Wednesday, July 22, 2009

What do movies and airlines have in common?

I would be remiss living in Mumbai and not talk about Bollywood. I work out at a gym which is frequented by the likes of Salman Khan, Rishi Kapoor and they all wait in line for the treadmill like the rest of us. (It reminds me a lot of New York where Hollywood actors/actresses can live relatively normal lives because people respect their privacy.) Since the industry strike ended earlier this month, we are finally seeing bollywood actors/actresses off the treadmill and on the screen. I have to say, I am very impressed with the movie theaters here - I have been to 3 so far and you no longer have to resort to driving all the way to the theater only to find out there are no tickets available and turn around and be tempted to buy "in black" from the shady guys standing around. You can go online and not only buy your tickets but also pick your seats. In fact, PVR cinemas even has premium seats which are wider with extra cushions and more leg room. You get so comfortable, you also expect an air steward walking the aisles asking if you want chicken or fish! (But I digress) It was a very positive experience and its good to see the movie business focus on improving its customer experience end to end - from online to in the theater (now, if they could only work on making better movies, it would be perfect!) Do you know any other industries that have successful been able to provide such a seamless experience?

3 comments:

  1. seventymm provides a seamless exprience when it comes to the traditional video library going online now.you can order 2 dvd/cd's of your choice and keep for as long as you need!they provide a free home pick up or a free delivery within 24 hrs of you notifying them on their website.I had a bitter experience of someone not attending to my request for cd pickup and wrote to their customercare email id from the website.guess what i got 2 calls the very next day from their customer care to know what went wrong and to mention that they have immediately addressed this by shipping the latest movies in queue.now thats more for a movie freak like me!

    ReplyDelete
  2. One that comes to mind is the Radio Taxi business which is mushrooming in metropolitan India. Much like the vastly enhanced cinematic experince, this is one idea that has lead to Smarter travel -- not to mention, cleaner, more reliable, comfortable, safer...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now thaters are offering the food part also. Mayajaal, India's largest multiplexes, in Chennai offers a menu wherein you can choose whether you want popcorn / pepsi etc. Good move. Of course they are very pricey... :-)

    ReplyDelete