Monday, December 18, 2006
WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK
Yet another advertisement ostensibly jogging the extra mile in favour of the rapacious customer has me cringing. Two versions from the stables of a renowned financial services institution do the rounds—a comely lady is hitting the high strides in the wee hours on a jogging track and while she turns heads easily enough, recurring thoughts about existing customers keep plaguing her run; and in another a professional keeps interrupting the delicate task of bouncing his bonny baby with stray ruminations on his clients.
Not that good for the infant !
It is natural that work and its associated paraphernalia occupies most of our waking hours but that it should intervene in our private moments is unthinkable. Be it as it may, that a leading firm would purvey a message such as this makes me wonder if the generation of discerning customers who expect themselves to be waited upon hand and foot is already upon us. And if so, what does it do the Work Life Balance that those knowledgeables so fervently espouse ?
For now, I do not yet believe that all customers want much more than uncluttered, quick, efficient and transparent service. And a surprising majority of service providers fail by a distance in ensuring even this rudimentary standards. We shall leave the Moments of Truth glory and the Herb Kelleher brouhaha for later.
(Ed—Whatcha mean Work Life Balance ? Does that mean one is at the expense of another ? If it does, I’d go for the Life bit and nix the Work part ! )
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Not that good for the infant !
It is natural that work and its associated paraphernalia occupies most of our waking hours but that it should intervene in our private moments is unthinkable. Be it as it may, that a leading firm would purvey a message such as this makes me wonder if the generation of discerning customers who expect themselves to be waited upon hand and foot is already upon us. And if so, what does it do the Work Life Balance that those knowledgeables so fervently espouse ?
For now, I do not yet believe that all customers want much more than uncluttered, quick, efficient and transparent service. And a surprising majority of service providers fail by a distance in ensuring even this rudimentary standards. We shall leave the Moments of Truth glory and the Herb Kelleher brouhaha for later.
(Ed—Whatcha mean Work Life Balance ? Does that mean one is at the expense of another ? If it does, I’d go for the Life bit and nix the Work part ! )
