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L.N. Revathy

A Coimbatore tailor wields the mouse, for smooth business.

Rajkumar walked into Freelook Creations, a Coimbatore tailor, to place his order.

Instead of noting the measurements in the bound book that one generally sees, Hari, the tailor here, switched on his system and fed the basic details, such as customer address and telephone number, before opening the page to key in the measurements.

After confirming the delivery date, Hari issued a computer-generated receipt.

What has made Hari install a PC in a shop where one would normally presume its use to be minimal, if not non-existent?

"Simple. The flow of customers is really huge. It takes a while to deliver the orders and the customer turns restless. Now the checks are fool-proof," says Hari.

His team has not just learnt the art of stitching but developed FoxPro-based software that is both simple and user-friendly.

Hari today has the entire database of his 20,000-odd customers. As soon as he receives a customer's call, he does a search, not necessarily by the Customer-ID or order number, but just the name or telephone number. Within seconds (for it only involves the click of the mouse to do the search), Hari confirms the status of the order to the caller. No long wait or the voice-recorder speaking softly between music to be excused for keeping the caller waiting. Similarly, if one dropped in to collect the made-clothes, the customer does not have to wait long.

Once the stitching is done and the clothes ready to be delivered, an entry is made in the system confirming the rack and customer ID. "Even if a customer walks without the receipt, we do a search, identify his stuff and deliver it," says Hari.

Hari has ensured customer satisfaction. Also, he is able to maintain a perfect record. The measurement record is issued to the man who does the stitching; the daily delivery schedule on the notice board is an alert of the day's work on hand. His accounting system has been automated.

"It is very convenient because some of my customers just send the material through a messenger. Since I keep a record of their measurements, I refer back and go ahead with the work. It reduces the search time and enhances productivity," he says.

But hasn't your business taken a beating with the entry of multinational readymade brands, eWorld asks him?

"Not necessarily. Readymades are costly and the buyer has to contend with the fabric on offer. But when one gets it stitched, it is not only cost-effective but the fit is also perfect. You actually get value for money," he adds.

Hari is in the process of automating the details in his second outlet. Besides the two tailoring shops, he runs a readymade store.

lnr@thehindu.co.in

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