It was a day of rejoice, a moment when their efforts were ready to be imprinted on their morale. The team of 7 from Kankei Services, an active part of Akshaya Patra’s telemarketing function, was prepared to celebrate the success of Dominic, Nirmala and Hifzaa. As a token of appreciation, the trio was being awarded for their outstanding performance. Sridhar Venkat, Executive Director Marketing, Akshaya Patra Foundation, patted on their back and handed over the certificates to the winners. He pointed at a dangler hanging on the roof which read ‘Smile and Dial’ and said “I would like to add another line to it. DIAL and SMILE, because the work you do results in a smile on a child’s face”.
The team at Kankei services has been associated with the foundation for about a year now. With a postcard from Akshaya Patra on their desk, the passion with which they establish a phone call is convincing enough for most donors who have believed in contributing to the cause. It is quite usual for anyone, considering the busy urban schedule, to be rude to telecallers who either are selling insurance or credit cards. But on witnessing the effort and enthusiasm of this team, some of our staff members decided that they will never be rude to any telecalling agent again.
“It feels great to be associated with Akshaya Patra and it’s a pleasure to talk about their service to people” says 22-year-old Dominic who was awarded as the best performer. “I am never disappointed when the person I call denies donating” he says. “I believe in building a relationship with a prospective donor. The same person might donate a large sum one day” he adds. Most of young Dominic’s colleagues believe the same. Sandesh has been following up with a prospect for the past 8 months. “We have a healthy chat every time I call him. This month when I spoke to him, he agreed to donate a considerable amount at end of this month” says Sandesh with contentment. Many donors also call the telecallers back on their personal phones when they are ready to donate. A motivator to achieve more, and a reason for a smile to spring on another child’s face.
