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Hot Seat
In service of the customer
Amit Agarwal, Managing Director, Web Services, Amazon Development
Centre India, believes that focussing on details is the key to exceptional customer
service, says Vinutha V.
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My thoughts have always been scientific,
and I have a great passion to use them to make a difference to the consumer
industry
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Amit Agarwal had always wanted to work for an organisation
that had its core values in the customer service and innovation, and at Amazon
he found the perfect fit. “My thoughts have always been scientific and
I have a great passion to use them and make a difference to the consumer industry.
Fortunately, Amazon has given me the opportunity to materialise my plans. Our
CEO, Jeff Bezos emphasises on technology to be used to improve customer experience
and he keeps shareholders and customers as priorities. I feel I’m at the
right place to achieve my goals,” says Agarwal. He was given the charge
to head Amazon Development Centre India (ADC India) to conceptualise and execute
the development of innovative products that help external software developers
to innovate and build businesses with Amazon technology and data.
His traits of being focussed on details and the ‘be-prepared’
attitude in the face of any situation are inherited from his parents. Agarwal
believes that if detailed attention is paid to any task, chances of failure
and faults can be minimised. If customer inputs are painstakingly dealt with,
nothing can stop an organisation from growing. Agarwal says, “Amazon has
given me the right platform to serve the ambitious consumer industry. It understands
customer requirements, and the way to use retail to cater to the customers.
Because of which, Amazon has even sustained the Internet burst.”
A person of details, Agarwal minutely studies the challenges associated with
innovations. “Challenges are the only means to motivation. The best way
to tackle them is to be prepared and give them your best,” he quips. Agarwal
wants to contribute towards a paradigm shift within the Web services. “There
is a latent potential in the Web services area and we have not even scratched
the surface yet. To bring in the innovation, paying importance to smallest of
details is the only key,” he adds.
A thorough profession by habit, it comes as a surprise when he reveals the other
side of his personality. He is a complete family man and has a great admiration
for his family including his wife, Priyanki, an architect by profession. He
fondly recollects how his parents paid time and attention to his academic work.
Despite 200 km of travelling everyday, his father, a chemical engineer used
to maintain the same enthusiasm after reaching home. He would refer to books
to help Amit in his studies. He vividly remembers how his father had taken keen
interest in his preparation of a volcano model for one of his school projects.
“I have imbibed the importance of working smart, having a dream and vision
through my parents. My family have faced hardships, which has made me understand
that failures are necessary for one to succeed,” he states.
Agarwal graduated in computer science from IIT Kanpur and then completed his
Masters in Computer Science from Stanford University. “For my entire education,
my father has spent about Rs 5,000 and now I feel it is a good Return on Investment,”
he laughs.
Agarwal enjoys reading on business strategies and management, people’s
experiences, evolution of industry and the society. One of his favourite books
that helps him relate to the nature is by Steve Grand, who has beautifully blended
biology, artificial intelligence and philosophy in his book, Creation: Life
and How to Make It. Another book called Design of everyday things also fascinates
him, as it gives an insight into the poor designs and their impact. Other thing
that never fails to enchant him are the mountains and this is what makes Alaska
his favourite travelling destination.
vinutha@expresscomputeronline.com
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