Khalid Awan, Chairman TCS on Investment In...

January - March 2012 / Issue 8 Helping you Succeed

w w w . o c t a r a . c o m

Khalid Awan, Chairman TCSon Investment In People

Also inside

Cover Story

octara.com Quarter-1 / 201202

If one were to go by the incessant chirping of mediacommentators, Pakistan is in a real fix! The economyis sparking. Some would say this is good and soon wewill have ignition and lift off.

I am happy to report that in the midst of this seeminglyunending hurly burly, life has carried on at Octara, andhere we are once again with a fresh edition ofOctara.com. Our parent enterprise TCS has gone ontothe front foot and in these generally contracting timesof business, TCS is poised to launch a major businessexpansion that leverages its human resource throughsome fine out-of-the-box thinking and lateral movement.We carry a report on Mr. Khalid Awan's presentationsat the Management Association of Pakistan's annualconference and at the Royal Aeronautical Society'sseminar, that speak volumes about what can be

achieved by investing in people.

Our cover story is by Ron Kaufman stressing on service being the mostcrucial factor for a company in challenging times. He talks about eight provenprinciples to provide superior service in his article that companies canimplement and benefit from. The Trainers Resource Group (TRG) pulled offa very successfully 2nd edition of Learnfest, painting upon a much biggercanvas this time by organizing it both in Karachi and Islamabad, and ourcollage provides a glimpse of the proceedings.

Octara's senior associate Dr. Dermot Carey has contributed an article thatassociates value for money with integrated supply chain management, andhe says that a dollar saved in the supply chain process goes straight to thebottom-line, and can be a measure of our success and failure.

The perfect partnership of Mind Mapping and Coaching is elaborated uponby Octara's senior associate Graham Moore. He says that as coaches, ourprimary role is that of facilitating the way forward for the person we arecoaching. Can't argue with that.

Ramez Helou joins us from Lebanon in this issue, and writes about KeyAccount Management, a hot topic given the fierce competition for customersin these recessionary times. Dave Crane brings his sharp critique on socialmedia and flags ten Dos and Donts that we would do well to bear in mind.And finally, senior Octara associate Jim Truscott offers hisEnd-2011 Crisis Foresight, and talks about physical and virtual War Rooms.

Wish us well.

Editor:Adil Ahmad

Member Editorial Committee:M. Arif (Head of OCTARA)

Customer Relationship ManagerJason D’souza

Marketing Executive:M. Adeel Khalil

Customer Relationship ExecutiveFatima Abbas

Customer Relationship Executive

Ch. M. Ehtisham

Assistant Manager,Marketing & Communication Planning:Usama Rafi

Senior Graphics Designer:Asif Ali

Sr. Executive Accts. & Admin.:M. Imran Anwer

Business Support Officer:Parkash Bhatia

Patron-in-ChiefKhalid N. Awan

Who we are

Asst. Graphics Designer:Haris Khan

Product Manager:Hajra Amir

Wanted! Corporate Trainers (Part time or Full time)

Octara seeks to expand its pool of professional Trainers.Opportunities exist to partner with Pakistan’s premiertraining & event management company.Write to: [email protected]

[email protected]

jamil janjua, CEO, Octara & Chief Editor

www.octara.comFeedback: [email protected]

Inside

In Challenging Times, Service Matters Most!-Cover Story

Value for Money & Integrated Supply Chain ManagementKey Account Management - The New Standard!Mind Mapping and Coaching: Perfect PartnersUse Technology Effectively to Run Your Transport OpsEnd-2011 Crisis ForesightSocial Media Do’s And Don’tsOctara in BangladeshLearn Fest

Ron KaufmanDr. Dermot Carey

Ramez HelouGraham MooreNigel Devenish

Jim TruscottDave Crane

Muhammad ArifHajra Amir

octara.com Quarter-1 / 2012 03

Khalid Awan, Chairman TCS

Unveils the Shape of Things to Come

Investment In PeopleGuarantees The Enterprise

Why has the best yet to come? It is so because the full potential of TCS has not yet been realized. Thischange shall manifest itself over the next couple ofdecades because that's how long it takes, and that isthe reason for the TCS focus on grooming its youngpeople for it is they who will be in the driving seat then.This, in essence, was the message that theChairman TCS delivered at two august gatheringsrecently. At the Management Association of Pakistan'sannual conclave he had 20 minutes, moderated byseasoned HR practit ioner Haroon Waheed.The corporate audience was all ears, and would gladlyhave spent the entire day quizzing this entrepreneurextraordinaire about how success is achieved in avolatile environment like Pakistan's. Alas! There wasso much else on the menu of the MAP Conference, andthe time constraint didn't allow Mr. Awan to get intohis stride.

At the Royal Aeronautical Society, in the company ofhis peers and specially invited cross-section of youngand bright sparks, Mr. Awan had a leisurely one hourdiscussion wherein he waxed eloquently on all that TCSwas planning and implementing in the service of thePakistani nation, and the many philosophies that haddriven the phenomenal growth of his enterprise.

"TCS is deeply imbedded in the lives of 180 millionpeople that have a tremendous economic potential.We have a lot of catching up to do. Our young peoplewill live in a time of tremendous opportunity.We hope that our generation would have laid out aninfrastructure for our youth to build upon."

SINGLE GENERATION ORGANIC GROWTHWelcoming Mr. Khalid Awan, Air Marshal ArshadSaleem (Rtd), President, Royal Aeronautical Society(RAS), said that it was incredible how TCS had nurturedand built a household brand in a very difficult operatingenvironment in Pakistan. "This brand has built itself up

to its present most admirable position in the short spanof just one generation. What has impressed meimmensely is that TCS has not borrowed from anyfinancial institution. They have financed their growthfrom their earnings. That is something one doesn'tnormally see. They have executed their organic growthsuccessfully as evident in the stature of their brand.Hats off to you Sir and to your family for being able todo this! The nation needs to learn from this model."

FROM COURIER TO BANKERThe hot and happening issue at TCS is its foray into theworld of financial services, and Mr. Awan's appearanceat both the MAP and RAS were in great measuredesigned to raise the curtain before these selectedgatherings on what is being billed as a major departurefrom the traditional TCS product line. Ghazanfar Azzamwas introduced as the man in the new venture's hotseat.

LEVERAGING TCS HUMAN RESOURCE"We have two means of reaching out to our customers,"said Mr. Awan. "The first are the TCS mobile motorcycleriders, numbering about 2500 across Pakistan. Thesecond are the TCS shops throughout the country thatnumber 400. We want to do more than just pick-up anddeliver.

Here the main opportunity lies in the domain of financialservices. This has become possible with the advent oftechnology and the foresight of the State Bank ofPakistan that formulated four years ago the policy onbranchless banking. This tremendously increases theoutreach of banks outside of their physical branchesdeep into the communities both urban and rural whomTCS is reaching out to anyway on a daily basis".

TCS is positioned to provide the banking and insurancesector with that additional outreach for their manyproducts, said Mr. Awan. "Technology has made all this

“The best is yet to come!”


possible. TCS Riders in the field have handheld devicesthat connect them directly to the backend managementteams. The bank can now be available at your doorstepin physical form offering saving products. TCS Riderscan do disbursement of loans and pensions. You canmake government payments or any other privatepayments right there and then. The regulatoryenvironment is now encouraging this kind of intimacywith the customer for the financial sector. We can servicethe insurance sector by selling their general and lifeinsurance policies. At TCS, we just do not see it in termsof physical delivery.

It's the all-important human contact that makes thedifference in customer satisfaction in a marketplacethat is growing tired of talking on the phone orstanding in long lines."

SELF-EMPLOYINGEMPLOYEESTo make the financialservices businessviable, we must havethousands of shopsacross the country,and not just the 400that we have at thepresent moment,says Mr. Awan."Naturally enough,the cost of such aninfrastructure expansion would beprohibitive. TCS has come up withan innovative scheme to overcomethe cost hurdle. We are franchisingthese shops, with the first hundredfranchises given to our own TCSemployees who have spent theirlives with the Company and arenow approaching retirement. It'llkeep them in touch with theCompany and allow them toleverage their knowledge of theirbusiness in their post retirementperiod. I have not selected anyparticular individual for this project.

I believe that one should be respectful of everybody,and trust everybody, because at the end of the day99.9 % of the people want to make an honest anddignified living. All one has to do, is give people anenvironment in which merit is appreciated, and theywill respond in ways you haven't imagined."

ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO GROWInculcating entrepreneurship amongst its employeeshas always been a human resource development areaof major emphasis at TCS, said Mr. Awan. "From ourwork force of 7000, 3200 are self-employed. A majorsuccess factor for TCS has been this encouragement of

entrepreneurship within its employees. The firstsuccessful experiment in this regard was in 1984, justone year after TCS was formed. We had hired a lot ofmotorcycle couriers on fixed salaries, and they wouldwork long hours delivering from early in the morningto collecting until late at night.

Upon returning to TCS they would submit their overtimevouchers since their day extended well over theeight-hours work day. I noticed there was very littlemotivation amongst them, and by the end of the daythey presented a sorry sight, tired and despondent. Theywere working all day on their own in the field with nosupervision and no incentive to actively market TCSproducts. So we reinvented the model. We revoked theirsalaries and employment contracts, and put them on a

per shipment incentive with a signedagreement with immediate effect. Sothe more shipments they generated,the more they earned. We witnesseda sharp increase in business andhappy faces! They took ownership oftheir territories and started viewingTCS customers as their owncustomers. It worked so well that

some of the couriersincreased their earnings tenfolds. Our couriers in themore productive territoriesbegan earning more thanTCS general managers! Thisinitiative was a major factor

behind the success ofTCS. The culture ofentrepreneurship hasfostered trust andencouraged peopleto grow."

ALL IN THE FAMILYT C S h a s aprofessional attitudeand has its sights wellinto the future, saysMr. Awan. "TCS is anhonest business thath a s g r o w norganical ly . OurI n f o r m a t i o nTechnology setup is

world class. With all of this in place we are confidentabout the future. I have shared with you my dreams. Inthe future there will be many reasons for you to visitTCS. We will be deeply embedded in the lives of 180million people that have a tremendous economicpotential. We have a lot of catching up to do. Our youngpeople will live in a time of tremendous opportunity.We hope that our generation would have laid out aninfrastructure for our youth to build upon. But first andforemost we focus on the development of our ownpeople at TCS, the education of their children, and theircare in retirement. The TCS people are part of ourfamily."

“The best is yet to come!”


Let me cover some basics duringthe next few paragraphs.

1) If we apply the “Pareto” principleto any business, we can concludethat 80% of business comes from20% of our clients. In an ever morecompetitive market, where thebarriers of entry have been lowereddrastically, companies are findingmore competitors entering theirmarkets with very similar productsand services. These competitors areof course going after the sameobvious large clients. Now thatbuying companies have newchoices that simply didn’t exist afew years ago, they are taking acloser look at their suppliers andtheir offers. They are no longerwilling to pay a premium unlessthey can see a real benefit in doingso. Faced with this new reality,those companies that ignore thistrend will ultimately find their largecustomer base and profits shrinkingcausing a serious threat to theirexistence. Thus, KAM becomes thetool to help companies secure theirexisting customers and acquire newones by being able to provide themwith noticeable and differentiatedvalue added solutions.

I would like to give an example inthe food service industry. As youcan see, new restaurants arepopping up in every possible cornerin Karachi, Lahore and other areas.Suppliers are keen to enter and

serve this new emerging market thatis here to stay. All of a sudden, wesee many companies wanting apiece of that pie and they enter themarket offering similar products tothese clients. This extra choice givesthe customer additional powerallowing them to be very selective.This is especially the case withcompanies that have premiumproducts that are becomingcommoditized due to advancedtechnologies allowing competitorsto almost copy their quality. Ifproducts alone are no longer theadvantage, we must find new waysto show the difference. This is justone example of the many industriesthat are booming and facing thesame increased competition.

2) Selling involves understandingcustomer needs and then offeringsolutions. Many times, facedwith pressures of sales targets,I’ve been on many field visits withreps on 5 different continents wherethe sales person easily skips thiscritical step and starts offering hisproduct or service. There can be noKAM unless we apply the criticalstep of properly identifyingcustomer needs not just with onepoint of contact or decision maker,rather with the various decisionmakers in the buying organization.These contacts need to bestructured, involving people fromvarious departments of the buyingorganization to meet with their

counterparts in the sel l ingorganization.

These meetings become theessence of the KAM process as theyensure visibility at multiple contactpoints and provide a two-waycommunication between the sellerand the buyer to establish commongoals for their relationship and thenbe able to work on them together.A Key Account Manager thenbecomes the facilitator, coordinatorand even sometimes the politicianin managing such a complexrelationship. They require a deepunderstanding of the issues,concerns, and opportunities of thebuying organization making themand their company be perceived asadding relevant value to the buyingcompany. The more people insidethe buying organization feel thatway about the selling organization,the more likely this becomes a longterm partnership where pricesensitivity is minimal. In conclusion,it’s no longer what we are sellingthat is the advantage, rather howwe are selling. This integratedapproach allows the building ofcloser relationships between thebuyer and the seller organizationsby being relevant to issues, concernsand aspirations of the variouscontact points in the buyingorganization.

As an example, you will notice thatthe bigger the organization the more

I get the following questions from people all the time:1) What is Key Account Management (KAM)?2) Will this work for our business and our country?3) What’s the difference between traditional selling and KAM?4) Our sales team is not ready for the shift. How long can we

wait before implementing these strategies?

Key Account ManagementThe New Standard!

Former Head of Sales andBusiness Head at Unilever FoodSolutions in the Gulf countries

Former Regional SalesTraining Manager for Asia,

Africa & Middle East atUnilever Food Solutions

Trained and inspired morethan 50,000 professionals in20 countries on 4 continents

More than 21 years of fieldexperience of B2B and

B2C strategies

Author of Unilever FoodSolutions’ Global B2B

Sales Training Programimplemented across

the world

Ramez HelouCEO and Founder, The Academy for Sales Excellence


complex is its structure and thedecision making process in it.Whether we are talking aboutmodern trade, the restaurantbusiness, manufacturing or eventhe textile industry, we know thatyou won’t simply walk inwith your product ande x p e c t t h e t a r g e t e dcustomer to be impressedwith it. There are multiplepeople involved that willhave a say about it and ifyou’re not visible to thesepeople and understand their goalsand needs, you r isk beingcompletely out of the game. So ifan engineer of a manufacturingplant is concerned about having thelatest lubrication technology tominimize downtime or maximizethe output of his machine, you needto involve an engineer from yourcompany to speak his language. Ifa Managing Director is concernedabout reducing the carbon footprintof his company to meet thecorporate mission and vision, youbetter get your MD involved in thatconversation to be able tounderstand these issues and aligntheir organization to support andcreate solutions that will create along term partnership with thecustomer. These solutions becomeso customized to meet the clients’need that the selling companiesbecome a necessary extension oran asset in some way to theprospective customers.

3) Regardless of the country andthe industry, KAM process workswhere more than 2 people areinvolved in making a buyingdecision for a company. That said,I am assuming that the desire toengage in such a value-addedrelationship is mutual between bothbuyer and seller. In this way, youare differentiating what you do fromyour competitors or the sellingorganizations are willing to investin that relationship to create thatd i f ferent ia t ion. Unless thedifferentiation is clear in the eyes ofthe various decision makers of thecustomer, your competitors willhave an easier time to enter. Themore people are involved in thebuying decision, the more critical itbecomes to know how to apply aKAM engagement strategy.

Not all relationships can lead tostrategic partnerships. Actually there

are various levels of partnerships.As an example, McDonalds andGolden State Food (GSF) have ahighly evolved relationship. GSF isthe trusted partner that not onlymanufactures certain goods

espec ia l l y cus tomized fo rMcDonalds but also helped launchMcDonalds in the internationalmarket place that currently exceeds120 countries. This is a truepartnership making it almostimpossible for any other competingsupplier to enter in areas where GSFhas already established theirground. As a lower levelpartnership we know thatWal-Mart’s goal is to providethe lowest possible price forquality items in their outlets. As such, they will not engagein high level partnerships asthey aim to keep theirsupplier lean in order toprovide them with a rockbottom price. You see, ahigher level of partnershipusually bring in lots of addedvalues however in the caseof Wal-Mart, their main goalis price and not what theirsuppliers can do for them.Therefore, it’s critical toestablish the need to entersuch a relationship on bothsides to ensure the desiredreturn.

4) My recommendationis to start the process soonerthan later. If you look back atthe last 5 years in business,what do you notice? Up tillthe end of 2008, it was easierto do business in general.Outlook has changed, right?If you look forward into thenext 5 years, do you see itb e i n g m o r e o r l e s scompetitive? Do you see yourcustomers demanding morevalue or less value from you?Do you feel that the buyingfunction in your customeri s /o r becoming morestructured? If you leave these2 points to chance, whatcou ld tha t cos t your

business? Or better yet, how muchmore sales could you be achievingif you develop a systematic KAMprocess to face these growingchallenges? They say the best timeto build a roof above one’s head is

before it rains. As such, startbuilding it now! You’ll beglad you did when you lookback at the end of the yearand especially in 3 yearstime. Making significantprogress in this regard willbe slow. It’s like wanting to

change the direction of a cruise ship.Even if you turn the rudder, thecruise ship will slowly change itscourse unlike a small motor boat!This will be a slow process; howeverit will definitely change the courseof any business forever!

“They say the best time to build a roofabove one’s head is before it rains.

As such, start building it now!”

Presents2 Exciting Programs

with

Program 1

SystematicKey Account Management

ProcessMarch 2012Karachi & Lahore

The

Ramez Helou

Course Benefits:Participants will be enabled withspecific skills to:• Differentiate between selling and key

account management• Understand the buying process &

influencers involved in it• Define the hierarchy of needs of the

client and the stages of the Key AccountRelationship Development Continuum

• Structure the engagement strategy andcontact matrix

• Analyze macro and micro environment tostructure optimum customer opportunities

• Develop the Key Account relationshipplans and activities

• Create action plans and accountabilities

Ideal Candidates:Key account managers,sales managers, salesdirectors and other “C”level executives that areinvolved in Key Accountsand customer engagementswill greatly benefit fromthis course.


A dollar saved in the supply chain process goes straightto the bottom line. It can be a measure of our failureor success. Our success in achieving Value for Money(VFM) will only be fully achieved when we haveprocesses in place to consistently measure savingsand efficiencies across multiple activities correlatedto the cost elements of the supply chain cycle. Thiscorrelation raises some important questions, forexample: Does how we spend money achieve VFM?Is there anything different we can do to improve VFM?Do we collaborate with other organisations sufficiently?Do we measure our VFM achievements to a standardand with challenging targets? The financial andcommercial challenges facing us for the foreseeablefuture means we can no longer rely on the old waysof doing things. Every element where a cost arises inthe Supply Chain Cycle must be challenged andmanaged for VFM. It means for some a radical shiftin thinking, approach and culture. We do not have theluxury to be complacent when our futures are at stake.

How supply chains are managed and measureddetermines not only the quality of service deliveredbut also VFM. In this context, it makes common sensethat we manage our supply chains as an integratedbody. If we fail to address this fundamental approach,we are exposing ourselves to unnecessary costs andmultiple fragmented activities with no value addition.The integrated approach to supply chains has beenadvocated for over a decade now and manyorganisations are striving to adopt the concept.

We will explore some aspects of the integratedapproach and how it can influence VFM. Organizationsthat effectively collaborate with their supply chainpartners position themselves for success in 21st-century markets. When focused methods and triedand tested techniques are adopted or transferred tospecifically address the objectives of the Supply Chainarena, the results are always positive, by contributing

substantial savings, efficiencies and benefits. Whenthese methods and techniques are followed, it meansthat you are working to a set of practices and principlesthat deliver benefits in a consistent manner. There isa growing awareness that Integrated Supply ChainManagement provides companies with the extra edgefor greater efficiency and differentiate themselvesfrom the competition.

One way to achieve this is for SCM managers to lookat their operation from a holistic perspective byadopting effective, proven methods to increase thechances of success. Not every manager has the skillsor indeed the time to implement an integratedapproach. That can lead to difficulties when beingheld accountable for efficiency improvementsand/or cost reductions against a common backgroundof expectations. Whatever the expectations, the realityis that supply chains will be competing with eachother and that means VFM is core to success.

If we take one element of supply costs, for example,inventory, a primary focus will be to achieve optimumstock turn rates. Not only will this support providinghigh service levels when properly managed, but alsofrees up valuable working capital. With coordinatedactions, good inventory management will influencehow well warehousing operates and, in turn,logistics. By integrating these efforts on across functional level, VFM will be optimised.

The integrated concept demands astructured approach supported bydetailed information. Research and decadesof experience have led to the developmentof implementation models that haveproven successful for manyorganisations.

Dr. Dermot Carey will be conducting a 2-day open enrolment program withOctara on “Warehouse Management” on 16 - 17 February in Karachi and20 - 21 February, 2012 in Lahore. For more information: [email protected]

Getting Value for Money & Integrated Supply Chain Management

“With coordinated actions, good inventory managementwill influence how well warehousing operates”Dr. Dermot Carey, Octara Associate


Appreciate yourcomplaining customers.

Customers with complaints can be your best allies


In difficult economic times, somebusinesses cut costs by cuttingcorners on customer service. Thisis exactly the wrong thing to do.Right now, service matters morethan ever. Here's why:

When people buy during aneconomic downturn they areextremely conscious of the "hardearned" money that they spend.Customers want more attention,appreciation and recognition fortheir purchases, not less.

Customers want to be sure theyget maximum value for the moneythey choose to spend. They wantassistance, education, training,installation, modifications andsupport. The basic product mayremain the same, but they wantmore service.

Customers want strongerguarantees that their purchase was"the right thing to do". In good times,a single bad purchase may bequickly overlooked or forgotten, butin tough times, every expenditureis scrutinized. Provide the assuranceyour customers seek with generousservice guarantees, regular follow-up and speedy follow-through onany queries or complaints.

In tough times, people spendless time travelling, wining anddining, and more time carefullyshopping for each and everypurchase. Giving good serviceenhances the customer's shoppingexperience, and boosts your owncompany image.

When times are good, people movefast and sometimes don't noticeyour efforts. In tighter times, peoplemove more cautiously, and noticeevery extra effort that you make.

When money is tight, manypeople experience a sense of lowerself-esteem. When they get goodservice from your business, it booststheir self-image. And when they feelgood about themselves, they feelgood about you. And when they feelgood about you, they buy.

In tough times, people talk morewith each other about saving moneyand getting good value. "Positiveword of mouth" is a powerful forceat any time. In difficult times, evenmore ears will be listening. Be sure

the words spoken about yourbusiness are good ones.

So giving good service in toughtimes makes good business sense.But how do you actually achieve it?Here are eight proven principles youcan use. I call them "The Secrets ofSuperior Service":

1. U n d e r s t a n d h o w y o u rcustomers' expectations are risingand changing over time. What wasgood enough last year may not begood enough now. Use customersurveys, interviews and focusgroups to really understand whatyour customers want, what theyvalue, and think about what theyare getting, (or not getting) fromyour business.

2. U s e q u a l i t y s e r v i c e t odifferentiate your business fromyour competition. Your productsmust be reliable and up to date butyour competitors' are too! Yourdelivery systems must be fast anduser-friendly but so are yourcompetitors'!

Make a real difference by providingpersonalized, responsive and an"extra-mile service" that stands outin a unique way so that customerswill appreciate, and remember you.

3. Set and achieve high servicestandards. Go beyond basic andexpected levels of service to provideyour customers with desired andeven surprising interactions.Determine the "norm" for service inyour industry, and then find a wayto go beyond it. Give more choicethan "usual", be more flexible than"normal", be "faster" than theaverage and extend a "better"warranty than all the others.Your customers will notice yourhigher standards. But eventuallythey' l l be copied by yourcompetitors, too. So don't slowdown. Keep on improving!

4. L e a r n t o m a n a g e y o u rcustomer's expectations. You can'talways give customers everythingtheir hearts desire. Sometimes youneed to bring their expectations intoline with what you know you candeliver.

The best way to do this is by firstbuilding a reputation for makingand keeping clear promises. Once

you have established a base of trustand good reputation, you only needto ask your customers for theirpatience in the rare circumstanceswhen you cannot meet their firstrequests. Nine times out of 10 theywill extend the understanding andthe leeway that you need.

The second way to managecustomer's expectations is with thetactic called "Under Promise, thenOver Deliver". It works like this: yourcustomer wants something doneFAST. You know it will take one hourto complete. Don't tell yourcustomer! Let them know you willrush the project but then promise90 minutes. Then, when you aredone in just an hour (as you knewyou would be all along), yourcustomer will be delighted that youactually finished the job "so quickly".

5. Bounce back with effectiveservice recovery. Sometimes thingsdo go wrong. When it happens toyour customers, do everything youcan to set things right again. Fix theproblem. Show sincere concern forany discomfort, frustration orinconvenience. Then "do a little bitmore" by giving your customerssomething positive to remember -a token of goodwill, a small gift ofappreciation, a discount on futureorders, or an upgrade to a higherclass of product.

This is not the time to lay blame forwhat went wrong, or to calculatethe costs of repair. Restoringcustomer goodwill is worth the pricein future orders and new business.

6. Appreciate your complainingcustomers. Customers withcomplaints can be your best alliesin building and improving yourbusiness. They point out where yoursystem is faulty, procedures areweak or problematic. They showyou where your products are belowexpectations or your service doesn'tmeasure up. They point out areaswhere your competitors are gettingahead, or where your staff is fallingbehind. These are the same insightsand conclusions that people payconsultants to provide. But a"complainer" gives them to you free!

And remember, for every oneperson who complains, there aremany more who won't even botherto tell you. The others just take their


business elsewhere. At least the complainergives you a chance to reply and set things right.

7. Take personal responsibility. In manyorganizations, people are quick to blame othersfor problems or difficulties at work: managersblame staff, staff blame managers, engineeringblames sales, sales blames marketing andeveryone blames finance. This doesn't help. Infact, with all the finger pointing going on, ittends to make things worse.

Blaming yourself doesn't work either. No matterhow many mistakes you may have made,tomorrow is another chance to do better. Youneed high self-esteem to give good service.Feeling "ashamed" doesn't help.

It doesn't make sense to blame the computers,the system or the budget, either. This kind ofjustification only prolongs the pain before thenecessary changes take place.

The most reliable way to bring about constructivechange in your organization is to Take PersonalResponsibility and help make good thingshappen. Make recommendations, propose newideas, give your suggestions, volunteer to helpout with problem-solving teams and projects.

8. See the world from your customers' point ofview. We often get so caught up in our ownworld that we lose sight of what our customersactually experience.

Make time to stand on the other side of thecounter, or listen on the other end of the phone.Be a "mystery shopper" at your own place ofbusiness. Or be a customer for your competition.What you notice is what your customersexperience every day!

Finally, remember that service is the currencythat keeps our economy moving. I serve you inone business, you serve me in another. Wheneither of us improves, the economy gets a littlebetter. When both of us improve, people aresure to take notice. When everyone improves,the whole world grows stronger and closertogether.

As coaches, our primary role is that of facilitating the wayforward for the person we are coaching. Done correctly, MindMaps are designed to replicate the way the brain worksorganically, creatively, without limiting possibilities and withrelevant ideas linked.

One of the key outcomes of the Mind Mapping process isthat it enables information to be expressed in a way that canbe seen logically and at a glance. As a tool for coaching, MindMaps can set out the overview of the coaching process, showthe coaching process for an agreed outcome over a set periodof time, and be used as a summary of each coaching session.

Graham Moore

Mind Mappingand Coaching:

Perfect Partners

Octara Associate

Graham Moore will be conducting an open enrolmentprogram with Octara on “Mind Mapping for SalesSuccess” on 20 February in Karachi and 22 February,2012 in Lahore. For more information: [email protected]. Jamil Janjua, CEO Octara and Mr. Talib Karim,

Executive Director MEC, IoBM are signing MOU to jointlyhost Ron Kaufman’s program in Pakistan on April 21, 2012.


PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL ‘WAR ROOMS’“Make it so......” Go to action

CONTROL ROOMS & COMMAND POSTSDodge the Tiger - “Eyes on, hands on”• Same time and same place;

On Scene Commander centric• Point to point communications and adaptability

to changing situations

EMT ROOMSRide the Tiger “What I want to happen is …”• Same time but different place; uncluttered war

rooms with practical, efficient communicationsuites. Wall mounted and projected bunker lists

• Efficient, common-use, proven emergingtechnology

CMT ROOMSDance with the Tiger - “I see it happening this way….”• One team to many teams projecting immediate

to medium term strategy, think tank culture,brainstorming and proactive ownership withefficient support groups

• Team of leaders with silent support teamsbehind each; disciplined but not restrictive structures

BOARD ROOMSBe the Tiger - “It will be this way….”• Directing and projecting medium to long term

strategy and thinking unforeseen consequences.• Being creative and utilizing everything to be visionary

CLOUDSTweet the Tiger - “Here we are …”• Many teams to many teams with global information

pull and push• Meets all places, at all times, all at once with social

media on board

promulgated to allthe top companies

Jim TruscottChief Executive Officer

Truscott Crisis Leaders, Asia Pacific.Author of ‘Riding the Tiger’The Art of Crisis Leadership

Truscott Associates will be conducting a 2-day open enrollment program withOctara on “ISO 31000: Enterprise Risk Management” in March, 2012For more information: [email protected]


Transportation industry fleetmanagers in emerging markets havethe opportunity to avoid mistakesmade by their equivalents indeveloped markets and to by-passthe use of expensive proprietarytechnologies that have preventeddeveloped markets from operatingefficiently.

In the UK, for example, 28% of allheavy goods vehicles run empty,the average lading factor is 60% withsome vehicles remaining completelyunused. In the UK we have seentotal optimisation of dedicated fleetsas an impossible task. Unless theSupply Chain Owner’s (SCO)business is in a particularly densegeography where backhauls arealways available, there will alwaysneed to invest in surplus assetsrunning empty miles at less thanoptimum utilization.

Faced with these issues and highlyvariable demand, SCO’s fleetmanagers have reduced their ownfleets and outsourced more work toindependent subcontracted hauliers.However, using these sub-contractors without proper controlsoften leads to poor customer serviceand negatively affects the SCO’scompetitive position.

For the small independent haulier,finding work can be equally asdifficult, with each SCO asking themto install thousands of dollars’ worthof proprietary in-cab and proof ofdelivery technology for a supply ofwork that cannot be guaranteed.

Despite the expensive equipment,the Supply Chain Owner is still likelyto suffer and pay a price forinefficiencies. Ever-growing back-

office teams are constantly on thephone trying to find someone, oranyone, willing and able to carry aload. Where a SCO does tie a haulierto its computer systems there is animmediate loss of efficiency. Part ofthe haulier’s f leet becomesdedicated to that SCO, with noopportunities for sharing assets withother supply chain owners. Hauliersresent being held to a single contractby one SCO and seeing theirmargins squeezed ruthlessly.

With the growth of mobiletechnology, emerging markets havethe opportunity to avoid theseproblems. We foresee a solution tothese problems that will not requireinvestment in expensive computersystems, knowledge of optimizationalgorithms or mathematical genius. It will work on the simple operationof market forces and fits thetransportation industry well. Thekey for the SCO will be in“optimising the use of otherpeople’s assets through marketforces, not optimising its own assetsthrough mathematics”, with fullcontrol over service execution andcosts. The key for the haulier is inhaving information readily available,wherever and whenever they wantit - being fully aware of the needwithin the market and being able tointelligently match it with theircapability to fulfil that need. The

marke tplace and itspricing will be transparent andliquid, maximising the opportunityto use all empty capacity at any time.

The creation of such a marketenables collaboration based on thefundamental desires of both SupplyChain Owner and Carrier to makemoney and profit. Such optimisationwill work for the entire industry andcountries, not just a single company,enhancing efficiency and profitabilityfor all parties. At Stratus, we havedeveloped a detailed roadmap forimplementing this vision and wouldwelcome the opportunity to discussit with interested parties.

Nigel Devenish

Nigel Devenish, based in Ireland, is a Managing Director atMacdui Business Solutions, a business providing knowledgecapital and thought leadership solutions to businesses bothnationally and internationally since April 2010.

Nigel Devenish will be conductingan open enrolment program withOctara on “Effective Fleet andTransportation Management” inApril, 2012. For more information:[email protected]


1) DO – Treat Social media likegoing to a partyYou’d never shout, sell to completestrangers or ignore people talkingdirectly to you in polite conversation.Nor would you hand out businesscards to people who never asked forthem. Don’t do so here either.

2) DON’T – Worry about gettingthings wrong.You can’t break through the internet,but you can easily boost or damageyour brand without thinking toohard. Get advice before entering anywebsite or program – even if meansGoogling what others have saidabout it first. Each one has a flavorand a protocol for conversing. Getit wrong and you may find youraccount closed without question orappeal. You will also lose anyfriends, contact or conversationsthat went with it.

3) DON’T – Ever hold anyone’scontact details to ransomNever spam, always ask permissionto market to someone. Don’t buyunfocussed lists, people are privateand busy and will hate you forever,if they didn’t ask for and don’t wantyour product. Offer a way to beremoved from future messages andrespect their choice.

4) DO -Talk to an expertConnect with the best in the game.There are certain types of onlineetiquettes that you should knowbefore engaging. Let an expert showyou the ropes so you don’t spendall day chatting and getting nothingdone. Also an expert can make everyminute cost effective and run yourcampaigns. Remember as this isnow a two-way conversation, youcan get more feedback than thebiggest billboard would ever bringto you. You can talk to me.

5) DO – Be yourself (or at least theimage that people should see)Never fake your identity, nor makeevery conversation about selling.Online, people buy people and notproducts. Don’t be too honest (aboutyour hangover, for instance) but alsotell people what will make themwant to do business with you.

6) DO – Be relevantTime is precious and Google lovesrelevance.So does every search engine (YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter included).So do people. Never hijack theirconversations, listen for a while andthen join in when you havesomething to say that they will wantto hear.

7) DON’T – Forget IT’S NOT YOURACCOUNT!!!Seriously. When you signed up forFace book, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube, the small print says that THEYhave the 100% ownership ofanything you post (pictures, videosand messages). Be wary of whatyou say and do. It could be madepublic even if you said it in private.Always retain a sense of humour inwhatever's going on.

8 ) DO – Only post what youwant people to see.You don’t have to sharethe truth about a badbreak up. You don’t haveto actually share it at all.Right now Facebook onlyallows the search engines to postadvertising-related posts you’vemade (key word related). What ifGoogle was allowed to make all yourposts public? Be aware, be sensibleand if in doubt – keep it out!

9) DON’T – Libel, slander or defameYou have a profile and an audience

and TH IS MAKES YOU APUBLISHER. Whether or not youhave 5 friends and live in a cave,you are subject to the laws of yourhost country and possib lyinternational laws too. Don’t laughat the newspapers when they getsued, they can sell more newspaperson the back of the publicity tocompensate. What are YOU gonnado?

10) DO – Connect with everyoneThere has never been anunparal leled opportunity torediscover old school friends (mycurrent project), grow communitiesof like-minded people and sell without paying a bean for advertising.Make sure that you are polite, getintroduced through a friend(especially on LinkedIn andFacebook) and respect the privacyof others. Unless of course, theychoose to tell the world all abouttheir own misadventures – in whichcase send them THIS ARTICLE.

Of course this doesn’t even skim thesurface of the possibilities of usingsocial media to make a regionalimpact. To do that you need to askwhat people really want and thengive it to them.

But you can research, startrelationships and do really profitablebusiness from your laptop tosomeone else’s mobile phone.Everything is possible online withjust the click of a mouse.

Want to turbo charge your brand?Talk to me.

Social Media Do’s And Don’ts:

Dave Crane

Dave Crane is a Freelance journalist for many high profi le publications, and a Freelance TV presenter/reporter based in Dubai.


&

Bangladesh is an emerging economy with flourishing business activities. The size of the corporate training marketis huge. An estimated amount for training & development per year is about US $ 300 million (Ref: AusTrade, 2009)and almost all sectors of the economy (public & private) have general and specific training needs.

Considering this trend, Octara extended its services to the Bangladeshi market, a step that we hope will not onlyadd to our bottom line, but also contribute in bringing the two countries even closer. Muhammad Arif, our BusinessHead, has recently returned from his second trip to Dhaka and Octara, in collaboration with HR Kites, feels proudto announce the successful debut in Bangladesh in the form of two inaugural public training workshops withhighly acclaimed international experts, Roger Harrop and Paul Walsh in Dhaka at the Radisson BLU Hotel in thelast week of November 2011. The event had over 100 participants and a very positive response overall. We lookforward to more exciting sessions in 2012.


For the second year in a row, TRG LearnFest was a roaringsuccess! LearnFest 2011 focused on reviving the learningspirit in the festival of ideas in the crisp back to backsessions, stalls, various games and learning activities onNovember 15 at Karachi Sheraton and on December 15at Islamabad Serena Hotel! Octara had noteworthyspeakers on its platform in both cities who activelyparticipated in the event with great interactive topics.In Karachi, our star trainers were Dr. S. A. Rab whospoke about rising to the top in the corporate worldby dealing with organizational politics and Ali Saeedwho enthralled his audience with his session on Powerof digits in Business. Other interesting sessions were onConventional vs. Blended Learning by Nooruddin Suraniand a two hour session by Rehan Allawala on the future ofsocial media and how to use it to safeguard anorganization’s reputation.

We were all charged up for the event inIslamabad after such an exciting dayin Karachi and we experimented withbrilliant speakers from Lahore andIslamabad. The most captivating andengaging sessions in Islamabad wereof Ahmad Fuad who spoke aboutdaring to dream and Yasar Lodi whospoke about the inner motivationaldrive in individuals in his session usinghis unique story-telling style. Kicking upa storm, Arshad Ali had an hour long sessionon creativity, planning and change managementwhere he used exciting games to teach his audience with funand Wasif Mazhar had a motivating session on going fullcircle! Warda Zaman also spoke very well of story-tellingwithin organizations while Adil Masood spoke about EmotionManagement.

LearnFest 2011 attracted 250 professionals in Islamabad and600 professionals in Karachi. The day-long events on bothlocations provided a good forum for networking, learning, anddiscussion on the impact of training and organizationdevelopment. It is also proven that we have more than enoughexpertise, enthusiasm and interest to foster sharing and learningin Pakistan. Both the events were superbly managed by Torqueand TRG. See you all in 2012!

For Details on Sponsorship & Registration, please contact:Muhammad Arif, Tel: 021-34548428, Cell: 03008275091, 021-34520092, E-mail: [email protected] | www.octara.com

Samra Javed, Tel: 111-002-004, E-mail: [email protected] | www.iobm.edu.pk

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