Wednesday, March 3, 2010

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN 7 STEPS

1. Encourage Face-to-Face Dealings
This is the most daunting and downright scary part of interacting with a customer. If you're not used to this sort of thing it can be a pretty nerve-wracking experience. Rest assured, though, it does get easier over time. It's important to meet your customers face to face at least once or even twice during the course of a project.

My experience has shown that a client finds it easier to relate to and work with someone they've actually met in person, rather than a voice on the phone or someone typing into an email or messenger program. When you do meet them, be calm, confident and above all, take time to ask them what they need. I believe that if a potential client spends over half the meeting doing the talking, you're well on your way to a sale.

2. Respond to Messages Promptly & Keep Your Clients Informed
This goes without saying really. We all know how annoying it is to wait days for a response to an email or phone call. It might not always be practical to deal with all customers' queries within the space of a few hours, but at least email or call them back and let them know you've received their message and you'll contact them about it as soon as possible. Even if you're not able to solve a problem right away, let the customer know you're working on it.


A good example of this is my Web host. They've had some trouble with server hardware which has caused a fair bit of downtime lately. At every step along the way I was emailed and told exactly what was going on, why things were going wrong, and how long it would be before they were working again. They also apologised repeatedly, which was nice. Now if they server had just gone down with no explanation I think I'd have been pretty annoyed and may have moved my business elsewhere. But because they took time to keep me informed, it didn't seem so bad, and I at least knew they were doing something about the problems. That to me is a prime example of customer service.

3. Be Friendly and Approachable
A fellow SitePointer once told me that you can hear a smile through the phone. This is very true. It's very important to be friendly, courteous and to make your clients feel like you're their friend and you're there to help them out. There will be times when you want to beat your clients over the head repeatedly with a blunt object - it happens to all of us. It's vital that you keep a clear head, respond to your clients' wishes as best you can, and at all times remain polite and courteous.

4. Have a Clearly-Defined Customer Service Policy
This may not be too important when you're just starting out, but a clearly defined customer service policy is going to save you a lot of time and effort in the long run. If a customer has a problem, what should they do? If the first option doesn't work, then what? Should they contact different people for billing and technical enquiries? If they're not satisfied with any aspect of your customer service, who should they tell?

There's nothing more annoying for a client than being passed from person to person, or not knowing who to turn to. Making sure they know exactly what to do at each stage of their enquiry should be of utmost importance. So make sure your customer service policy is present on your site -- and anywhere else it may be useful.

5. Attention to Detail (also known as 'The Little Niceties')
Have you ever received a Happy Birthday email or card from a company you were a client of? Have you ever had a personalised sign-up confirmation email for a service that you could tell was typed from scratch? These little niceties can be time consuming and aren't always cost effective, but remember to do them.

Even if it's as small as sending a Happy Holidays email to all your customers, it's something. It shows you care; it shows there are real people on the other end of that screen or telephone; and most importantly, it makes the customer feel welcomed, wanted and valued.

6. Anticipate Your Client's Needs & Go Out Of Your Way to Help Them Out
Sometimes this is easier said than done! However, achieving this supreme level of understanding with your clients will do wonders for your working relationship.

Take this as an example: you're working on the front-end for your client's exciting new ecommerce endeavour. You have all the images, originals and files backed up on your desktop computer and the site is going really well. During a meeting with your client he/she happens to mention a hard-copy brochure their internal marketing people are developing. As if by magic, a couple of weeks later a CD-ROM arrives on their doorstep complete with high resolution versions of all the images you've used on the site. A note accompanies it which reads:

"Hi, you mentioned a hard-copy brochure you were working on and I wanted to provide you with large-scale copies of the graphics I've used on the site. Hopefully you'll be able to make use of some in your brochure."
Your client is heartily impressed, and remarks to his colleagues and friends how very helpful and considerate his Web designers are. Meanwhile, in your office, you lay back in your chair drinking your 7th cup of coffee that morning, safe in the knowledge this happy customer will send several referrals your way.

7. Honour Your Promises
It's possible this is the most important point in this article. The simple message: when you promise something, deliver. The most common example here is project delivery dates.

Clients don't like to be disappointed. Sometimes, something may not get done, or you might miss a deadline through no fault of your own. Projects can be late, technology can fail and sub-contractors don't always deliver on time. In this case a quick apology and assurance it'll be ready ASAP wouldn't go amiss.

MUSCULAR SYSTEM

DEEPEST OCEAN AND SEAS

The planet is approximately 71% water and contains (5) five oceans, including the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern.

(deepest oceans and seas)

#1 Pacific Ocean (35,837 ft) (10,924 meters)
#2 Atlantic Ocean (30,246 ft) (9,219 meters)
#3 Indian Ocean (24,460 ft) (7,455 meters)
#4 Caribbean Sea (22,788 ft) (6,946 meters)
#5 Arctic Ocean (18,456 ft) (5,625 meters)
#6 South China Sea (16,456 ft) (5,016 meters)
#7 Bering Sea (15,659 ft) (4,773 meters)
#8 Mediterranean Sea (15,197 ft) (4,632 meters)
#9 Gulf of Mexico (12,425 ft) (3,787 meters)
#10 Japan Sea (12,276 ft) (3,742 meters)

Note that official depths for the Southern Ocean are not available at this time.

LONGEST RIVERS

Did you know that the longest river in the world is the Nile? Egypt's greatest river is 4,135 miles long! In fact, Africa has two of the ten longest rivers. The Congo, which flows through central Africa, is Number 8 at 2,914 miles long.
What's the second longest river? Why, the Amazon, of course! It is about 4,000 miles (3,980, really) from start to finish, winding its way through most of South America.

China lays claim to Numbers 3 and 6: The Yangtze River is 3,917 miles long, and the Huang He is 3,395. North America's longest river, the Mississippi and Missouri combination, comes in at 3,870 miles long.

How do we measure these rivers? Geographers calculate the distance from the source of the river to its mouth. For instance, the Ob-Irtysh River, which is Number 7 on the list, is 3,354 miles long from its source in southern Russia to its mouth in the Ob Bay, in the very cold waters off northern Russia.

Russia has three more rivers in the Top Ten. Number 5 is the Yenisie River, which flows through Siberia and is 3,440 miles long. The Amur River runs through northeast Asia and totals 2,744 miles in length. The Lena River, at Number 10, flows north through central Russia and is 2,728 miles long.

REDUCE BODY WEIGHT

Win the weight:

Determine with the help of your physician how much weight has to be reduced.

Set several short term realistic goals .

Reward yourself each time you make progress (Not food items).( Like I will buy a new sandals if I reduce this much pounds or Kgs)

Even small weight losses have shown to be beneficial.

Make gradual changes in eating habits. (The human body reacts negatively when calories are reduced by slowing basal metabolic rate. This makes weight loss harder.)

You will lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume. Hence eating less and being more active help in losing weight.

Sound eating habits keep you out of putting on weight.

Stay motivated to lose weight.

Slow weight loss is the safest and most effective. ( one to one and half pound per week).

Gradual weight loss, promote long term loss of body fat.

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A person who is moderately active needs daily, 33 calories per kg of body weight to maintain his weight .

Reducing calories intake by 300 per day and increasing the physical activity to burn 200 calories per day results in weight loss of 400 Gms per week.

To satisfy basic nutritional needs eat a variety of foods every day. Choose from each of the five food groups milk, meat, fruit, vegetable and cereals. Balanced food plans encourage making wise choices about everyday food choices. This type of diet helps to stay at your proper weight for life.

Allow for an occasional treat.

Evaluate your eating pattern.

Try to cut down on foods high in fats and sugar.

Most successful weight – loss plans stress on reduction in both calories and the amount of fat eaten

Physical activity:

Determine the type of physical activity that suits your life style.

Regular aerobic exercise like brisk walking, jogging or swimming, is a key factor in achieving permanent weight loss and improving health

Health experts recommend exercising 30 minutes or more on all, days of the week for maximum benefits. The exercises should be moderately vigorous to be most effective but not exhausting.

Incorporate few simple measures to burn calories effectively. Like- taking an after dinner walk, using stairs instead of escalators or elevators, parking the car farther away to have a longer walk etc.

Exercises also improve sense of well being ,decreases stress and decreases appetite in some.

10 Essential Tips

Fry or sauté foods in a non-stick cook wear with low-calorie fat.

Baking or boiling is recommended instead of frying.

Eat high-fiber foods.

Use sugar substitutes while sweetening foods and beverages.

Opt for light menus in restaurants, or purchase low-calorie or reduced-fat products at the grocery store.

Never skip meals. Eat three to six times a day in smaller portions to avoid getting hungry.

Use a smaller plate at mealtime to satisfy your psychological need to see a full plate.

Eat and chew slowly. Stop eating before you feel full. (It takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain that it is full!)

Weigh yourself on a regular schedule, but don’t become a slave to your scale.

Reward yourself with pleasures other than food--buy some new clothes, get a different hair style, see a movie, visit a friend, etc.

SURYA NAMASKAR

TOP 25 BUSINESS SCHOOLS IN INDIA

1. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM A)

Regarded to be the best of the best business schools in India, IIM Ahmedabad. offers four programmes in Management. The PGP – Post Graduate Program (equivalent to MBA), the FPM – Fellowship Program in Management(equivalent to Ph.D), the FDP – Faculty Development Program for Management teachers and Trainers and the MDP – Management Development Program – a refresher for middle and top level managers.

2. Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM C)

The oldest of the IIMs, established in Kolkatta, IIM Calcutta is amongst the top three B schools in India. The institute offers three full time programs. The PGDM – Post Graduate Program in Management (equivalent to MBA), the FPM – Fellowship Program in Management, the PGDCM – Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management. The institute also offer part time PGDBM – Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management for managers with relevant work experience. In addition, MDP – Management Development Programs are held in regular intervals for middle and top level managers.

3. Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM B)

IIM Bangalore offers two year full time PGP – Post Graduate Program in Management (equivalent to MBA) and a FPM – Fellowship Program in Management. Both these programs require the candidate to take CAT. The institute also offers part time non residential PGSM – Post Graduate Program in Software Enterprise Management. There is a separate entrance test for this program. This business school is ranked amongst the top three business schools in the country.

4. Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM L)

IIM Lucknow offers a two year full time residential PGP – Post Graduate Program in Management and a four year FPM program. Both these programs require a candidate to take CAT. The institute also has an interesting student exchange program where students of this B-School go to premier B-Schools the world over and do part of their education. Students and faculty from these internationally reputed B-Schools in turn visit IIM Lucknow. It is ranked amongst the top five B-Schools in India.

5. XLRI – Xavier Labour Research Institute, Jamshedpur

Xavier Labour Research Institute, popularly known as XLRI was established in 1949 at Jamshedpur. The institute offers two courses at the post graduation level in management – a post graduate diploma in Business administration and a post graduate diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations (PMIR). Online version of the brochure is also available.

6. ISB – Indian School of Business, Hyderabad

Indian School of Business, Hyderabad is emerging as a preferred choice for MBA aspirants who want to pack in the program into a one year course. As it gradually builds up its permanent faculty base, the ISB has created a unique and sustainable visiting faculty model with some of the world’s leading academicians from Wharton, Kellogg, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Duke and Texas among others. The school offers a one year Post Graduate Program in Management.

7. FMS – Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi

FMS is amongst the top 10 B-Schools in the country and probably one of the two attached to a university amongst the top ten. The full time program of FMS started in 1967. Generally the demand for students is very high where most of the times students being placed within a day or two.

8. Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIM I)

The Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIMI) is the latest addition to the IIM community. IIMI has a two-year post graduate programme emphasizing on Experiential learning, IT orientation, and Social Sensitivity. IIM-I offers the following programs viz., (a) The Post Graduate Programme (PGP), a two year programme (b) Management Development Programme. These are held throughout the year. (c) Faculty Development Programme (FDP) is designed to assist in the development of teachers, researchers, and trainers for management education and (d) Executive Post-Graduate Programme (Exe-PGP) a 18-months programme, designed for working executives.

9. Indian Institute of Management, Calicut (IIM K – Kozhikode)

Established in 1996, The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, IIMK is the fifth Indian Institute of Management. Its academic programmes encompass a range of long term full time diploma programmes such as the Post Graduate Programme in Management, and a number of short duration executive education programmes. The institute also offers an “Interactive Distance Learning Programme”

10. Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (JBIMS)

The Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, (JBIMS) was established by the University of Bombay in 1965 in collaboration with the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University with the objective of pioneering and furthering post – graduate management education in India. JBIMS has been ranked in Asia’s Top 25 business schools by Asia Inc.

11. S. P. Jain Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (SPJIMR)

The Institute’s PGDM programme amongst the best in the country offers the following specialisation in the second year (fourth and fifth trimester). Finance Management, Marketing Management, Information Management and Manufacturing & Operations Management. Core subjects normally focus on the basic aspects relating to a particular area of specialisation. In addition, each participant can take courses from another specialization as a ‘Minor Specialization’.

12. Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Mumbai (Bombay)

The school commenced its operations in 1995 and has been awarding a full time two year masters degree, a doctoral program in management and Executive Education programs in management. One unique feature of the program is that apart from the regular courses on Finance, Accounting, Operations and HR, SJM SOM prepares for technology management with core courses like Technology Policy, R&D Management and Managing technology transfer. To secure an admission, you need to take JMET, the Joint Management Entrance Test.

13. Management Development Institute, Gurgaon (MDI)

Amongst the top management institutes in India, MDI offers a two year Post Graduate Program in Management. The curriculum is spread over six terms of about three months each. The core curriculum is spread over four terms with the bulk of it covered in the first three terms. MDI has student exchange arrangements with Aarus School of Business, Denmark, CBPA, USA; Copenhagen Business School, Denmark; EDHEC, France; ESCP-EAP and Sciences Po, France; Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Germany; McGill University, Canada; Norwegian School of Management, Norway; Queensland University of Technology, Bangkok; Solvay Business School, Belgium; Universita Carlo Cattaneo (LIUC), Itlay and Warsaw School of Economics, Poland.

14. Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (NMIMS)

NMIMS offers a two-year full-time programme, spread over six trimesters and leading to the degree in Master of Business Administration. Number of seats: 240. Students are admitted to the programme if they meet the required standards of the two stage selection process – Stage I: A written admission test; Stage II: Candidates who qualify at stage 1 will be required to appear for the second stage of selection process like the Group Discussion and Personal Interview.

15. Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIM B)

XIM Bhuvaneswar, offers the following courses: Post Graduate Programme in Management, Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management, Post Graduate Programme in Rural Management and Fellow Programme Management. The PGP in Management is the flagship programme of the Institute. The courses impart a generalist perspective, in addition to training the students in technical and functional business skills such as accounting, finance, marketing and production.

16. Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune (SIBM)

SIBM, Pune offers a Master’s Degree in Business Administration – MBA Dual Specialization. Specializations include Marketing, Finance, Human Resource, Manufacturing, and Materials & Logistics Management. A total of 120 students shall be selected for this course.

17. Symbiosis Center for Management & Human Resources Development, Pune (SCMHRD)

Please click on above link to visit the Business School site to get more information

18. Institute of Management & Technology, Ghaziabad (IMT)

Please click on above link to visit the Business School site to get more information

19. International Management Institute, Delhi (IMI)

Please click on above link to visit the Business School site to get more information

20. Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Trichy (BIM)

Please click on above link to visit the Business School site to get more information

21. Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA)

Please click on above link to visit the Business School site to get more information

22. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi (IIFT)

Please click on above link to visit the Business School site to get more information

23. T. A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal (TAPMI)

Please click on above link to visit the Business School site to get more information

24. Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai (LIBA)

Please click on above link to visit the Business School site to get more information

25. Institute of Management Development Research, Pune (IMDR)

9 POINTS FOR TEAM MANAGEMENT

Team building and teamwork skills are critical for your effectiveness as a manager or entrepreneur. Even if you are not in a leadership role yet, better understanding of teamwork can make you a more effective employee and give you an extra edge in your office.
Team building success is when your team can accomplish something bigger and work more effectively than a group of the same individuals working on their own. You have a strong synergy of individual contributions. But there are two critical factors in building a high performance team.

The first critical factor of a teamwork success is that all the team efforts are directed towards the same clear goals , the team goals. This relies heavily on good communication in the team and the harmony in member relationships.

The other important element is the diversity of skills and personalities. When people use their strengths in full, but can compensate for each other's weaknesses. When different personality types balance and complement each other.

Here are some additional team building ideas, techniques, and tips you can try in your situation.

Make sure that the team goals are totally clear and completely understood and accepted by each team member.
Make sure there is complete clarity in who is responsible for what. Do your best to avoid overlaps of authority. For example, if there is a risk that two team members will be competing for control in certain area, try to divide that area into two distinct parts and give each more complete control in one of those parts, according to those individual's strengths and personal inclinations.
For issues that rely on the team consensus and commitment, involve more the whole team in the decision making process. For example, use group sessions with collective discussions of possible decision options or solution ideas. What you want to achieve here is that each team member feels his or her ownership in the final decision, solution, or idea. The more he or she feels this way, the more likely he or she is to agree with and commit to the decided line of action.
Make sure there are no blocked lines of communications and you and your people stay fully informed.
Build trust with your team members by spending one-on- one time in an atmosphere of openness and honesty. Be loyal to your employees, if you expect the same.
Allow your office team members build trust and openness between each other in team building activities and events. Give them some opportunities of extra social time with each other in an atmosphere that encourages open communication. For example, in a group lunch on Friday.
Be careful with interpersonal issues. Recognize them early and deal with them till full resolution.
Never miss opportunities to empower your employees. Say thank you or show appreciation of an individual team player's work.
Do not limit yourself to negative feedback. Be fare. Whenever there is an opportunity, give positive feedback as well.
Finally, though teamwork and team building can be challenging, the rewords from high team effectiveness are well worth it.

TYPES OF RAM IN COMPUTERS

SRAM: Static random access memory uses multiple transistors, typically four to six, for each memory cell but doesn't have a capacitor in each cell. It is used primarily for cache.
DRAM: Dynamic random access memory has memory cells with a paired transistor and capacitor requiring constant refreshing.
FPM DRAM: Fast page mode dynamic random access memory was the original form of DRAM. It waits through the entire process of locating a bit of data by column and row and then reading the bit before it starts on the next bit. Maximum transfer rate to L2 cache is approximately 176 MBps.
EDO DRAM: Extended data-out dynamic random access memory does not wait for all of the processing of the first bit before continuing to the next one. As soon as the address of the first bit is located, EDO DRAM begins looking for the next bit. It is about five percent faster than FPM. Maximum transfer rate to L2 cache is approximately 264 MBps.
SDRAM: Synchronous dynamic random access memory takes advantage of the burst mode concept to greatly improve performance. It does this by staying on the row containing the requested bit and moving rapidly through the columns, reading each bit as it goes. The idea is that most of the time the data needed by the CPU will be in sequence. SDRAM is about five percent faster than EDO RAM and is the most common form in desktops today. Maximum transfer rate to L2 cache is approximately 528 MBps.
DDR SDRAM: Double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM is just like SDRAM except that is has higher bandwidth, meaning greater speed. Maximum transfer rate to L2 cache is approximately 1,064 MBps (for DDR SDRAM 133 MHZ).
RDRAM: Rambus dynamic random access memory is a radical departure from the previous DRAM architecture. Designed by Rambus, RDRAM uses a Rambus in-line memory module (RIMM), which is similar in size and pin configuration to a standard DIMM. What makes RDRAM so different is its use of a special high-speed data bus called the Rambus channel. RDRAM memory chips work in parallel to achieve a data rate of 800 MHz, or 1,600 MBps. Since they operate at such high speeds, they generate much more heat than other types of chips. To help dissipate the excess heat Rambus chips are fitted with a heat spreader, which looks like a long thin wafer. Just like there are smaller versions of DIMMs, there are also SO-RIMMs, designed for notebook computers.
Credit Card Memory: Credit card memory is a proprietary self-contained DRAM memory module that plugs into a special slot for use in notebook computers.
PCMCIA Memory Card: Another self-contained DRAM module for notebooks, cards of this type are not proprietary and should work with any notebook computer whose system bus matches the memory card's configuration.
CMOS RAM: CMOS RAM is a term for the small amount of memory used by your computer and some other devices to remember things like hard disk settings -- see Why does my computer need a battery? for details. This memory uses a small battery to provide it with the power it needs to maintain the memory contents.
VRAM: VideoRAM, also known as multiport dynamic random access memory (MPDRAM), is a type of RAM used specifically for video adapters or 3-D accelerators. The "multiport" part comes from the fact that VRAM normally has two independent access ports instead of one, allowing the CPU and graphics processor to access the RAM simultaneously. VRAM is located on the graphics card and comes in a variety of formats, many of which are proprietary. The amount of VRAM is a determining factor in the resolution and color depth of the display. VRAM is also used to hold graphics-specific information such as 3-D geometry data and texture maps. True multiport VRAM tends to be expensive, so today, many graphics cards use SGRAM (synchronous graphics RAM) instead. Performance is nearly the same, but SGRAM is cheaper.

ANATOMY OF HEART

FACTS ABOUT EARTH

Here you will find a listing of essential facts about the planet earth, the home to all of humanity:
Human Population of the Earth: 6,660,000,000 (6.66 billion) as of April 2008

World Population Growth: 1.14% - 2006 estimate (this means at the current rate of growth, the earth's population will double in 61.4 years)

Countries of the World: 195

Earth's Circumference at the Equator: 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 km)

Earth's Circumference Between the North and South Poles: 24,859.82 miles (40,008 km)

Earth's Diameter at the Equator: 7,926.28 miles (12,756.1 km)

Earth's Diameter at the Poles: 7,899.80 miles (12,713.5 km)

Average Distance from the Earth to the Sun: 93,020,000 miles (149,669,180 km)

Average Distance from the Earth to the Moon: 238,857 miles (384,403.1 km)

Highest Elevation on Earth - Mt. Everest, Asia: 29,035 feet (8850 m)

Tallest Mountain on Earth from Base to Peak - Mauna Kea, Hawaii: 33,480 feet (rising to 13,796 feet above sea level) (10204 m; 4205 m)

Point Farthest From the Center of the Earth - The peak of the volcano Chimborazo in Ecuador at 20,561 feet (6267 m) is farthest from the center of the earth due to its location near the equator and the oblateness of the Earth.

Lowest Elevation on Land - Dead Sea: 1369 feet below sea level (417.27 m)

Deepest Point in the Ocean - Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench, Western Pacific Ocean: 35,840 feet (10924 m)

Highest Temperature Recorded: 135.8°F - Al Aziziyah, Libya, September 13, 1922 (57.7°C)

Lowest Temperature Recorded: -128.5°F - Vostok, Antarctica, July 21, 1983 (-89.2°C)

Water vs. Land: 70.8% Water, 29.2% Land

Age of the Earth: 4.5 to 4.6 billion years

Atmosphere Content: 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and traces of argon, carbon dioxide and water

Rotation on Axis: 23 hours and 56 minutes and 04.09053 seconds. But, it takes an additional four minutes for the earth to revolve to the same position as the day before relative to the sun (i.e. 24 hours).

Revolution around Sun: 365.2425 days

Chemical Composition of the Earth: 34.6% Iron, 29.5% Oxygen, 15.2% Silicon, 12.7% Magnesium, 2.4% Nickel, 1.9% Sulfur, and 0.05% Titanium