By: Kamal Baruah
The origin of NPS dated back to December 2003 from Harvard Business Review article “The one number you need to grow” by Frederick F. Reichheld. NPS – Net Promoter Score is a way of measuring customers’ satisfaction and loyalty by asking how likely they’re to recommend a brand to others. However, companies spend lots of time and money on complex tools to assess customers’ satisfaction. The best predictor of top-line growth can usually be captured in a single survey question by Frederick. “Would you recommend this company to a friend”? And many of us (customers) deal with it now and then. Customers always consider reviews before making a purchase decision and a feedback SMS message followed to capture customers’ insights.
I had witnessed a time of harsh incident the other day, when I was asked to respond a feedback from one SMS. The tales of suffering were putus in great distress. Soon after boarding the chartered bus, our daughter had experienced the unavailability of mobile network. Alas! It seemed to be a network glitch from the outset. It was later confirmed through helpline that the SIM was blocked by network provider for want of KYC. It was a shock to face such hostile attitudes from a leading mobile network provider, albeit the SIM issued at my name after verification of OVD eight long years back and being used by our daughter.
Imagine a day without a cellular phone, when we’re totally dependent on a mobile network supporting digital wallet service. Little could anybody at the time see that your only SIM is no longer active, when every financial transaction and social media is linked with a mobile number? Facing such kind of military action all of a sudden was insane. We rushed to the store very next day to air our grievances against the operator and found the tiny store was crowded by hundreds of aggrieved users. While waiting our turn at E-token, our mind was beginning to wander. A tiny bench offered little help to accommodate up toall and many senior citizens stood tirelessly in the doorway for hours.
Our queries went unanswered and our arguments unheard. It was shocking that nothing is possible before 45 days at least for further notification as the network provider is to abide by the telecom regulatory authority. We made one last desperate attempt to retrieve it by issuing another SIM for instant access to her phone but the original number was still blocked. There was a long pause during which we all wondered what will happen without that one and only mobile number that she possesses and get linked with every activity in day to day work and study.
After a month, I was jubilant over a call to visit the store. Capturing my fingerprint biometric data from Aadhaar was really tough. Finally, the SIM retrieved and a request from the store representative came by surprise to respond a feedback SMS for overall experience. Definitely a feedback matters for them while purchasing a product which is crucial for the success of their marketing efforts.
Should I tick Five-Star for NPS? Probably negative, while facing after that juncture. I spared a moment to share my thoughts about the harrowing story of how they treated us. They don’t deserve happy feedback from customers. We had had a harsh experience. The mobileoperator didn’t even bother to convey other than sending SMS for need of KYC. We had suffered a great deal since blocking the SIM. We can’t praise them enough – they did a senseless job by deactivating a cellular mobile in haste and failed to elevate our satisfaction. After all, a valuable feedback of yours matters.
