I know I dipped. Hopefully, this won’t happen again :)
The OG plan was to cover Finance + Tech news. That has changed. I’ll be delivering 3 unique problems faced with every drop. Here we go!
#1 Appointments that are booked but never fulfilled by customers
Raju books a slot with the barber at the salon from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. Prem also calls the salon to book an appointment with the same barber at 10:30 a.m. The barber tells Prem that the 10:30 am slot is taken. Prem cannot get the slot.
Raju does not arrive at 10:30 am. In fact, he never arrives. This has many impacts:
The poor barber loses business - he could have serviced another customer
The salon must still bear costs in that half an hour as it has to keep itself service-ready
Customers like Prem could have gotten the slot, but now they have to wait for another slot
Picture this problem extending to taxi bookings (impacts: fuel cost for the taxi company, wastage of time for the taxi driver), doctors’ appointments (impact: doctors can’t tend to other patients) and even school parent-teacher meetings (lmao).
Informing in advance about cancellations and delays is courteous and helpful, but it shouldn't be exploited. Regardless of timely notice, the impacts remain significant.
Possible solutions:
Penalties: customers are fined for cancellations either immediately or in their future appointments
Tracking: cancellation of appointments is tracked in real-time and is relayed to all prospective customers (especially for healthcare)
JUST DON’T CANCEL!
#2 Inefficient and non-transparent home-maintenance services
Context: Urban homes frequently face issues — ants around the house, leaking roofs and taps, malfunctioning lights and fans, and more. Whenever a resident faces these problems, they call their plumber or electrician. These plumbers or electricians may work independently or as employees of a corporation that provides services. They may or may not be associated with the building owners or management.
Multiple issues in the whole process:
The plumber/electrician often makes multiple visits for the same issue. On the first visit, they investigate the problem, inform the customer that they need to source parts (such as a new tap or jet spray), and promise to provide a quote within a day or two.
In most cases, the plumber or electrician sources the parts themselves, leaving the customer unaware of the actual cost. They then provide a quote, often without proper justification. The customer is left with little choice — either accept the price in frustration or hire someone else, only to encounter the same issue again.
Disclaimer: Not all plumbers or electricians operate in such a manner. Not all issues require sourcing new parts. However, even in those cases, obtaining a price quote often involves navigating frustrating red tape.
Possible solutions:
Purchase of source parts: customers should acquire the source parts on their own OR electricians/plumbers must show the bill of purchase to the customer
Application: customers should be able to register their issues on an app that connects to multiple maintenance companies as well as shops and which will help them receive quotes faster
#3 Public transport that is used but never paid for
Many individuals never pay for the public transport they use. They board buses and trains without scanning cards or tickets. Despite checks by officials, the problem persists. After all, officials are human - they can check only so many people. And perhaps - THAT is the bigger problem.
Possible solutions:
Improved CCTV that helps identify individuals (this is however a huge ethical debate)
Incentivizing other passengers to report customers who don’t pay (again a huge ethical debate)
And that’s a wrap! Thank you so much for your time! Feel free to drop your insights below :)
Hi Aadit , very well written. Your writing clearly indicates the thoughts that have been put behind
the ideas presented. Keep writing and I will be waiting for your next one.