RELOCATION SERVICE PROVIDERS

Global Adjustments is a Chennai-based Relocation Service Provider. One of its kind in the city, Global Adjustments eases passage for people to and from India. www.chennaibest.com speaks to Ranjini Manian, Director, Global Adjustments about Relocation Services.

Post-liberalisation, when foreign investments started coming in, an American friend (the wife of a US diplomat) had moved here from Beijing. At that time if you remember, there was the Tiannenmen Square massacre. She lived through that, and then she moved to Chennai. It should have been easy for her to make that transition to India. Its supposed to be easier to live in, than China. But when she came here, she went through a lot of relocation problems. Psychological and emotional fears about living in India and so on. She came here with a 2-month-old baby, and she thought, the first mosquito that bites the baby will give it malaria. I helped her through the first time that she was here. Later on she said, "Look, there are so many expats in town and they need this kind of counselling and help, not everyone gets a chance to find the right Indian contact. This is called relocation service. Its very common in the US. Its needed in India now. Why don't we start such a service?" So she and I just began this together.

Well, it should begin before they even leave the shores of their country. When we started back in 1995-96, we set up a website, even when websites were a new concept in India. We have pre-arrival packages for them. Even before they leave their country, they have a video of the city they are going to. A package of information that tells them what to expect and so on. They give us the specific need, as to what they are looking for. Say, a particular family will have a child with a speech impediment or some other family will be moving in with an older parent. Or a spouse would be working as a nurse there and wants to continue as a nurse here. So our job is to help every member of the family to settle into the new location.

You have to treat them as such. It is a human contact. It is one business set up to help another person succeed. It is not just one business to help another business. You have to help the whole family. That's how it works. Right from finding the right schooling , medical facility, finding like minded people that they can get on with, how do they survive in India, what is the food available, what do you do for basic supplies, how do you furnish your homes... Abroad every window in homes is the same size. There, they just go to a store and pick up the curtains. But for us, every window is a different size. So the curtains have to be tailor-made. Its the beginning of the orientation programme.

Yes, the website has been a good source. But word-of-mouth has actually been our best reference. The consulates and MNCs that have used our services have been our best stepping stones to progress. Once you make a friend, and they tell others, that has worked best. And then the press has been very kind to us.

There are a couple in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Relocation service is very satisfying, because it makes you feel that you have helped another family or you made good friends. But it is not a revenue making business. So its not something that people take on easily. If you are a real-estate broker, you make more money, than if you are a relocation service. That's why it has not picked up so much. Its a niche' market. If you really want to help this niche' market, then this business works well.

Yes. Sometimes there are more families moving in, and sometimes it is duller. Then our job is well, "What else can we do now to make it interesting?" So we hold PR events, we hold an annual expat photo-competetion. All the expats that are living here take pictures. The theme is always 'Beautiful India'. Judges are sometimes American Consul persons or British Diplomats. We give away prizes for the best pictures. We also make them into Calendars. So we promote the 'positive' India feeling with the newcomer in Chennai. So at times, when it is quieter, we have to find things like this to do.

Its difficult to put a percentage, but I will put it to 90% of the clients are corporates. Individuals do not keep aside a budget for relocation. Housing, everybody needs, so it can be 50-50. Orientation programmes and cultural events are more individual than corporates. Its the individual who is interested in learning the language, the culture. Here the balance is tipped the other way.

I think the numbers would be anywhere between 1,000 and 1,200 families. The Japanese and Koreans may form a third of it, and two-thirds would be in order of numbers - Americans, British, German, followed by Swedish, Danish etc. Then there are a few French and a few Australians.

The biggest misconception is, the moment the mosquito bites you, you will get malaria and you will die on the spot. They have only heard of a strain of malaria which kills, which causes Meningitis. It exists, I am sure, in India too. But how many people do we ourselves know who have died of malaria? None, right! In Africa, there is a strain of malaria that kills. It exists in some internal parts of India too. That's one big misconception. So they take the quinine pills, but quinine has its side-effects. Then they worry about taking the quinine pills. So, health is one area where there are major misconceptions. The other thing is, they understand that India is very populated, but they don't really have an idea. Because when they come out of the airport, it hits them with the number of people that are there, right in front of them. Though they have some concept of the population, I don't think they have a tangible sense.

You know, Chennai is not the best example of a well-planned city. They have a problem with that. So they ask me, where's the downtown. I'll say Nungambakkam or Parrys Corner. But that's not true, because our banking area is in Mount Road. For them their financial district should be in downtown. Its not that well zoned here. If you say, Nungambakkam is downtown, its very confusing for them, as Wallace garden in Nungambakkam is a residential area. So it takes a long time for them to get oriented to the city.

The other thing, that is a huge problem with Chennai, is that our road signs are just not visible. After going around the city, they ask me, how come there are no road signs. So I tell them, it will be painted on somebody's compound wall in yellow and black. We don't have a stand up road sign. Most cities in the world have it.

It absolutely does. I have spoken about it. I have written to the municipal authorities about it. Its needed. We need to have stand-up signs. Not only for expats, but also for Indians coming from other cities. It makes life so much more easier.

The people. The warmth and the friendliness of the people. Without a doubt, every expat says that the best thing about Chennai is its people. Because the neighbours are friendly. People on the streets are friendly. We welcome foreigners to our homes easily. So they find that wonderful. Good international schools... the American International School is here. So when you have a good international school, families with young kids are willing to move here.

Chennai is the most livable city for family life. Because this is still a place where you have space. Your homes can be bigger. Chennai is so green, the beaches are so nice. So Chennai is, for a family life, slower paced, greener and with better neighbourhoods. But the night life in Chennai has not yet picked up. So much has changed. Some new discos have come in, new eateries have come, but the city sleeps early. Thats the way we are, our mind set is like that. That is something the expats find difficult.

Chennai's infrastructure even beats Bangalore. Its not something that they are complaining about. Power reliablity is still a challenge in some areas. Many expats like to live on the beach side, Neelankarai and beyond. There, power is still unreliable. That has to pick up a bit. The flyovers.. they are not sure whether it has helped or not. One of them said that its nice, but its all in the wrong places. But the government must have some logic as to why its doing it that way. We will know it in a while. We are also new in using it. Another thing thats sorely lacking is public transportation. Most expats have to depend on their drivers, as they are not allowed to drive in the city. They are unable to use the public transport and there is no dial-up taxi service. Chennai is not a place conducive for walking. They like to cycle and walk a bit, but thats not done in Chennai. But, everything is within a 5-minute radius in Chennai. So its okay with them.

Kotturpuram, Boat Club, Poes Garden and Wallace Garden.

Chennai has galloped. In fact, my very first client was Mr Mike Railey from Airtouch International. Five years ago, when they came here first, if they wanted some western dress for the wife, I would say that you could probably buy the material and stitch it. But now, I give them a list of twenty shops where they can go. They are amazed. They say the change is spectacular. The stores have changed, the availability of goods has changed so much for the better. At that time, you could go to only three 5-star hotels. Now I have a list of 40 restaurants that are of excellent quality and several more of medium quality. Chennai is galloping toward becoming globalised.

80 % are software professionals. Most of our clients are software companies. They send professionals to the USA mostly. 80% to USA, 20% to Australia, UK, Germany and Belgium. Thats why we have trainers in our company who are expats.

They need help to understand foreign accent and toning down their accent. Just learning to speak slowly. Chennaites speak very fast, because Tamil is a fast language and we don't pause at the end of the sentence. In etiquette, its just that there are no opportunities to understand western etiquette. Learning how to dress, how to eat with a knife and fork in a formal setting, learning how a meeting is conducted, how to come across as a professional and make a good first impression.... These are the kind of things we teach them and are easily picked up, because they are extremly bright and responsive.

I will make sure that the trainers are professional people with professional experience working with companies. And the trainers also have to have exposure to different countries and culture. The person should have understood differences in cultures by having travelled widely. Then of course, being a good communicator.

The ERC is a world organisation, headquartered in Washington DC. It has members all over the world comprising relocation services, HR companies and appraisers of properties. Once a year we have a seminar and conference. I was there for the last conference. It had 1,700 attendees, and I was the only Indian relocation representative. It was an eye opener for me and for them . India is very much appreciated and welcomed around the world.

Address : Global Adjustments, 38D, Coral Garden, II Main Road, R A Puram,
Chennai - 600 028.
Phone : 434 6225, 435 5853
Fax: 432 3088
Email :ranjini@globaladjustments.com

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