Direct marketing to enhance the customer experience.....

What exactly is customer experience? Actually, it is the perceived value of your services and organisation as a whole in the mind of the customer. How is he being treated, how much his response are valuable for you and what is the worth of his in the organisation’s eyes, all constitute a rich customer experience.

Direct marketing is a tool in the hands of the organisations to gain an insight into the minds and ultimately judge the responses of the customers. It is directed at customers as mails, letters or calls and the frame of mind of the customer is gauzed through his or her response. Direct marketing carries more significance with online businesses where there is no face to face interaction with the customers and so the organisation is left with nothing to know about its revenue generators.

Online businesses make more use of e-mails to generate responses and follow the customers because it is a cost effective and speedy medium of communication. Generally, thousands of mails are forwarded at a time and even if some hundreds are replied back, it means the organisation has positive image in the minds of its customers.

Being directed at the ultimate consumers, it is free from the costs and vagaries of intermediaries and chances of manipulations in the final results. Moreover, it is more focussed upon gathering the positive responses from a bulk of customer database.

The success of any direct marketing tool depends upon the ability of the people handling the process. Since it aims to maintain communication with the customers, standard business and general etiquettes have to be followed. Proper follow-up of the responses is equally essential to arrive at some concrete results.

Direct marketing can be exercised with any organisation and at any point of time. In fact, it should a continual business method to make its customers feel that we are thinking of them and their responses and feedbacks matter much to us. If such a thing happens on a regular basis, it will definitely result in positive customer growth and ultimately the growth of the organisation.

Enjoy romantic weekends away...

Bored with the humdrum of daily lives? Feel like an automaton repeating things over and over again? Then luxury weekends away from the routine are probably what you need. However, planning perfect romantic weekends away is not that easy and require a bit of ingenuity, tact and skill. Following are some great ideas to help you plan the perfect getaway with your loved ones.

· Movies, the panacea for all boredom, are still the number one choice for a perfect evening with friends. Add a fancy dinner at a posh restaurant and you have the perfect setting for love to blossom. To escape the drudgery of reality you can have romantic weekends away, watching the latest blockbuster or revisiting the classics from the comforts of your home. For a bit of intellectual stimulation, movies in foreign languages and on varied topics are the best bet.

· For limited budget and time, movies may do the trick. But, if you got money to spare, time at disposal and, above all, an insatiable urge to explore then go camping. Being one with nature rejuvenates and refreshes the tired senses and infuse in them new vigour and life. You may end up discovering new facets of personality and the enthusiasm of youth.

· For those who want luxury weekends away from the mundane, the Internet offers many options. There are many sites that suggest scenic spots, perfect for a vacation. Most of these sites also offer advice on accommodation and places to visit. It helps in drawing up your itinerary and ensuring that you get maximum fun and enjoyment.

· There are many holiday spots that offer excellent choice of outdoor activities and sports. They are fun to indulge in and improve the stamina, health and vitality. Just make sure that you plan in advance and are equipped with the requisite gears and accessories.

The Judicial INACTIVISM in India

“Justice delayed is Justice denied” did not get better practical meaning before. Eerie silence prevailing in the judicial lobbies and slackened attitude of lawyers has resulted in judicial anarchy soaring all around.

In a recent case when a judge delivered record verdicts of 110 cases in a day, it brought back smiles on the faces of common men, but the plum expectations of advocates and lawyers seemed to have washed down the drain as year long pending cases provide a cornucopia of wealth and income opportunities to them.

Prolonged delays in clearing off cases only highlight the Shylockean instinct of the lawmakers and penury of the judicial system vandalizing the very essence of judicial framework of our country. India cannot claim its prowess in services industry internationally unless it finds some “Young Turks” who can provide instant relief to the justice seekers. It should not forget that legal fabric is one of the anchors of success and prosperity for a democratic nation.

Justice delayed is definitely justice denied, but coming of verdicts at a time when actual case filers are dead and their progenies have to bear the repercussions, is almost equal to injustice. Incremental wastage of their hard earned money on fee and documents adds to their woes.

Judicial infrastructure is in dire need of help and prompt action to do away with the existing lacunae. Day is not far when the above adage will describe “Justice delayed” as “Justice denied, detestable and dissident”.

Knowing your mother's health history can lower your risks!

Gregor Mendel might have conducted his genetics experiments on garden pea, but the laws are applicable to we humans also. We inherit all external and internal features from our parents only, some from our father and some from our mother. But daughters are said to inherit more from their mothers, carrying the same sex chromosome. As such, if you know substantial about your mother’s health history, it can prove to be a background to assess yours also.
There have been researches worldwide and it has been established that there are many genetic diseases which ought to diffuse into the progeny through one of the parents. If you are suffering from any such symptom, your mother’s health history can throw more light upon it and you can provide for your treatment beforehand.
Especially for females, it becomes essential to know about your mother’s medical history because it involves the age of menopause and perimenopause. These predictions are important to make early because you might need to plan your life based on these. For example, family planning, pregnancy, number of children and risks involved in getting pregnant will let you know about your status and future health risks and benefits.
On a similar note, if your mother had faced complications while getting pregnant, you might also face similar situation. so if you were carrying on with contraceptives till now, it is better to go ahead for pregnancy as delaying it might cause serious concerns. Even if your mother is untouched with some family disease but your family carries one, a diagnosis is essential- based on the premise that there are dominant and recessive traits and recessive traits can feature out in next generation.
Prevention is better than cure and this adage is apt in such a situation. Instead of knowing about any ailment later, it is better to know a bit more about your mother, especially from health perspective and make suitable adjustments for your health.

Tussle in faith...!!!!!

I have been a constant and staunch admirer of God and had always found Him nearby whenever I needed support- specially psychological. A few days before, I came across a surprising or rather unbelievable statement which opined me to develop faith in saints (Gurus), who could lead you closer to the ultimate Creator, he could teach you what is outside your scope of learning. Just after that I started thinking as to what is the actual meaning of faith?
For me, my faith on God is my energy. Why the whole world believes in God? Definitely, He is the rescuer for all. What special could the saints do which God cannot? Is the premise for the faith change is the visibility- that we can see saints in flesh and blood, can hear them, can touch them, can cry in front of them? Don't we do all these in front of God also?
The next day itself, I had a long conversation with my God, when I was complaining if I have been wrong in admiring and praying Him and not one of his disciple. What difference does it make anyway, I am still not able to figure it out. Has God lost His omnipresence and omnipotence today? Who could lead you sail the turbulent tides of time- the former or the latter? This dilemmatic situation is turning out to be a mind boggling question for me to answer.