In July, Aircel had partnered to bring Wikipedia Zero to offer free Wikipedia access to their users in India. Now, India's largest operator Airtel has done the same, but for their customers outside India. Now, Airtel customers in Africa can access multilingual content on Wikipedia mobile site free of data charges.

However, the interesting thing about this partnership is that Wikipedia access can be gained without having any internet or data connection to the phone. So, millions of Airtel customers from developing countries like Kenya and others who have basic feature phones can start accessing wikipedia simply using SMS and USSD.

How Does Wikipedia Work Via SMS/USSD?

Airtel users have to simply dial *515# on their phone, and they'll get a text message inviting them to search Wikipedia. The subscriber enters a topic (like 'Cheetah') in the same manner they would send a text message (1).

(2) The subscriber then gets the menu that lets the subscriber clarify which article they are interested in. Once user chooses the best match, the various subheadings for that particular search term are returned to the user (3). The user then needs to choose the appropriate sub-heading which will then return the description as the text message (4).

Wikipedia through text messaging is currently available for Airtel's African subscribers. The service has been established with help of Praekelt Foundation, a South African nonprofit with expertise in text messaging, to develop the necessary technology. Their service acts as a bridge that communicates between the Wikipedia servers and the Airtel network, converting the customer's request for articles into the interactive menus and SMS delivery as shown above.

Will it come to India?

While the press release has not mentioned anything, if the service evokes good response from African Airtel subscribers, it sure would be made available in India as well, probably in partnership with vendors who have developed similar text messaging technology (someone like Innoz).

India, like African countries still has very less users who are on smartphones. Over 80 percent users are still on feature phones. A multi-lingual service like this will definitely find many takers in India as well!

What's your take?

The definition of job has changed over the years. Way before, when there used to be Industrial Economy, an employee was as good as a machine part: easily replaceable and obedient. Employees used to do what they were told to, with zero accountability and virtually no ownership.

But the new Digital Economy, also called Connected Economy has changed everything. The very notion of being an employee has changed – Now, you are no longer hiring a machine unit which can be easily replaced but a skilled person who is an asset for your organization. It is the ideas and the initiatives which matter, not obedience and compliance.

Digital Economy workforce cannot be 'instructed' to do a particular task; he is not a machine anymore. He uses his knowledge, skills and experience to provide the optimal solution for your organization, and there are no rules to be followed.

Before, it was possible to motivate your workforce by offering them more money; after all who can resist the power of money, right?

But today, money is not the only factor which can inspire an employee to devout more.

Things have moved beyond cash incentive. When there is no rule to be followed and no boss to be pleased, then how can you keep your employees motivated?

Recognition

More than money, it is the recognition which can fuel an employee's desire to give more to the organization. Money is a very short term motivational factor; when the money is spent, there is no ignition left.

But appreciation and recognition goes a long way in providing motivation to the employee. If the employee feels that his work is being appreciated and recognized, then he will always go that extra mile to serve you better.

Perks

Perks such as occasional half days; casual days at office; team outings; movies; surprise birthday parties and gifts can inject a new wave of motivation inside an employee.

Yes, money would be spent in these activities, but it is the non-finance aspect of perks which actually clicks.

Shoving money down the employee's throat is no longer the guiding factor for inspiration; it is these perks and surprises which makes the employee happy.

Community

Give your employees a chance to be part of the community within your organization. And this sense of being part of a community can only be provided when the employees realize that they are not working for the company, but for a cause. Human being is a social animal, and being part of a community is one very important aspect when it comes to giving 100% output.

Listen

Every great leader has atleast one common trait: they are great listeners.

Every employee is fighting his own battle with his life and somewhere down the line, he has lots to share and express. Just give him a ear and allow him to speak and share. This factor alone can do wonders to your employee's morale and motivation.

It has been researched that over 2 million Americans their jobs quit not because of a bad company, but because of a bad boss. And those managers who listen to their team members are never bad.

Education

Education and learning are one of the most important motivational factors for an employee.

Train him, educate him and empower him – he will never forget your organization. Yes, there are risks that such an employee can quit your company, but chances are low if you are able to get his loyalty which can come from the above 4 factors – Recognition, Perks , Community and Listening.

When combined with proper education and training, you will be able to get a powerful workforce which is hell bent on providing your organization the best results.

No amount of money can provide an alternative to this combination.

What are your secret recipes of motivating employees without money? Do share your experiences right here!

Indian are the most diverse of all inhabitants on this planet. Understanding us is very difficult. But with India growing towards the superpower status, it is crucial as well. Mobile industry is one where we are still under penetrated and has huge potential. This precisely explains why Ericsson has taken the pains of undertaking an in-depth research to understand our issues.

In this Transforming Experiences report, telecom infrastructure company Ericsson revealed almost one-in-four urban Indian mobile user has issues like network, mobile Internet, billing and charging with their service operator, but only half of these issues are reported!

The three most common problems are network, mobile Internet or billing and charging related. Other issues include poor customer service, unsolicited calls or SMS that infringe privacy and bad experiences at the operator’s store or in accessing their website.

Methodology: Traditional – Across 16 urban cities over 15-50 years of age group across all socio-economic classes, the study had 95% prepaid respondents as customers with more than 4000 face-to-face interviews and nearly ten focus group discussions in India from Feb-April 2013. Non-traditional – Social media data was also used and Ericsson followed over 250 million tweets and 1.8 million posts across Facebook, Twitter, blogs and complaint forums to identify 100,000 key conversations on mobile broadband experience among Indian online users starting June 2011-Jan 2013.

Thus the survey is representative of the views and opinions of nearly 100 million urban mobile Indian consumers.

Key Findings of Report

1. Telcos miserably fail in benchmark test - Pampered with good experience from others in the service industry (like retail and ecommerce), 1/3 of existing mobile users feel their experience with the mobile operators is the most frustrating. Mobile operators stand a lowly 11^th out of the 12 service industries studied.

2. There is huge diversification in what mobile users state is most important to them while dealing with their operators – no single magic pill. 'Initial purchase process' and 'service and support' are rated as most important touch points.

3. Users complain but not to the operators – One in four urban Indian mobile users is currently facing some sort of issue with their operator but only half of all issues are reported.

4. Users' expectations are growing in line with the newer types of complex mobile devices and operators are facing a rate of churn that is increasing as users adopt new advanced data services.

5. Even Customer Care Agents are finding the going tough – three in five of them find it difficult to support mobile data users with the tools and information available to them.

6. Retaining profitable users will rely on prioritizing and identifying shifting consumer needs – these include basic needs such as billing, as well as those including network performance and delighters like assured mobile internet speeds, rewards and loyalty programs.

There are surprise catches which we suspected but were not very sure, for eg: 1/3 of mobile users do not find plans which match their usage patterns. (Airtel would be happy that they have introduced myPlan for their postpaid patrons)

Why are all users not reporting?

The reason for the lack of complaints is that customers do not want to go through the hassle of contacting the operator. The thought of long periods stuck on hold and then having to go through monotonous troubleshooting puts them off. May be the lengthy IVRS process telcos have adopted fit them just fine. I too am a victim!!!

Why are users switching operators?

Poor customer support and poor network or mobile internet performance together account for 54 percent of all issues faced by those looking to switch operators. According to data released by TRAI, almost 8.97 crore people want to port out from their existing service provider all across the country and this staggering number of porting requests were received till March.

Is accurate billing crucial?

For us every penny counts. 78 percent rate billing and charging accuracy as very important and would like to see a penalty fee imposed if operators overcharge. Quickly resolving billing issues is critical, as many consumers will immediately consider switching provider, even over very small sums of money.

Are Customer Care Agents inefficient?

Many agents work in high pressure environments in which their performance is judged based on their average call handling time. This is counter-productive to providing a great customer service.

Are the agents purposefully doing it?

The reason for delay is that the current call center software does not give a complete view of consumers' mobile data usage and quality of service data. 40 percent say they have to look through 4 or more different screens or programs to solve issues. Most of the time they also have to remember the order in which these have to be accessed!!! (Telco Heads would surely not be happy with this info being leaked)

Solution to win?

By embracing three key areas – network performance, transparency and control – and by improving customer service and the support experience, operators can exceed expectations. By doing this they transform the consumer experience from one that merely satisfies, to one that genuinely pleases consumers.

One drawback of the study: Just 5% respondents were postpaid. Telcos normally treat postpaid subscribers as royalty, thanks to the sure-shot long bills which they generate!

Has the third rate treatment meted out by telcos to us got to do anything with India being amongst the countries with the lowest ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) and that they are surviving on wafer-thin margins? What's your say?