In this post, Vera Kolpakova (Senatorova) speaks about the time when we worked together. SQM Remedy system was one our first important initiatives. “Agile” and “scrum”, these words were not known then. Someone probably watched us in 2006 and coined the terms to describe our approach. We asked Vica Alexandrova and Marina Kodryan to contribute, and so they did. And there are more stories to tell about that time and our SQM team!..
Burning Bridges
On June 22nd, 2022, I posted the article “I will burn this money on Crimea Bridge” on my Russian website. Let the title not mislead you: the customer I quoted had referred to the Crimea bridge in Moscow over the Moskva river. The quote dates back to 2008, when Crimea was part of Ukraine, and that bridge to the island of Crimea did not exist. The June post “I will burn this money…” told the story of my bank account opening in Portugal. That little victory over the red tape is now past, so the English version is more about banks’ rules and compliance procedures in general. Nothing new for bankers but might be interesting for bank customers. I am finalising this English version much later. I have not heard a voice approving the war among my close friends and relatives. Yet there is a vast country out there. Some people are in shock and enduring reality; others accept sick ideas and follow criminal orders. Two months ago, young friends from Moscow came to stay with me, medical doctors who did not want to be mobilised. They miss their dog and their flat; they keep working online for their pharma companies doing business in Russia. One can blame them for not being interested in politics but I do not see that they differ much from European young people I know. The posts I write here and in social networks are my way to stay connected with my own voice and with others. Life is with people. Transparent, accessible, and fair financial services connect people.
Service and inequality
On Facebook, an intelligent and conscientious person criticized Moscow upmarket food store “ABC of Taste” for certain excessive services, which, in his opinion, highlight inequality and exploitation. Service quality is dear to my heart, so I would like to separate the complex issue of inequality from simple truths about customer service, staff motivation and competencies of managers.
What Can One Do About Wasps?
A complaint is a gift, if you are not the one it is aimed at. Agile teams just love complaints. Feedback provided by users is instrumental for fine tuning new...
New Customer Expectations Raise The Bar
Business leaders are wondering about the second wave of the pandemic even as they stick to short-term plans. In the first wave spanning the spring and summer of 2020 some...
When the script runs out…
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Customer Service After Virus – A Reminder to Directors, March 2020
Customer Service in Retail - a Reminder to Directors When the virus is over, the doors will re-open and customers will return. If you are the director of a club,...
«Shall I tell you something?..»
I continue to write commentaries about service, this piece will be about the role of the voice in “games people play”. What is important in a phone conversation between two...
Service, a New Word in Russian in 1936
The English word "service” was adopted into the Russian language thanks to the writers Ilf and Petrov. The particularly famous books they wrote together are “The Twelve Chairs” and “The...
