Out off Sight, Out of Mind : Don’t let old ideas rest in grave

We cherish memories of writing & reading in-land letters. These letters were pre-glued upholding confidentiality unlike postcard, which was open for anyone’s scrutiny.

Email era has taken away those inland letters from us and most of us have not dealt with them in last many years. Now we communicate in a way that reflects our “Free, Perfect, Now” outlook. Email has moved system of personal communications on to the next S- curve putting inland letters in the realm of historians; at least this is true with most of the urban and many Ural (urban + rural) communicators.

Corporate world communicates (if at all it needs to) with letters rested in sealed envelopes; they don’t have to be frugal in good times, in bad times they behave like a miser. Most of these communications are to their investors and customers. Let us look at the cost of such communication, which includes cost of letter, Pre-glued envelopes, cost of labor engaged for skillful folding, (Inland letter, which has a pre-printed line outside it guides the user to the exact fold location therefore de-skilling the operation to a large extent) putting letter in envelop and courier cost

According to law of system evolution, every system evolves towards increasing IDEALITY. (System does not require any component to perform a function, but does it all by itself) what it means is that the system has all the benefits at less cost and less harm. In this case someone asked a question, “ Why can’t letter seal itself & pay for it”, which has given existence to prepaid, pre-glued inland letters.

Recently I received my account statement from Reliance Mutual Fund, which came in the form of inland letter; I also receive premium intimations from LIC in the similar form. At the next instant I started analyzing the value proposition ( Voice of Business) of this small idea only to realize later its significant impact.



World lends its ear to breakthrough innovations of products, process, technology and business models, these biggies camouflage such small ingenious ideas which affects our bottom line in quick time. If you have 10 million investors and if you save even half of your existing cost (let us say Rs.2-3) it has a significant impact on bottom line isn’t it? More so, when this ritual is performed 4 times a year. Are we awake to latch on to such small ideas or ignore it only chasing the BIG BANG promise?

Investors can see account statement on company’s web site. If now the company gives investors an option to opt for e-statement and offers them share of savings by way of lucky prices drawn at random or putting some portion of the savings in its CSR, sustainability initiatives and the remaining to swell it’s bottom line, it can turn out to be a win-win situation for both. What you say?


Conclusion

1. Look at all the resources, existing as well as past. Don’t let past ideas rest in grave.
2. Question everything. Pluck the low hanging fruits, first.
3. No Ideality, No Innovation, Know Ideality, Know Innovation