Value Your Team
August 11th, 2008
My busineses friends always told me that the people working for them are their greatest assets. If you do a search, I bet you can find lot of companies here are including this in their corporate mission too. But how many of them are practicing this, in heart?
IKEA know how to make good use of free empty advertising space, and the real way of valuing their team members!
You may want to take a look at our related postsI want a faster horse!
August 3rd, 2008
Steve Jobs said he never listens to people. People would have said they want a faster horse (Henry Ford). Companies do it more as gestures, more than mining people for their ideas.
Lot of time, people don’t know what they want until you have get put the final product in front of them! If Akio Morita listen to their customers, we will never get the Walkman today.
Why? Steve and Akio Morita doesn’t spend time to study their users, because they themselves are already the best user experience expert!
When asked why iTunes works? Steve explained that illegal download through is free but taking some time to find the right song. iTunes, provides a better User Experience and you are assured with song quality and reliability. We can’t talk someone to stop downloading songs illegally, but we can give you Carrot. “Our carrot is, better User Experience… and that will cost you USD1 only,” said Steve.
Recently, we are revamping our travel guidebook. It is not rocket science or any marketing research on age-group of our travelers, or any ‘convenient’ information to fill in the guidebook - it is User Experience, to spent less than 3USD before the trip.
“I want a ‘car’!,” said Pin
Some other reading on User Experience:
How Not to Receive Feedback from Your Customer
Upload your picture to complete order?
What is the word?
Incubator for Startup
August 1st, 2008
My partner, Yowchuan was one of the few entrepreneurs invited to MMU’s Centre for Commercialization and Technopreneur Development (CCTD) 8 years ago. Through it was merely a 300 sqf of space, but was already big enough for our dream to wonder far. Having the first office there, we never look back again.
If I’m not wrong, there are few incubators in Malaysia, check out the full list of MSC Malaysia status incubators. Looking back, some incubators are just like another MSC, both work like The Real Estate Corridor.
Not only this, some trying to confuse our technopreneur to make them believe that all big dream need some big funding. Yet, at many times, they can’t even tell you if your business model is right? You spent lot of your time attending entrepreneur-related talk and meet up with those ’successful’ businessman who shows you where they are now, but not how to get there!
Working with my interns over the years, I believe we have talented graduates for sure. They are lacking of confident, instead of funding and cubicle space. Talking about this, schools should actually allow them to pursue their dream as early as during their final year project stage, than working on those impractical project to look good in GPA/CPA. If they start earlier, they save more time and prepare themselves better before graduating!
What entrepreneurs want?
The physical space of where they work is never bigger than their dream. When you’re the only one to go off the beaten road after graduating, you need more than the incubator to realize your dream!
Long Way Home of a Web Developer
Decide Your Business Model Today!
Classified Companies
Google’s Web Design Company
Roses for Your Office
July 30th, 2008
To have a recurring revenue for a business is kinda important. Same goes to empty vases in your office. We are lucky enough to have Ammie to refill it for us just when our first two roses quit.
Who says flower arrangement is easy? There are few things to make this works (ignore the girl in the picture). Ammie added a lily and match it with two beautiful roses. Some addictive (Flower food?) was added to make them stay alert for few more days in your office.
8 roses with lilies in vase. This was placed in the meeting room - order one for your office today! It makes some changes, without pain! :)
5 Reasons Why You Should Send Flowers in a Vase
What is Guardian Petals?
I Hate Big Pencil
July 30th, 2008
I used to think of how those amazing company still indulged themselves in their own sweet dream of having many years of existence, in decades. It doesn’t take Friendster or WordPress long to become successful. If you need a more solid example, check out Google.
I was talking to one of the biggest property developer in Malaysia recently, over the revamp of their website. This is the second revamp after 4 years time, and I expect them to have clearer understanding on the importance of what to achieve now. Change is pain, and when every web developers walk in and tell you the same thing about mockup, fancy flash animation, they have finally chosen to measure something unmeasurable - branding.
They have chosen Leo Burnett, one of the famous creative company. I’m not sure how much opportunity cost will be lost to this property developer after visiting Leo Burnett’s website. My mouse turned into a big pencil, to match with their tag line ‘All big ideas come out from big pencil’. What has this to do with me? The website is in ALL-Flash version. The navigation does not impress me at all (perhaps, to the group’s decision maker, yes).
Creative agencies are in the market for many years, long before any web design company. In those days, TV, Radio and other non-online media are the main advertising channel. Over the years, creative agencies are moving into the online channel and this directly put themselves as the role of web developers, without knowing what and how website can really help - another example of Meatball Sundae.
It is not that you are big and the golden words ’starting since 18xx’..’ that makes you outstanding. It is about change!
Nokia wants to transform itself into a next-generation entertainment company. Last August, Nokia, the world’s largest cellphone maker, created Ovi, an Internet service and online music store. Its intent, analysts say, is to compete directly against Apple.
This is unfamiliar territory for Nokia, which got its start in the mid-1800s as a paper maker. But as Mr. Ojanpera explained, companies like his have no choice. “Change is painful, but you have to figure this out in order to be successful,” said Mr. Ojanpera, who is based in White Plains. “The question is, are you willing to play by the new rules?”
Further Reading: Criteria for selecting good web developer
You may want to take a look at our related postsNoisesource
July 28th, 2008
If outsourcing is subcontracting a process, ‘noisesourching’ view the process as noise and can eventually affecting the subcontractors in long term. Outsourcing will die one day!
(I’ve talked to another lawyer today, it seems life of a lawyer is always busy. A lawyer works like a web designer. It’s a project after project lifestyles. Who says lawyer can’t change their business model and apply their experience, skills and knowledge into something that can benefit them in a recurring way, without much noise.)
You may want to take a look at our related postsMy New Office in Starbucks
July 23rd, 2008
What’s next? I asked myself after we switch to 4 day work week last week.
My Glande Latte reminds me something. It’s possible to move an office to Starbucks? Occupying a corner with glass partition, from walk-in customer. This fixed and dedicated location with private LAN/WIFI - sounds like a reality show :)
“Starbucks in Malaysia is jointly owned by Starbucks Coffee International and Berjaya Group Berhad. The first Starbucks retail store in Malaysia was opened in KL Plaza since 1998. Today, we have 109 stores through out Malaysia.”
If this is possible, what would be the values of story to Starbucks and that company?
You may want to take a look at our related postsGraduating Soon?
July 18th, 2008
I wasn’t able to sort out few things lately! Yet, I felt they are some formulas hidden inside this three facts, just that I couldn’t able to link them out.
Working for others
Our graduates love this for sure, climbing corporate ladder. The higher you’re, the lower risk you can take. Is this comfort zone a permanent one, I doubt!
Yet, if not this, what else? It’s a highway. You are told it is fastest, closest and the most comfortable one. Except one thing, the high price to pay. Your parents, lecturers, buddies and our society shape this road and you are just following, what’s wrong with it?
Graduate, find a good job, get your first pay check, buy your first car and follow by a house. Pay your loans and when you’ve little money in your bank - almost the time to get married. Sounds familiar? Indeed, it is just another NKVE.
Start your own business - Type A
I always believe everyone has their own dream. I interviewed some, digging from their memory deep inside and yes - from cycling to setting up bakery. Many of these dreams are buried, less important than getting higher GPA and busy fighting to secure the best job in the most ‘well-known’ company with highest salary.
Only few of them, make the hard decision to roam the trunk road than going straight to the highway. It isn’t easy at all. You have spent your crucial 3 or 4 years in University, learning how to complete your final year project without a business model, without knowing how to market it, managing people, applying your MSC…
What’s Type A? Type A entrepreneurs, through not working for others, but decide to venture into business model that providing customized service, such as web design. They accumulate skills and experience, but sadly to say, this is a dead-end business model after 3 to 5 years. You find yourself getting busier, having lot of noise, probably a bigger team but also mean you have to make sure projects keep coming in every month, in time!
Start your own business - Type B
Type B entrepreneurs decide to start their own project. This can be, for example an online florist selling just roses. It starts small and no one sure how far this can go. This single project get 100% attention from the founder.
Put it this way, Type A’s business is to setup and take care of a garden for someone. It is an example of outsource. Type A, at the same time, taking care of more other gardens.
Type B, setup his own garden and plant just one tree in the garden. It is nothing but the tree. All focus, resources, time are investing into it.
Let’s fast forward to 5 years later. All trees in both garden yield fruits, but who owns it? In fact, the owner of the garden managed by Type A, are type B too. Type B has more time to think to grow his business while Type A busy managing garden after garden.
By the way, do you know who are those working in the garden, climbing up to the tree? You’re right, those in ‘Working-for-others’ with good climbing skills after years of training :)
If you are graduating soon, can I talk to you?
You may want to take a look at our related postsClassified Companies
July 17th, 2008
I was talking to my friend who worked in a Classified company. His company is into producing an inche thick printed classified and distributed free to businesses. The revenue model is simple, to get more companies to advertise, the better. You can choose from point form listing to full-page color advertisement, as long as you can pay for it.
We both agreed that this industries won’t last long. My friend estimating it would last for another 10 years and will start to go down. Why?
1. Customers are getting smarter now. See, you can’t pay Google for a clean high listing, but you can do it in Classified. Google use several method to find out the most useful and popular website and list them high, in a more technical term, PageRank. Yet, Classified companies spent more time to recruit more sales rep to sell more ads than focusing in improving their Classified.
2. It wasn’t hany. Printed classifed is thick and heavy. It requires you to go through the whole Klang Valley to find one Plumber who is near your house. Search engines solved this problem, presenting you with a weight-less solution, as long as you are connected. You get information you need, most targetted and updated.
3. There are too many medias now. Google will not be as successful if they start their company as one that sell and allow people to subscribe to their pay per click model. See, you need a story, a story that is truly benefiting your visitors.
At least there are few things Classified companies can do to improve this
Colored and box listing are free for those who deserve it, those with lot of good testimonials, those offering responsible customer support service. Companies who advertised should somehow find a way to prove their are qualified for a listing of their rank. In fact, all listing should be free!
Then, how to keep this Classified company survive if not selling advertisement? I don’t know actually, it can be many ways. Think about how to make your product useful to your customers and the readers of the Classified. Who knows, one day, the revenue could be from the selling of the Classified? Subscription fee? Adsense?
If you’re sure what will happen in the 10 years time, why not change today? Afraid of short-term pains?
You may want to take a look at our related postsDecide Your Business Model Today!
July 15th, 2008
Think about this:
Group A: Hair stylists, web developers, lawyers, doctors, accountants, teacher, contractor, media planner, photographer, graphic designer…
(Group A’s customers want a customize solution. The solution is unique to each of them. Skill of Group A improved but limited to the person who is offering the service. The value of that person who offer the solution increases)
Group B: Online florist, broadband service provider, medical supplier, Google, Jobstreet, housing developers, scientist…
(Group B come out with their solution first. They customers made their decision to choose or reject the solution. The solution itself get improved and the values of the solution increases.)
Decide today! You don’t have many 5 or 10 years to change your business model!
Share with us your experience, post it here
You may want to take a look at our related postsLong Way Home of a Web Developer
July 13th, 2008
Looking back - 10 years, from one project to another, we have completed countless project for our customers, big and small. I’m glad we did. Through I found them to certain extend becoming noise, but noise is good.
We was once occupied by web design projects. We spent most of our time solving problems for our customers. It keeps us really busy. To cope with it, we get more staff. And when we realize we have more mouth to feed every month, we struggle to get more projects. This can be done only if your team never fall sick, your sales persons close deal timely, your designer produce the same good quality on every project, you have same less-fussy customers every time…
While your customers happily passing all the noises to you in their so-called outsource process, you are scratching your head to manage unnecessary noise over and over. You engage more staff than automating the process, you use your time to help your customers grow than your own.
Not only this, you find the red ocean spreading across in front of you. Web design firms fighting each other from getting drown. You try to find out why customers pay little on their website, when you think you should deserve more? You’re no longer satisfied been paid of your time spent, instead of values created.
Never underestimate your values. We can create wonders if we start something today, together.
You may want to take a look at our related postsWhy 4 Days?
July 12th, 2008
I was skeptical at first especially after we sent an email informing all our existing customers about decision we have made last week.
When asked why? This is definitely not another be-the-first kind of Malaysia Boleh campaign. It’s also not the Meatball Sundae like what Seth’s said in this book.
The change just happened. I can remember this suggestion was raised last year. We find no solid answers to how are we going to handle calls coming in on Friday, how our team members are able to check their email when they are not in the office, how to access the file servers without a VPN - We are not ready!
Again, change is pain but we are not afraid of it. Yet, to take every measure to make sure all our customers & team members will be benefited from this process.
You may want to take a look at our related postsAdvertisement in Year 1924
July 8th, 2008
I must admit that I’m the fan of National Geographic magazine. My earlier NI collection mainly on those featuring animals. Well, everything changed when I am getting older (older, serious…), I’d love to read more on places and people with different cultures. It was no more Savana lion’s picture with teeth dig into a wild buffalo’s back that attracted me now :)
I usually bought those outdated NI magazines, most of them dated 1980 - 2000, cost about RM8 each. I would consider them my little weekend retreat, besides cycling! Then it comes, last weekend. I was in Cineleisure looking for a gift for Shirley, our Langkawi writer. You won’t believe the number of NI magazines spread in 4 10-metre long table, full of them. They are really old magaizines, anything between 192x to 193x. You name it!
I picked one - an oldest I can find there! It wasn’t RM8 each, but RM80!
One of the reason I have decided to buy one, is to find out how advertisement looks like in those days. Here, some of the interesting advertisement I wish to share,
In the dead of night? Who would has think of that this is an advertisment from Bell Company. Yes, the one who invented Telephone. I couldn’t find any telephone numbers in all advertisements, perhaps this explains telephone still remains as for emergency use only.
New joys for Radio - What happen if they have an IPOP?
Colgate, still a dental cream
Sedan for $1,075??
Camera?
Modern bathroon has a shower?
You may want to take a look at our related postsRoses in Vase
July 2nd, 2008
“Changing the water for the roses is becoming the very first thing we wanted to do before we start our daily morning meeting. Never we know this little change bring so much difference!” Said Pin
“Also, thanks Ammie for the lovely roses. They really light up our day!” Said Wanching
5 Reasons you should order one for your office:
- 8 freshly choosen grade A roses by Le Fiores florist
- Beautiful IKEA vase carefully wrapped in box
- Eco friendly, ready to put into vase
- Free delivery within Klang Valley
- Quick design guide from Ammie
To order, email ammie@lefiores.com with your company name, address and contact numbers. The flowers will be delivered to you in less than 3 working days and please write your check payable to Chua Sok Wei with amount RM80. Check will be collected on delivery. No-question-asked refund policy. Please download the invoice here.
You may want to take a look at our related postsSwedish’s Faktura
July 2nd, 2008
In sweden, online buyers are so used to getting the product first before paying. Well, most of their e-commerce websites support two payment options, Faktura and credit card. Faktura remains as the preferred one where the owners value the return rights of their customer more than anything. Invoices are sent together with the products. Buyers will have to just pay the invoice through their local bank account.
Another thing I might it interesting is the introduction of additional fee for a greener-packaging method. Yes, paying extra to have the website owner wrap your product in a more eco-friendly way. It costs 10 kr extra, but makes huge difference. So, opt in for MILJO next time :)
Thanks to Jian for sharing this. Jian just returned from Sweden, he was sent there to do research on how Nordic countries run their online business sustainable environmental…
How high is high?
June 18th, 2008
I found this particularly interesting. Is that chooing priority ‘Low’ also means I will get my responce slower? If everyone goes for priority ‘High’, then why bother to ask?
This reminds me the one of a song from Shakira, Illegal - “question my own questions on and on..”
You may want to take a look at our related postsHow Not to Receive Feedback from Your Customer
June 14th, 2008
It takes you 2-minutes to listen to a real customer about how should the form looks like. I bet almost all customers will prefer a simple one than above.
1. Instruction kills creativity, makes people think less. The person who built this form is probably just want to get work done than how this form can help those who use it.
2. Change is pain. The original paper-based form could look exactly like this online form. Why bother to change it?
3. Users are passive. The form is viewed by countless visitors, yet no change has been done. Design of a building is done first than its construction. When the building is done, it is often too late to change, and suggestions are limited to what is already there.
You may want to take a look at our related postsOld marketing manager
June 9th, 2008
You are in a book business for 30 years. Story of Amazon.com motivates you to extend your business online. You start to build a website and sell your books online. Your marketing manager busy adopting new marketing ideas including Blog, email newsletter, pay-per-click, etc.
But after a while, you start to think why the result was not as expected. Your cost acquiring new visitors is high, the Blog is not active, no one seems to use the tell-a-friend box in your website…
But, someone next door - without any experience in selling books, started an online book store. They have some funny story and people are spreading the news for them, their CEO can be reached anytime by an email, the way they reply the customer support email is fun.
Start an online business, never extend it from a conventional one!
You may want to take a look at our related postsUpload your picture to complete order?
June 9th, 2008
With Internet flatten the world, you can now take an order from your website without meeting your customer. They are required to fill in a boring and long order form (all the way from first name to where they stay).
You have them all kept in a customer database. A literate society comes to believe that everything can be explained in words. What you’ve just seen is an example of how great a fallacy that is.
I bet the name of customer means nothing to you, especially if you have thousand of orders a day. They are just another must-have record in your customer database, because all online forms are designed the same!
I’m surprised! Most of us only add a friend from Meetic when a picture was attached with a profile, same goes to facebook and frienster! Same goes to the fact that you will never fall in love with someone by just their name!
I wish I don’t have to fill in anything while making an order. Instead, just to upload my picture, why not? At least, I don’t become ‘another record’ in the database, but becoming a friend to the online store owner.
A customer database made up of faces, indexed by nick name! I would love to have this!
You may want to take a look at our related postswcit2008.com or wcit.com?
June 5th, 2008
When it comes to annual event, what is the best domain to be used? By including the year 2008 after the domain (yes, someone may already registered wcit.com), it is therefore a must to register a new name wcit2009 next year. New domain means you have to start all over again and build your ranking in search engine again! To solve this, if you are using a Blog, you can create categories like 2007, 2008, 2009, etc and assign your post respectively.
You may want to take a look at our related postsWarranty card
June 3rd, 2008
Say you buy a camera with 1 year warranty. The serial number doesn’t hold the date of your actual purchase. That is why, you are asked to send back the Warranty card, which most of us never do.
It is unfair to say that manufacturer do not wish to get the actual purchase date. If they do, they won’t include the Postal-paid thingy on the card. So, where goes wrong?
No one say you must follow the long-winded template of warranty-card design. Make the change!
You may want to take a look at our related postsWho’s Jo-jo Challenge
June 3rd, 2008
We’re here! we’re here!
It is until Jo-jo make the final addtion of his voice to save “Whoville” city on a tiny planet, as small as a dusk. If you have not watched this movie, check this out.
This credit card payment page was taken from a famous online hotel booking website. I wish to collect 100 suggestion of improvements about this page (Yes, only this page!). I will send this post to the CEO of this website when the challenge met! I will compile your suggestion and come out with one page mock and included here.
Problem is improvement
May 28th, 2008
What happen if your fridge is not working? You turn off the power, remove everything and send it to repair. You got it back, working perfectly after two days.
You will notice one thing, your fridge is cleaner now, with all rubbish clear and things are in order! I bet you won’t clean it if the fridge doens’t go wrong.
How to apply this to online business?
Create problem virtually! Assumming your customer complaint at you, someone hacking into your website, broken link, page whacked, etc - all these bring positive result!
You may want to take a look at our related postsCat food is not for cat!
May 24th, 2008
“All Marketers are Liars” - Seth Godin speaks at Google. Seth’s interesting presentation will tell you why technology won’t help, and why my parents will not come back bothering me if I send them to Google than Yahoo! :)
You may want to take a look at our related postsBuilding a good system
May 19th, 2008
It would be the best if every party in the loop go beyond their own scope!
You may want to take a look at our related postsNoise is good!
April 30th, 2008
What is noise? When you have hundred of products but only one which is selling well, the rest are noise. When you want to indulge yourself to do something, any interruption is considering noise, as well!
Outsourcing seems to be one of the way to cut off noise. Sony or IKEA will not be of what they are today if they choose not to outsource. Raw materials, production and logistics are examples of noise.
Noise can be passing around. Consumers buy rice from supermarkets, supermakets from distributors, distributors tfrom rice mill owners, and farmers lastly. Each level trying to get rid of noise.
What is the effect of noise? Farmers spent most of their time working in the paddy field to produce rice. In this case, farmers are bearing the noise from consumers, under the hot sun. The digested noise are now turning into experience of how to grow paddy!
Skill is a result of noise!
You may want to take a look at our related postsGoogle’s Web Design Company
April 23rd, 2008
If Google creates the most amazing website, why not they start their web design business?
When we work for someone, we get paid and at the same time we get the chance to acquire new skills. For example, a web designer creates an online store for someone and get paid for the time spent and the quality of work. Such relationship provides a very good platform for someone to learn.
The owner of the online store will not share the revenue with you. Everyday, values is built into the project and this has nothing to do with you (The very most you get a portfolio). The web designer goes project after project, having bad time during year end when all companies had finished their budget, etc.
This does not happen to only individual, but businesses as well. Most successful companies change their business direction to have recurring sales than one-off profit. All these involve applying their skills in different ways.
Web designers venture into their own online business; contractors builld their own housing project; programmer develop their own software for sale, etc. Remember, the moment you start, you are accumulating your values into somewhere. When you wake up tomorrow, it still still with you, Through you have much more to worry such as operation & marketing.
If you are Google now, would you want to start your web design business?
You may want to take a look at our related postsWorking remotely
April 22nd, 2008
When you are in another country, and the hard drive of the file server in your company crashed. Working remotely comes to a real test, where:
1. Restoration must be done quickly! Getting ready with second hard drive, moving backup files into the new server, re-install the Linux platform…
2. Tools to get you connected to your office, both voice and video. We use Skype. Broadband connection, power supply, cup of coffee - Starbucks, if only you can be there in time!
3. A team of people back in the office to work as your hands. This also means the whole set of infra for both voice and video must also be steadily available back in your office. I am lucky to have both, infra and a very capable team!
You may want to take a look at our related postsRM150,000 to turn your ideas into reality
April 20th, 2008
Beginning 19th March 2008, Cradle will now provide conditional grants of up to RM150,000 in the pre-seed level to groups of innovative individuals with great technology-oriented ideas, subject to terms and conditions.
The new amount has been tripled because the categories of funded items using the grant money have been expanded to include market research and access, IP (Intellectual Property) search and registration, product testing and certification, and product packaging on top of the presently funded categories of development of prototypes, proofs of concept and business plans.
A resource centre for innovative ideas, Cradle provides funding, assistance and guidance to help technology entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality.
You may want to take a look at our related postsMeasuring the effectiveness of email campaign
March 26th, 2008
Buying electronic components online is not something new. RS Malaysia, one of the pioneer in Malaysia who setup their first online store many years ago, are improving from time to time. I am happy to see that as they gradually gather users feedback and improve the website.
Just one thing, I received their email newsletter today. Sadly, I can’t find any link from the email to their website. In Analytics, we refer clicks from email newsletter as Referral. With the link properly implemented, it can give us a better ideas of how effective is this channel in bringing traffic to your site.
You may want to take a look at our related postsEveryone loves to share
March 15th, 2008
Google has done their part to make searching of information more easily. Yet, do we have the tool to easily share our knowledge? The answer could be, NO!
Everyone possess useful knowledge, or having feedback about anything they come across. Can you tell how many of your visitors actually read your post and reply? Why not 100%? Could it because of the unfriendly Leave a Reply form at the bottom of your post?
You may want to take a look at our related postsNo frills online florist
March 13th, 2008
The concept of no frills works so well with AirAsia, TuneHotels, why not on florist?
We are looking for Florist Partner!
You may want to take a look at our related postsIt’s never too late to change a bad name
March 3rd, 2008
I was reading our partner, Pat’s Blog. Pat started Webmail.us and we have been working with him to provide email hosting services in Malaysia for more than 4 years!
Recently, they have changed their company name from, Webmail.us to Mailtrust! Through lot of time, energy and money were spent over the years for the branding of this domain, but the hard decision was made recently and this is what Pat wrote,
But then one of my business mentors said something I will never forget. He said, “Pat, it’s never too late to change a bad name.” He’s right. As soon as I heard him say that, I never looked back.
The word Webmail is too generic as a brand by itself. It does not accumulate values over the years unlike many other names such as YouTube, Facebook, and a lot.
Good move, Pat!
You may want to take a look at our related posts2007 Year in Review
February 5th, 2008
It was whole-year-round action-packed, but 2007 proved to be another successful and productive year for the 1.com.my team. The WDA project conceived in early 2007 proved to be an important step in bringing together the many talents around Malaysia. With every member in the team focused on bringing their best performance to the stage, we felt that we are getting closer to achieving our next goal!
The hard work and effort put in by the team is clearly evident through the significant growth rate of our online business and also from the positive feedbacks of our customers. Other than the advancement of our skill set, we are also seeing ourselves improving in terms of our ability to deliver customer’s expectations.
The recent acquisition of Kumomo.com, with its donation to build two schools in Cambodia meant a lot to everyone.
2008 will see another action-packed year as we shall accelerate the pace of change, with even better focus and efficiency!
You may want to take a look at our related postsTruly first come first serve system must be discriminative!
January 26th, 2008
Over the counter, banks use queue ticket system to manage their crowd.
However, as with human nature, not all counters can solve each customer’s request in the same time duration.
Incorrect form entries, forgetting a company stamp, signature mismatch, and all other kinds of human-prone errors are bound to happen! This is where the queue system cannot easily filter out, making it half as efficient as it should have been.
To fix this little margin of “humanity-error”, we have implemented an “approval-based system”.
It’s quite simple really. The approval process kicks in the moment the first customer start queueing. The duty of the approval team will filter out the customers with problems and direct those who are error-free straight to the counter. Those with errors will be directed to the error-fixing team, where a dedicated trouble-shooting team will attend to them personally.
It’s not to be seen as a system to penalize customers with errors, but rather, it’s to reward well-prepared customers who gets their documents right and speed up the process for them.
In the end, both the erroneous customer and the error-free customer will be happy.
You may want to take a look at our related postsThe broken chair
January 19th, 2008
“Keep it in the store room first!”
You have a nice office chair that is broken. It can be fixed by replacing the circular plate beneath. New chair costs RM120 while fixing it costs you RM70. Most of us don’t throw it away or buy a new one because you know that the-lying-in-the-store-room broken chair can be fixed.
Making immediate decision is painful, so as making a change. Both explore a new possibility unknown. You can stay in your comfort zone by making no decision or change - will a comfort zone remains comfort without change, I doubt!
Your call to add a new junk worth RM50 to the earth, or to call BinChen for her help to fix your chair!
You may want to take a look at our related postsNew year, chinese ancient art of change
January 19th, 2008
In many Chinese homes, the annual housecleaning is still done at New Year’s time. It is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. It gives you, at very least, no excuse for a change every year!
One of our project management practise was to keep all document related to a web development project in those hardcover folder. This is a decision made (by me), two years ago! Just in case, we need them someday - or never!
It happens to be never. So, we decided to throw it away. They are noice, they take up resources from our project managers to sort them out. Business change, and we are now focusing in only few projects! Ideally, we want to go greener and faster!
New table alignment, hair cut, shortcut to the office, are painful changes. Let’s see how much we gain from this change…
First, we empty all the shelves. We kept papers with only single-sided printed for reuse purpose. The rest of papers are donated to a charity organization who can come and pick up from your office regularly.
The result, one empty shelves, 5 rims of reused A4s, getting-to-know the contact of the charitable pick up service (call 03-79811320 if you have a change too. Sorry, I can’t recall their name).
Yes, another 10 extra PCs, 3 extra hubs, cables, 8 power adapters, bigger office space, power saving…
Plus a new playground (combined four tables by removing 8 legs) to have fun and meeting for our upcoming new projects!
You may want to take a look at our related postsDon’t make a choice
January 10th, 2008
The less choice for your site visitors, the higher the conversion!
Upon landing on your website, your visitors are expecting that you, the site owner is making the best arrangement for them. Just like how we trust Google. You believe Google returned the MOST relevant result to you, don’t you? Or at least, the is the best Google can provide to you.
But still, many websites are designed to give you the choices of you don’t want. Do you buy Cambodia and Bahrain travel guide at the same time? If not, why shopping cart are provided? Yes, it gives you the convenience of shopping around, but it also creates more steps to complete a deal.
The tricky part (it is nothing but test & measure), it is how you divert them to their choice before they make a choice! The best is, this is done indirectly, without their awareness. You won’t be pleased to be asked for your shoe size immediately when entering a boutique…
Cambodie e-Visa allows travelers to apply their Travel Visa to Cambodia. If the applications come from travelers themeselves, chances that the’re applying for no more than 5 applications at a time. The first part of the application form was designed to filter the applicants and provide them with the best experience while submitting their details.
The use of icons immediately telling the applicants the total price before the last step. Icons use no translation and no shopping cart is required!
You may want to take a look at our related postsCost of Acquisition
January 8th, 2008
You are offering an online service. You know that visitors from search engines and other online sources are most likely to be converted into your customer than those coming from offline medias such as newspaper or TV commercial.
Rasa Sayang Malaysia calls out to all Malaysians to share the wonders of our country with the world by sending an online postcard. I have yet to see any Asian people to write on a postcard while waiting for the flight in the airport, foreigners do. Why not targeting at those backpackers who travel to Malaysia to logon to the website and send the postcard? Isn’t that they have more friends who eager to know about Malaysia than our friends? Yet, their commercials appear on local TV channel, and one need to register before even given the chance to look at what are those postcard available…
Mobile Wallet, choose to advertise with full page coverage in today’s newspaper. The cost of acquisition for the conversion to take place is high. If, this is so-called part of the branding process, it is not measurable, and it definitely not a conversion. Search engines and other online channels are going to drive in more than 80% of their website traffic, in a more targetted and measurable way. Only, with a fraction of offline marketing fee can do much to the current website…
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