Today’s currency: Retaining Customer

Today I am sure no one needs to be told that "The more birds a yard can support, the fewer insects there will be to trouble the gardener the following year."

Retaining customer and having a flourishing business year after year is what each company strives for. Just think of a product, and voila !! it is offered to you at your doorstep. There is NO dearth of availability of any product.In this cut throat competition where it takes no time to replicate the same product by another company it has increasingly become important to provide prompt service/support. A satisfied customer is not only going to stay with you but will also bring along more customers. A very important thing to understand while handling support is, NO ONE contacts the company if they are having a wonderful day or to Thank you. You are under their fire ONLY when there is an issue. And usually, keeping calm when having an issue is not inherent to human nature. So, expect and be prepared to handle frustrated people.


Belongingness :
The first and foremost feeling to be imbibed in the person who is handling support is 'belongingness'. You ARE the company and NOT a mere representative! You are Not some struggling, immature, hapless person trying to make a living and it is expected that you will be able control what they can not control.

Handling customer expectations and issues in an online game 'Realm of Empires' has been an enlightening experience on how besides knowledge, it is the words and attitude that can mould a dissatisfied, sometimes abusive, hyper customer to someone who not only becomes a valuable customer but also helps spreading the word around. Some rules, we as a team, have adhered to and has helped us handling over million players.

Attitude :  We all know to follow the mantra 'Walk your talk'. Go a step ahead and 'Let your walk be their talk'.
In an online game, a disgruntled customer has nothing to lose and very easily loses his cool throwing a tantrum. It is your attitude which is going to make the customer either get worse or get back to normal. Remember, we all are humans and succumb to polite words. Always maintain your class. Your politeness, tact and skill will get your customer thinking about his approach and correct himself.


Response Time : It always helps if the issue has at least been addressed , even if not solved within 24 hours of being reported. It gives a sense of 'Yes, you are being heard'.

Content : Even when answering to an individual, it is important to keep in mind that your replies could be shared with a few thousand to a million customers. So, its best to keep the replies short and clear. Longer, complicated replies usually confuse the customers. Go by the saying “Say little, do much, and greet everyone with a pleasant countenance.”

Expectation management : Responding to  very polite, long term customers who share their ideas, concerns which cannot be implemented or carried out is crucial to keep the core base happy.This is something which is difficult as it hurts the sentiments of users, being turned down. Showing respect even when declining the requests helps.

'We're honored to have your suggestions and feedback. It's very motivating to be thought of so highly and having a fan base trying to help us grow our business.However, implementing these would not be technically ( giving  a reason) possible.'

Having a dedicated support engineer who truly understands the environment, the project plans and the deadlines proves to be an invaluable asset and plays a crucial part in success.Support forms the backbone of any company.

We are looking for interns for positions to work from home in support, marketing, business & creative writers, illustrators and programmers. Join the fun!

'The King's Speech': Entrepreneur's life

Success is not defined by your strengths. Success is conquering your vulnerabilities, your weaknesses.The 'road less traveled by' is taken by a very few people, but these are the people who make a difference. While watching this movie, i related 'The King' to the creator of Realm Of Empires with whom i have had the good luck to share the development of a successful game.

The compelling characters in the movie.
Prince Albert (Bertie) : The King
Lionel Logue : The Australian speech therapist
Elizabeth : Wife of The King

The story is about Prince Albert, lovingly called as Bertie , struggling to overcome his stammer and the fear that he would become a King without a voice, a King who cannot communicate with his own people. It's about a friendship that a King strikes with a commoner. The role that Lionel plays in Prince Albert’s life goes way beyond just being a speech therapist.The undying love, hope and support provided by Elizabeth to the King during his days of struggle is something every woman should learn from.

Most of the people choose to live a life in a normal way, just taking the least resistance path.Most fear to take the untreaded path. Not because they don't want to but because they do not want to experience the shocks and tremors when traveling the 'road less traveled'

Lionel, in his speech in the movie says 'No child is born with a stammer'. Similarly, no person is a born Entrepreneur. Starting up to become an entrepreneur is like conquering the stammer.

Bertie was obsessed to solve his speech problem.He experienced failure. Lived a life of pain, desperately trying to overcome his inability to deliver a speech and connect with his people. In the same way, an entrepreneur leaves behind the cosy life of 10-5 work schedule. The Monday-Friday schedule is given up and an all day, every waking hour or sleeping thoughts , every discussion even with friends and family is about the work. A diehard entrepreneur struggles and struggles to find the last piece to fit the huge jigsaw puzzle he has build over the time. The struggle motivates them to cover yet another milestone.

On his way to realise his dreams, every entrepreneur needs help, advise and a guide. The same way, Bertie had Lionel. Lionel's guidance and perseverance helped Bertie become a KING for the masses to look up to. Today's entrepreneur, needs to be connected with people who can be his guiding light. People who can help him un-earth his own potentials and push him to move forward at the time of despair.

It's my belief that every entrepreneur who has given his sweat, blood, tears to his work become KINGS.

Wishing good luck to the 'KINGS' !

Virtual Team: Not for Job Hoppers or Freeloaders !

While looking for potential people to join the team of Realm of Empires  ,an online real time strategy game on facebook, it was a surprising  jolt to hear people boasting of the number of jobs they had changed in ONLY one year. A particular example was of a person who had worked as support person, analyst, consultant, telemarketer and ofcourse having a degree in Computer applications he had also contributed his fair share in the development of a major educational website. And besides that, he also worked as a freelancer. The list of experiences in various jobs in his CV baffled me.

This guy was introduced to me by a common friend so it was a bit of a formal talk. Casually I commented, "In the last two years you have changed 7 jobs, that means an average of 3-4 months in a job." 

To this he chuckled and with a big grin he said  "Yeah, you see I am highly recommended and in big demand because of my educational background and experience in various fields". I was speechless!

I wanted to say 'Thank you' and finish the discussion but some motherly instinct to guide him to settle down got the better of me and I prodded him further,"In two years from now where do you see yourself. Is their a particular field you would prefer to have expertise in." He looked sideways, then his watch and said he had another interview lined up in 30 minutes.

This is just AN example of countless job quitters and freeloaders. Quitting a  job or two when exploring work to suit one's preferences is acceptable. But that too should have a valid reason specified. Having very short careers, probably fetching quick money in the short run is going to turn out to be a disaster in the long run. Expertise and Experience in a particular area is the key to creating a niche for yourself. Individuals focused on a grueling job for the initial few years usually take up higher positions, better pay packages , satisfaction and a huge self-esteem within a few years.

Any job you take up, the initial phase is usually of excitement. Then comes the time when you feel bored and stagnant. Your job becomes a habit, probably even monotonous doing the mundane job again and again. This is the time when many people quit.HANG ON...This is the time when you need to stay at the grind for a while. The immense satisfaction you get after completing the job in hand is worth the patience. This entire cycle of learning, overcoming the highs and lows, understanding the intricacies of your job, surviving the long and arduous hours of work will make you leaders who never quit.

An example from nature. Uproot a tree and plant it in your garden. It will wilt off. Plant a sapling. Nurture it and in a few years it will be a tree with fruits. It is not only the law of nature, but applies to every profession to have deep rooted job profile. Yes, education is the basic requirement but your life is build around the reputation you build for yourself. A strong foundation is not built in months by taking wild leaps.Nothing can be achieved in a hurry. Developing your core values and potentials is a gradual process. Have an indepth knowledge, enhance your communication and persuasive skills and build your network.

To all the freeloaders, you think you are smart but you are moving towards the path of self destruction.You are tarnishing your own image.Opportunities lost will never come back. And then you will think 'If only I had....'. Pause and think would you ever employee a person like you in your own company !!

Game Developers Conference 2011

Being a member of the gaming community, team member of Realm Of Empires, and closely watching the debates and discussions in GDC 2011, there are a few things in my opinion which are intangible assets and the key to success for small and mid sized gaming companies.

Team Work : The intangible aspects of 'Team spirit' and 'Emotional commitment' is the catalyst that has made even small teams successful. The team's passion and determination can help you ride through all crests and troughs of the challenging business.

Persistence and Resiliency: Be patient. In business, most overnight success takes seven to 10 years ! It's like nurturing a child day and night. Totally out of context but an example to mention. David Seidler is the oldest person to win the the best original screenplay category award for “The King's Speech”. Fruits of patience and hard work are always sweet.

Positivity : It is rightly said, we become what we think and aim for. Think big and expect to win. Losers lose Be in the company of winners and smiling, positive people.Winning is contagious! Nevertheless, there will be many a times you will fall and fail. But if you have even one winner to look up to it is guaranteed you will get up to join the race.Be gracious when losing in business, but never ever be satisfied with it. 

Act is if : In any business this is something to develop within yourself “act as if." Even if you do not have the experience yet to pull off being the Chairman or a key manager of a company, act as if you fit the part. Think as the CEO. Think ahead. Practice the walk of CEO and you will become the CEO.

Marketing yourself : First, create your own brand image. Be known within your community. Don't brag but share yourself and your knowledge. For this BE PREPARED ALWAYS ..to speak about yourself and your work. Easy it may seem but I have seen many a robotic and ineffective introductions and others making there impacts ONLY with their first interaction. You never know who is watching you. It may not be the person whom you are talking to. Be prepared in every situation even if it is a surprise. Practice, practice, practice. Always remember to thank someone known and important in the community. He could be someone you look up to or someone who has helped you in establishing your business. This is called 'piggybacking marketing'.A very effective way to market small businesses.

Timeliness and Quality : These two things should go hand in hand. Never compromise on Quality in the run to get the product ready on time.Deliver quality work. There is NO substitute to Quality work.However, pushing your boundaries, coming out of comfort zone and adhering to the committed time is worth the effort to create trust within the community for timeliness and quality work.

 

Lastly,very important for over all success. 

Stay abreast with the latest technology.Be flexible and adapt yourself to this dynamic world.Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road.

Virtual Team: The creative collabration

Email sent ! Meeting accepted ! hello, yea please share your screen !! A typical conversation between two people in the same office, in the same building two floors away from each other.
ANNOUNCEMENT : CEO on video conferencing from head office.. tune in ! And probably you are just sitting two rooms away from the CEO and see him 3 days in a month walk in and out of his room...

My point is, even if your colleague is one cubicle away or 2000 miles away, ALL teams are virtual. In a profession nothing is verbal. Non-verbal, un-written communications are forgotten and usually irrelevant. Every data required to work is available online via file sharing. Almost each one of us are working remotely in some capacity. This gives rise to the concept of being 'Location Independent' specifically for creative careers.

This shift towards becoming 'Location Independent' rather than being 'Location Dependent' has helped companies tap talent resource from all over the world. Is it really a cake walk to work in a virtual team spread all over the globe ? What are the basic skills to work in a virtual team ?

ACCOUNTABILITY is the key to success. This is the biggest challenge the team lead has when working with remote workers. It's a normal feeling for your manager to imagine you are chatting, eating, watching TV on the company dime. To build a trust, establish a regular way to communicate. Be responsive. Convey each days work, however negligible. Establish a pattern to be at your desk. Your desk should be your own personal space with absolutely NO intrusions when you are working. This leads me to the next very essential rule to stick to.

PRIVACY : When working remotely, it is very easy to slip to a relaxed pace of working. Don't take the slippery road. Stick to a discipline. Make your family members, friends, neighbors understand that working from home does not necessarily make you available for them always at any time of the day, specially during your working hours. Only when you maintain your privacy others will respect your private space. This will also ensure focus on your work increasing productivity.

With these two most important areas to adhere to, you are ready to conquer the world with your technical skills and knowledge by working on your communication skills.

COMMUNICATION: " Writing is today’s currency for good ideas.” When working remotely the biggest disadvantage is you are working blind. Faceless interaction can lead to misinterpretation.The lack of visualization and contact has to be balanced with very clear, continuous and effective mode of communication. Learn to write out your thoughts. Key to this is to know your work. Virtual teams require a good infrastructure to overcome the lack of personal interaction. During my experience of making Realm Of Empires extensive use of chats, screen sharing, video-conferencing , audio-conferencing in addition to one‐on‐one conversations and email has been constantly maintained by the CEO

And finally there is this last bump to cross. Adjusting to each others time zone. Well, it is difficult to bend your complete life style accordingly but if you look at the benefits of having flexible hours to maintain work / life balance it would not come in your way.

In my experience, to be part of an international team is very exciting. You get to know the various management techniques in different cultures,have a pool of diverse ideas, broader experience and exposure thereby maximizing your output.

We are looking for interns for positions in marketing, business & creative writers, illustrators and programmers. Join the fun!