Smart People. Smart Solutions.

It’s a highly competitive world out there. There is a need to differentiate yourself. A need to create brand equity for your organization. To win markets, old and new. If ever Charles Darwin’s theory of Survival of the Fittest was true, it’s now. But then how must one survive? How do you make yourself or your business ‘unique’? The answer to all these questions lies in the age-old saying, ‘Customer is the king’. It has been and still continues to be the fundamental base on which the empires of successful enterprises are built.

But it isn’t that easy, mind you. The markets have become complex and so have we, the customers. Today we are smarter, technologically more equipped, with our ever-evolving needs. From the way we live and work to our preferences and choices, everything has transformed significantly over the years.

Smart People. Smart Solutions. – Our motto at HeroBPO didn’t just come from thin air. It’s a motto we live by. This weekend I glanced upon this quote and it some how got stuck with me. It goes like this:

"Surround yourself with smart, dedicated people - to build something isn't a one-man show. It's more important to have smart people who really believe in what you're doing than really experienced people who may not share your dream." - Niklas Zennstrom

True isn’t it? In my 20+ years, I have seen changes that might astonish you, developments that would make you sit in awe. I have learnt a lot, tried a lot of things but one thing that I have not underestimated is the power of the customers. One can’t do this alone. You need a team – a team of like-minded individuals. It will not be wrong to say that the key to winning partnerships lie in the ability to understand, customize and then service according to the consumers’ needs.

But how is this possible? To be able to create a winning product it is crucial to catch the pulse of what the consumer needs and what could make his or her life better, simpler. Though, we have many tools at our disposal to generate consumer insights, it would add a lot of value if we step out into the market, personally spend time with customers and get insights. Once the need is understood, the next step is customization. Categorizing customers as one homogenous lot can be useful as it helps streamline operations, however, one can not ignore the fact that each customer and his/her requirement is different from the other.

The question that arises is ‘How far are you willing to customize your offering?’ This flexibility has to be built in into organizational culture. Only when you are able to customize, you can truly deliver a superlative experience to the customer. People have become smarter, it’s time we offer them smart solutions as well.

Communication – The corner stone for all businesses

Way back in the 1980s, Robert H Lengel and Richard L Daft came up with a theory known as the Media Richness Theory. The essence of the theory is simple. It says that the richness of a communication media is directly proportional to its ability to reproduce information. Also, the selection of communication medium depends on the task at hand or the situation that an organization is facing.

Communication, today, is a corner stone for businesses around the world. It will not be an exaggeration to add that it is the game changer that makes or breaks any business. The way you communicate with your employees, business partners and customers, determines your success. Though, every firm strives to be a trusted brand and a great place to work, there is a tendency to view communication as an afterthought. The popular perception is that the communication part will be taken care of once ‘we put the process in place’. Is it a wise move?

I believe that the above-mentioned approach makes the communication strategy uni-dimensional in approach. Instead, what will work best for any organization, irrespective of the area of work, is rich communication, as it helps lay a foundation for trust with various stakeholders. Again, I would refer back to the Media Richness Theory by Lengel and Daft as an example.

I have always believed that seeking inputs from your employees, who interact with the customers and thus have their insights, adds tremendous value to the growth of the business and is a boon to the overall strategy. Not to forget that it’s almost certain that your employees will not only feel valued, but also be more responsive to the new strategy when you finally roll it out.

I would stress that rich communication has to be the norm for any organization or firm that wants to be successful in today’s cutthroat competition. During tough times, silence results into suspicion, unilateral communication creates confusion, whereas rich communication provides hope and generates trust. Rich communication, therefore, has to be the defining feature of an organization. It encourages open culture and transparency in the company.

I am proud to add that rich communication is what has help establish Hero BPO as a trusted brand today. Over the years we have been successful in developing a rich communication culture internally as well as externally by listening and engaging on a continuous basis with our customers, our employees and the communities we operate in, to not just provide innovative products but also add value to each and everyone’s lives.