Australia, the customer is always the king. This is true in customer facing sectors like retail but the customer does not matter in common service sectors like Couriers or Telecommunications. These sectors where a visit to the customers location is required is characterized by an ostrich like rigidity, lack of communication and total apathy towards the customer. A couple of my experiences below will illustrate why the customer doesn't matter in these sectors.

I ordered some stuff from Apple and it was dispatched from California via Fedex Express Priority services which cost a bomb. When I tracked the consignment I found that they were "unable to deliver since Customer was not at home"! The courier never made an attempt to call me. When I called up Fedex, I was informed that the couriers do not carry business phones! They advised that I stay at home the next day to enable delivery! I then suggested they deliver it to my office which is half a block away. I was then informed that this constitutes change in address for which i will be charged $16! I totally lost it at this stage and told them that the service was a priority service for which I paid a bomb and the least I can expect was a telephone call as to when they expect to deliver. The girl then told me that they will attempt delivery after 1 pm. I said that is unacceptable and that I too have a job to do and that Fedex is not the only company in the world that works on a tuesday. I finally got a one hour slot and stayed at home to collect it.

If you thought that was bad then consider this one. I ordered a broadband connection froma leading broadband telco for which I also ordered an ADSL2 modem. The modem was promptly dispatched but since I was not at home, the courier was unable to deliver it. They never contacted me but waited for a week and then promptly sent it back to the sender! Such incidents are very common over here. Contrast this with a cheap parcel service from any Indian Courier. The delivery boy would call you up and go to any location you ask him to and deliver it to you. The customer is truly the king in India.

Going back to the installation of the broadband service I was asked to stay at home on a particular day when the technician would come over and install the services. I stayed home all day but no one came or called me. In the evening I recieved a mail that the service has been activated. I assumed that the technician activated the service on the Main Distribution Frame of the apartment and there was no need for him to visit my apartment. When I connected the modem to the telephone wall socket I found that the net connection was not working. I spend atleast 2 hrs with the customer care person trying to trouble shoot it in vain. The next day I recieved a call from the broadband provider, that the technician who installed the service has informed them that the Jumpering from the MDF to the Apartment does not exist and I would need to pay an extra $100 to set it up. Its not about the money as I understand the contract does not cover setting up the jumpering, but its about the lack of simple communication. The technician was present in the same floor as my unit, a few feet away from my door. He knew I was at home and he could have simply knocked on my door and informed me that the jumpering is not set up.

We Indians always crib about the "poor" quality of services offered by our corporates. Having lived in Australia for a year and a half now, I can confidently say that the services offered in India are much better. They may not be punctual, they can frustrate you, but unlike their Aussie counterparts, they actually ensure that they complete their task.

Its not all bad by the way. There are a lot of sectors especially in customer facing areas where the customer is truly the king in Australia. Even on a routine visit to the supermarket and you would be greeted with a smiling face, pleasantries exchanged and you would be made to feel special. Shops dont try to rip you off or sell stuff by hyping them up. They try to understand your needs and frankly explain the pros and cons of various products to help you make a judgment. These are some areas where e Indians have some catching up to do.

Oz Oz Oz.. Oye Oye Oye

The most common question posed by my friends every time I meet them online is "Is Australia safe? Is it racist?" I have got tired of answering them and hence I decided to post my opinion on my blog. Any queries from any one about Australia will be directed to this post from now onwards. I'm expecting a surge in hits to this post after the next attack on an Indian in Melbourne :-)

So is Australia really Racist? The answer is an emphatic NO!! I have never come across any racism in the work place or in normal public places. In fact the Australians have been very warm and friendly. I have built some excellent relationships out here and have never once felt out of place or uncomfortable. So what about the spate of attacks on Indians? Can there be smoke without fire? Surely there must be elements of racism right?

My take on the attacks is that it is a law and order problem rather than racism. These attacks are perpetuated by skin head disgruntled teens who resent and fear the influx of smart successful Indians into Australia. They see their jobs being taken over, they probably are school drop outs and dont stand a chance against the highly educated and hard working Indians in the white collar market place. Since they very obviously do target Indians, it can be argued that it racism, but I would rather look at it as the reaction of a disgruntled loser.

So have I faced any racism in Australia? Yes in the pubs. For some reason me and my Indian friends find it extremely hard to get into pubs. We get stopped by the bouncer and asked to display our passport!! We obviously wont be carrying passports and hence we get denied entry. Sometimes we are told there is a private party on. I cant help but believe that this is an act of racism to keep Indians outta pubs :-) But it surely is not the vicious type of racism as is being made out by the Indian media. Who cares if I am not allowed into pubs. Its good for my wallet and my liver :-)

Have I been attacked? No, but have had a couple of scary moments. There was a time when I was under heavy load in office and I used to work till midnight everyday. Its a 30 min walk back home from office and I live in the heart of Melbournes Central Business District. A couple of times I've had groups of drunken teens jeering at me or showing their middle finger as I pass them. On new years eve, a group of teens approached me and my friends menacingly with clenched fists and shouting "f@#k them".

The above were isolated incidents and more of a law and order problem. But yes, the reaction of the cops to each of the attacks was disgusting. Rather than admitting to a law and order problem, they advised us not to display iphones and gadgets, not to go out late, not to live in the suburbs!! Unless the cops admit there is a problem, it wont be solved.