I work for a Pvt Pune based Indian MNC Company. I am taking care of their sales operation in Tamilnadu & kerala. Unfortunately or fortunately I hail from the capital city of Kerala where I was born & brought up. Since my dad has spent 35 years in KSRTC I have an affinity towards KSRTC & hence very often avoid train journeys & prefer KSRTC buses.
In the Era when we talk about customer delightment & customer “wow”, this incident happened to me (for your info, I give regular business to KSRTC).
Well, to begin with, today morning (18/10/10) I had to go to punaloor for an official meeting. Matter was of utmost priority to me & as well as to the other party. We both agreed to meet at 10.00 am sharp. Hence I reached KSRTC bus stand at 7.20 am. I saw one Pumpa-Bus standing in platform no 7. In order to take a reservation coupon I approached counter No3. One gentle man with grey beard, sitting there, told, I need to give Rs 2 to get a coupon. Unfortunately I had only Rs 10 with me. I informed him the same & urged to give me a coupon & told him that I need to catch the same bus as I was getting late. Four to Five guys who had Rs 2 , were given coupon in the same bus & our man just told his colleague that he is pushing off as the bus has become full & its 8 am . I got shock of my life when the same guy opened his box of coins and took whatever change he wanted. I immediately asked him why he didn’t he give me change when he was having ample coins with ! him. He gave a ridiculous smile & told that he is not sitting there to give me change.
I requested his colleague who was standing beside him to help me out by giving change for Rs 10 & he did it. I couldn’t digest the other guy’s behavior. Since I'm having a traveling job, I do often meet other state SRTC staff/ private travel co staff. They are all much ahead of this guy in customer handling & behavior. I told counter No 3 fellow that no wonder why KSRTC is sinking. Its only coz of this type of attitude of the employees .He simply told if I need to get a coupon, I need to carry change .I told him that I didn’t give him Rs 500 or Rs 100 or not even Rs 50, it was only Rs 10 . I told him that my father worked for KSRTC for 35 years & is a pensioner now. He started making fun of me & told that only coz of KSRTC ex employees, they are facing the music now. He told sarcastically to check whether my dad is getting pension on time or not. I told him that he has slogged for 35 Years for the corporation before becoming a pensioner. I painfully remembered the day my father was arrested by police, while he was delivering a speech protesting against GOVT’s decision of allowing private buses in Trivandrum
Literally those comments were disgusting/insulting to me .I am also into a customer interfacing role in my company & I’m fully aware of the consequences of loosing a existing customer. That guy has made these nasty comments only on one confidence that; he will get his salary no matter how bad he is at his job or how bad he behaves with customer.
Employees like him are making a mockery of the system & the good initiatives KSRTC management is taking to rescue the sinking ship. KSRTC employees, who are having Customer interfacing profiles, need to be given basic inputs/training on customer handling as well as on basic manners .Not everybody behaves likes this , but one rotten apple spoils the bunch .
At the end of the day I could catch only 8 .30 am Erumely-bus & reach punaloor by 11 .30 am only to miss the meeting & loose an order worth Rs 50 lacs. Now who will compensate this loss?
With rgds
Harikumar B S
9940098230
Hi Hari,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you here that there are some nasty rotten eggs in KSRTC and they do only they like to. I was told by a conductor that due to the rude behavior of an ATO at the depot, even they get to hear the furious comments from public. KSRTC should change this "white collar" security of this job. Make half of their pay directly related to the revenue and behavior. I know it would be very difficult to implement this as it is an old traditional institution and many unions control the daily activities too.
Rajesh
Nothing we can do but just leave it..!!! This is common attitude where KSRTC is the dominator as you dont have other options.
ReplyDeleteYou can expect the same from private players in North where they have the monopoly.
me too had really disgusting experiences at the tvpm depot..
ReplyDeleteonce just after the launch of low floor ac buses(jnurm) i sighted at tvpm stand one of them going ernakulam from tvpm stand instead of the 5 pm super express.but since i had no time i couldn't travel in it.then after some 2-3 months when i reached the station i inquired at the counter whether such low floor buses are plying to ekm or such long routes.but the man behind the rails(!!) was such an arrogant one that he constantly claimed that ksrtc never ever operated such buses beyond city limits.but as me myself was witness of such a long trip i stood on my stand firmly.the employees at the counter got together in attacking me verbally using abusive and arrogant language.only after some long arguments that they agreed half-mindedly that "they may have operated" such a trip at sometime ago because of the shortage of other buses.it was just a case of ego they were not willing to accept the matter.
this is the condition in the depot of the capital of kerala..
then tell me how one can have faith and loyalty to the state-operated service..??
Hai hari
ReplyDeletewhen ever this type of mistakes occures u just call ksrtc customer care no and report. the land line no and mob no is printed on the ticket itself
Sony thomas Kottayam