Babus will be babus. More so in small towns like Santiniketan, where harassing those who approach your table is a free source of entertainment. The mother of all entertainment seems to be information denial.
Ask any babu the simplest question and that immediately becomes the state secret for which you either have to come back tomorrow (the favourite) or ask in writing or better still enquire at the district head office in Suri.
But for the enterprising entrepreneur here lies an opportunity. The electrician, the phone service man, the plumber, the travel agent have, as a result, become great repositories of knowledge.
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Their customers often overlook the quality of service they peddle, grateful as they are for the ability to access their wealth of information. Two instances in the recent past gave me a different perspective on customer relationship management.
My emergency light was on the blink and I took it to the nearest specialist. I left home, irritated at the worsening power situation in West Bengal. But what I came back with was a gem that made me forget for the moment that the electricity board was shedding its load.
As I entered the shop I saw a couple waiting ahead of me. I couldn