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.