India’s Product Service Quality
Posted : September 21, 2005 at 10:02 pm [IST]
India today may not be worse of in product quality. Over the years because of various pressures to compete, quality of Indian manufactured products might have come up quite high on the scale. The entrepreneurial relations with Japan taught Indians the Japanese manufacturing systems and tools and techniques that strengthened the foundation of the manufacturing companies. However, Indian enterprises -small and big seem to be very poor in serving the customers. Service quality is real poor.
One can have a first hand experience of this negligence of service approach while dealing with even private banks, insurance companies- both private and public, as well as appliance manufacturers. Private banks and insurance companies started well, but have picked up all the lethargy of public enterprises en route. Some times, after seeing a long line for depositing money or withdrawal in the best bank of the country, it appears public banks have gone perhaps better. I don’t know why in rush hours they can’t man more counters with more officers. It should be the part of the system.
Our insurance companies are the worst. Unless you have some good agent, you can’t get your own money redeemed in time. My Vima Nivesh that was matured in July itself is an example. My agent was an employee of the company that I headed last. It was five years ago. When I came from US after a long stay, I realized that one such policy had matured in July itself. I didn’t have any intimation from LIC in my mail. I found the agent who sold the policy has changed his job and now he was in Pune. I tried to take help from other agents. They told me my agent only could help or I might have to go to Merutt. Why all that is necessary? On maturity, LIC must send my cheque of the matured amount in advance to my address.
I had a similar experience with a private insurance company for household policy. It didn’t help at all when we had a burglary at our residence when we were out in Calcutta with my son who had come from US.
I have refrigerator of the best-known Indian brand. In last three, I had to get refrigerant filled twice and also faced some parts’ failure. Right in mid summer, it will ditch. I inform the service franchise agent. He takes at least 48 hours to reach us and then the repair technician takes his own time. If some parts are to be changed, the time taken is longer. I am to pay whatever he charges. I normally don’t go to road side repairmen, because that still more unreliable with no accountability whatsoever. Should we keep a standby refrigerator too? It happens with air conditioners, water purifier, and microwave oven, Even the service of the government owned cooking gas is horrible. And their supplying of refilled cylinders with less than specified amount of gas for which the consumer is to pay has become a normal complaint.
How long and for how many things you go on complaining when the initiative to provide the desired services to the consumers is not taken by the suppliers or manufacturers or the service providers? You can face the similar situations when you try to take services of doctors, teachers, and many small and big service providers. Most of them treat the customers in great manner in their first deal, but thereafter they forget about them, as they take them for granted that they can’t create any problem for them in the present business model.
- Indra
Category: Manufacturing |
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