Finally I found a Loop !

Not long ago, whenever I traveled the one thing I never forgot to pack was my jogging gear; shoes, T-shirts, cap, track pants, iPod, charger. I mentally chalked a route for me to run (ok, jog, ok trot, whatever!)

In Bangalore, which was my home for almost 10 years I ran almost everyday. My favorite spots for running were the short 3.5 km strtch to/fro Agra Bus stand, the slightly longer 5 km to/fro stretch along Sarjapur Road, the 7.0 km weekend special loop around the Agara lake and of course this 5.3 km stretch along the airport runway where I inevitably and foolishly spent precious energy trying to race planes that were taking off ! I tried running all the way to Marathhalli and back; it was long, it was hot, it was tiring on the way back; definitely not trivial.

When I visited my parents in Goa, I accompanied my dad and his friends on their morning walks. While it was fun listening to their learned conversations the urge to run used to soon overcome me and excusing myself I'd run up to to our rendezvous point and wait for them. It was a beautiful quite road stretching 4.5 km, surrounded by tall dense trees and lush green paddy fields. Obviously these were the most refreshing runs I've had!

In Ahmadnagar when I visited my sister it was a slightly different matter; young ladies there just didn't got for runs! ... and well I didn't want to cause any discomfort. But my ever supportive bro-in-law shooed away my doubts and I had to admit that was just an excuse to stay home with my darling niece and nephew. But my dad, enterprising that he is, decided that he would walk with them while I went for a short run :-) These were indeed short runs, mere 2.5 km sprints.

In Mumbai I left the task to my brother; he shares my love for running and I never had to bother with laying any routes. Of course I loved the 4.0 km stretch to/fro Gorai. He also took me along some loops on the Link road and a maze of inner roads that only he knew how to navigate :)

For that matter I even ran along the next to my office when I visited California (can't chalk the route using google map), and also settled for an easy 2.2 miles lppo in Mt.Laurel during my 6 months stay in New Jersey

When I moved to Billerica, MA last year I tried chalking a loop for my runs, and instead signed up at the local gymwhere I rarely went.

Most of the roads around where I live have no sidewalks and running on the roads is a big no-no for me. There is a lovely recreation complex nearby which has a football ground and people do run loops there, but I have never enjoyed running round in circles. After several attempts like this 2.5 mile stretch to/fro Middlesex Tpk, and this shorter 1.6 mile to/fro the above mentioned Lampson Recreation Complex

I just couldn't get anything worthwhile... that is until today, when I decided to get out of my comfort zone and discovered this 2.7 mile loop. What made it more enjoyable was I could trade smiles and "hellos" with others who were walking the same loop :-)

I've finally discovered a loop that I enjoyed !




PS: For a better idea of the geography set your google map view to "Satellite"

When God admits he still has a lot to learn from humans ;-)

A while ago my little brother, (well, not so little now :) took to sending us cousins a daily email with an anecdote highlighting a thought for the day. It was his way of helping us lead a better life. But as the big sister who knows-it-all, not always did I spend the time to read them. However his persistance paid off and now I've begun looking forward to getting these anedotal musings with their slight touch of humor at the everyday happenings around us.

Here are two such "My Time Musings"

============== (1) ====================

A man having no child, no money, no home, a blind mother, prays to God. 

God happy with his prayers, grants him only ONE wish! 

Man : I want my mother to see my wife putting Diamond bangles on my Child's hands in our new home! 

God : I still have a lot to learn from these humans !!

============== (2) ====================

A New York businessman dropped a dollar into the cup of a man selling pencils and hurriedly stepped aboard the subway train. 

On second thought, he stepped back off the train, walked over to the beggar and took several pencils from the cup. Apologetically, he explained that in his haste he had neglected to pick up his pencils and hoped the man would not be upset with him. "After all," he said, "you are a businessman just like myself. You have merchandise to sell and it is fairly priced."

Then he caught the next train.

At a social function a few months later, a neatly dressed salesman stepped upto the businessman and introduced himself.

"You probably don't remember me and I don't know your name, but I will never forget you. You are the man who gave me back my self-respect. I was a "beggar" selling pencils until you came along and told me I was a businessman. "

The Wow! factor in customer support delivery

In today's world of ever increasing expectations what does it take to consistently exceed expectations.

As a customer support professional of several years this question has formed the basis of all performance measurements. Not withstanding the touch of individual psychology in customer support, measuring quality of support performance merely on the basis of Turn-Around-Times seems rather trivializing the entire experience.

What then are some measures that can help bring the Wow! factor in the entire interaction?

The Association of Support Professionals surveyed support managers and service delivery experts from 142 companies to get insights on what made their support organization one of the bets. The report, with inputs from inputs from Intuit, BlackBaud, Nokia, Palm, RWK Enterprises and several others sheds light on what would constitute the Wow! factor in customer support delivery.

Some excerpts ...

Anticipate customer needs:
...what if we anticipated a question a customer may encounter, and presented them with an answer before they reach for help?

Stellar Support Reps:
...No software system can ever truly be perfect, but when you have really spectacular support people behind it, that just doesn’t matter.

In the Web 2.0 era:
...Your customers... they buy them— all this happens without a single visit to your site. You can’t fight this phenomenon. So join it.

Speed Demons:
...There’s one surprisingly simple way to astonish and delight customers: provide a lightning-fast answer.

Expectations:
...So really all you can control is how well you meet or exceed existing expectations.

‘Wow’ vs. ‘Ow’ Service:
...the customer sensing your overriding wish for his or her well-being.

Empowerment:
...a KB that even comes close to this ideal is bound to be seen as dramatically more helpful at solving user problems

Measured response:
...Only if a situation warrants it, should the customer service experience be delivered in a surprising way.

Wake up in the morning test:
...The Best Service is No Service

Quoting the closing statement; "From a customer’s perspective, great technical support is not about process, policy, toolsets, or technology. Rather, it’s about the interaction between two human beings."