The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and to influence their actions. And it's the latter-influencing others' action, which is the most arduous and challenging task. And that's what K L Mualidhara, VP and Country Manager, American Express, has been doing with aplomb. For, here is a man who fought adversities and traditional Indian mindsets to take banking in a much professional manner.  And under his stewardship, American Express launched a number of key initiatives that have revolutionized the Indian banking industry.

For example, an insurance cover on a credit card is not a new feature but Royal Sundaram and American Express have just added value to such covers by offering the accident security plan concept. The plan is designed to provide accidental death or disablement cover for American Express card members. "Our customer base is well researched and we have added these covers after getting such a feedback," Muralidhara has recently said about this innovative action. He believes that the customer satisfaction, which is at the very base of the marketing pyramid, is the first ingredient required to make a product successful.

With this conviction, Muralidhara got into action and succeeded in his operations. So, what makes customer satisfaction so critical to success in general? "In a typical white goods industry, customer satisfaction depends largely on the performance of the product. But it's enhanced by the service provided. In the service industry, particularly like ours, continuous customer satisfaction is essential because the service is produced and consumed almost instantaneously, leaving little or no scope of recovery in case of failure," he quips, giving tips for success. And the customer is always the king for Muralidhara, which is why he keeps on introducing new schemes to keep the customer base intact and convincing his customers to go for wealth management.

"These days, customer service is no longer just about resolving a customer's inquiry. It is taking it to the next level by building customer relationships and being proactive about meeting customer needs. A customer with deeper relationships is always a more satisfied customer," says Muralidhara. And be certain - if you follow Muralidhara's mantra, you would soon find yourself somewhere close to him, for his years of experience carry with it pearls of wisdom.