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PLACES: SM City Molino roofdeck dining experience!

Bonjour! Experience a safe, fun, and romantic dining experience at at the Roof Deck! Dine safely while enjoying the stunning sunset view by the Eiffel Tower! Don't forget to follow the #SafeMallingAtSM protocols while dining out at the Roof Deck! #EverythingsHereAtSM #IngatAngat

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Business: MOTOR CAR INSURANCE & NON LIFE INSURANCE IN THE PHILIPPINES

SUBJECT: MOTOR CAR INSURANCE & NON LIFE INSURANCE PROPOSAL

Dear Readers:

Pleasant greetings!

To build your confidence in entrusting to us your motor car insurance requirements, PEOPLE’S GENERAL INSURANCE CORPORATION is a company comprising of technically equipped and professional officers that is ready to provide service to our valued clients. With our vast, solid experience and expertise of almost 65 years and strong financial resources, we can assure you of SUPER IRRESISTIBLE RATES, SUPER FLEXIBLE & EASY INSTALLMENT PLAN & most importantly, SUPER FAST & RELIABLE CLAIMS PROCESSING.

As a total non-life insurance company, we carry all lines such as:

Fire, Motor Car, Personal Accident, Engineering Lines, Marine Cargo, Liability Insurance and Bonds, Floater Insurance and Micro insurance.

For your Motor Car Insurance requirements, on top of the above mentioned assurances, we can commit the following Value Added Services for all Private Cars and Commercial vehicles of your Officers:

>ROAD SAFETY & DEFENSIVE DRIVING SEMINAR

>FREE TOWING SERVICE UP TO P4,000.00

>24 HOUR MECHANICAL/ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

>FREE ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT TO DESTINATION

>FREE ALTERNATIVE OVERNIGHT/HOTEL ACCOMMODATION

>DEALER/CASA REPAIR, CASA-QUALITY REPAIR FROM ACCREDITED SHOPS

With the New People’s General Insurance Corporation, you can be assured of “MAXIMUM AND PREMIUM PROTECTION FOR YOUR VALUED POSSESSIONS”.

Should you have any queries, please contact Mr. Ynan Abad VLC - VP at 09275122418 / 09499478450.
Thank you and we look forward to meeting you soon. Sincerely,

PGIC

BUSINESS FEATURE: Top 10 ways to satisfy the millennial customer

I would like to share a very timely article from Business Mirror written by one of the best customer experience expert and speaker - Ms. Michelle Patel.

Who are the millennials? Anyone born between 1980 and 2000 are part of this generation who were brought up with the Internet. They are now the largest in history according to Forbes magazine. In the US alone, millennials spend $600 billion per year. By the year, 2020, spending will increase to $1.4 trillion per year. They are starting to rule the world, many millennials are behind successful startups that make our lives better.

To survive, businesses everywhere have to understand and evolve to suit the dynamic needs of this new generation of customers.

Here are ways your business can reach out and satisfy the millennial customer:

Be accessible. Millennials have the need to be constantly connected to the Internet, and they multitask across platforms. Having a web site is not anymore a minimum requirement. Your business has to have presence on social media to even gain the trust of the customers that you are a credible brand. They can connect with your brand online, whether they are using a personal computer, a tablet or a mobile phone. Remember, access is different from online presence. To be accessible, means “it works.” If they inquire from your web site, Twitter or your Facebook page, you answer in real time.

Focus on the customer experience. The online and offline experience of your customers have to be consistent and seamless throughout. Speed, ease, efficiency and convenience should be the factors considered when you are designing your customer journey. Visiting your physical shop and your online store should not only have the same functionality, but more important, the experience provides the customer the same emotional satisfaction of visiting and purchasing from you. And do not forget that your customer-recovery program and after-sales service—for both offline and online—are critical components of your business which affect customer retention.

Have an authentic voice. Make that vision and mission posted on your web site or displayed on your office wall, come to life by sharing your message on social media. What do you stand for? The millennial customer knows when a brand is just luring them or is being real. Advertising campaigns that have been effective were those that use real people in relatable contexts, or ads that show celebrities being the real them.

Personalize your message. The millennial customer expects that you have done your work (checked his profile, studied his consumption or purchase habits, and could anticipate his future needs and wants) and will only offer what is relevant. The old-fashioned way of telemarketing, where agents cold-call customers and offering them a product or service they already have will only lead to irritation and dissatisfaction. Sadly, this still happens today, big brands employ telemarketing agencies to upsell or cross-sell but they don’t provide them access to the customers’ data. The approach is purely hard sell and the spiels sound mechanic. It’s a waste of time and money, and more important, it affects the image of the brand.

Offer new adventures. Millennials seek new discoveries and adventures. If you have a mall-based restaurant, consider having a food truck version, which goes around the business district during lunch time. If you are in retail, consider having a pop-up, these are limited-time retail experiences, lasting for a day or up to several weeks. It usually offers a unique environment and targets a particular audience. It is the age of disruption, to think “out of the box” is now an understatement.

Collaborate. This is another buzz word among the millennials, which creates excitement in the market when two unexpected brands or personalities come together for a limited-edition collection of products. These launches create hype and the concept of exclusivity will always have an appeal on your target market. The formula for a successful “collab” is to have a shared purpose and design philosophy with the brand or personality you are teaming up with.

Keep engaging. Millennials have the “fomo,” which means “fear of missing out.” They need to be kept up to date on what’s being talked about on social media all the time. The smartphone has become an extended body part. Given this, brands need to constantly have fresh content uploaded, which is meant to inform, update and notify the customers on what’s going on.

Offer instant gratification and validation. The millennial customer’s validation in the age of social media are the number of “Likes” and “shares” he or she gets for a single post or photo/video uploaded, and the number of Twitter and Instagram followers one has. A post that is more than a day old is considered stale and literally, yesterday’s news. When you develop your brand’s promos or loyalty program mechanics, keep this mentality in mind. Customers want instant rewards for patronizing you. For every transaction, let them earn points. If you only reward them after multiple visits, you will likely lose their interest. The millennial customer want it fast and they want it now.

Offer group deals. The shared experience is important for millennials. They like to shop and dine in groups, which is favorable for businesses. We have seen the success of e-commerce sites, like Ensogo and Metrodeal, which offer group buying discounts and deals. If you are in the food and beverage industry, offer packages and special menus for groups, which offer your customers more value for their money.

Build a community. The millennial customer will most likely check an app first for reviews before trying out a new restaurant and check user ratings before buying a product. The definition of an “expert” has truly changed for this generation. Millennials will trust a friend’s firsthand experience more than any other credible source. It will benefit a business to organize a community, which could even be a Facebook page, and be able to effectively monitor, manage and participate in the conversation of the customers. A community lets customers interact with the brand and other customers, as well.

Businesses who fail to recognize and embrace the characteristics of the millennials will lose out on the opportunities of tomorrow. The millennial customers are our economy’s present and future. To stay relevant with this market, “be fast, be social and be memorable.”

Lifestyle: Movie Review - Train to Busan (Korean)

Synopsis:

A man (Gong Yoo), his estranged daughter and other passengers become trapped on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak in South Korea.  

Train to Busan is a public-transportation horror movie with a side helping of class warfare.

Review:

This Korean film nailed  both WWZ (World War Z) and Dawn of the Dead.  This is a  Zombie film with a heart because of social relevance, family orientation and a self truth revelation of how humane you are in terms of survival.  Special effects and timing was superb!  Surely you will learn lesson about family values and you as a  human being.  It is highly recommended! A must watch movie.

My rating for this film is 8 out of 10 stars. ********

PLACES: EL NIDO, Palawan Island, Philippines

El Nido is a Philippine municipality on Palawan island. It’s known for its white-sand beaches, coral reefs and as the gateway to the Bacuit archipelago, a group of islands with steep karst cliffs. Miniloc Island is famed for the clear waters of its Small and Big lagoons. Nearby Shimizu Island has fish-filled waters. The area has many dive sites, including Dilumacad Island’s long tunnel leading to an underwater cavern.

One of my dream destination is  traveling to El Nido, Palawan.  The first time I heard about it is from my friends in Palawan way back then.  I have an impression that it was an expensive destination . Each year  I always  placed it on top of my bucket list and this year 2016 that dream became  a reality. Thanks for my high school friend Jorge for convincing me to join the group trip to this breathtaking paradise. 

We discovered that traveling to this top-notch Philippine destination doesn't necessarily come with a hefty price tag. I'll share you some tips on how cheap is it to get there. From the airfare, food and lodging. Its just a matter of planning ahead on your trip.

Getting to El Nido from Manila can be done in two ways. There are direct flights from Manila to El Nido and vice versa via Air Swift  but each way will costs you at least Php 6,000 to Php 8,000. However the cheaper alternative is to fly to Puerto Princesa instead  via Cebu Pacific or Air Asia or PAL and travel by land to El Nido. Travel time by land takes about 5-7 hours depending on your choice of transportation (van or bus). 

In our case our group bought tickets in advance on a promo which only cost us Php 2,500 /head via Air Asia  round trip and booked a hotel at the Travel expo for 3,900/head for 6 pax including van transfers and breakfast for 4 days. The package also includes our tour of El Nido (island hopping) for 2 days and take note with lunch buffet at one of the islands.  Total head cost per head was Php 6,400 only. Of course, there other incidental expenses like terminal fee (Php 200), paslubong, environmental fee (Php 200/head) water and dinner/bar hopping.

Please note that traveling in a big group is more cheap and getting a group travel package is deemed practical like we did. 

You can also commute by public transpo to San Jose terminal. Once you already flew to Puerto Princesa City, you need to travel to San Jose terminal where the vans and buses bound for El Nido are located. There's no direct public ride so the most common option is to hire a tricycle exclusively for Php 100 to 120  from the airport to the terminal. This is practical if you're 5 in a group because you only get to pay P20 per head. However, if you're solo or 2 persons only, taking the public transportation can save you a few bucks. Once you arrived at the airport, get out to the main road, take a tricycle and asked to be dropped off at Junction 1. Travel time is just a little over 5 minutes and fare is only P8 per person. From there take a multicab bound for San Jose terminal for P12. Travel time is about 20 minutes.

For more comfortable travel, our driver/tour guide is recommending the RORO Bus that is better than the vans because they have more trips including night trips.  Most importantly, they're cheaper (P483 per way)  than the shuttle/vans (P600-P700). But if you want the cheapest option available, you can take the ordinary (non-aircon) RORO bus which only costs P367 per way. The only downside of taking the bus is that the trip takes a little longer (up to 6-7 hours as compared to 5 hours with vans) because they would pick up and drop off passengers along the way.

Schedule of RORO Bus (Puerto Princesa to El Nido and vice versa):

4AM / 6AM* / 8AM / 10AM* / 12NN / 2PM* / 4PM / 6PM* / 10PM* (marked with asterisk is aircon bus)

El Nido offers plenty of budget rooms to choose from (beachfront/non beachfront). On our recent trip we stayed at RICJEM's Inn. You can find most of the budget accommodations within the town center which is, by the way, just small and very much accessible to the beach.

Restaurants in El Nido offers great food. However, there are local carinderias scattered around the town to cater to those with tight budget. Based on our experience by eating from one carinderia, each serving of dish costs P50/ulam and a cup of rice at P10. Softdrinks is at Php 20 only. A complete meal is just around Php 80 to Php 100.

For island hopping,  we chose Tour A and Tour B as part of our package. However you can ask for discount or rent a boat privately and negotiate if you're at least a group of 6. For 2-3 person it is advisable to join other group tour instead.

Below are the standard rates for the island hopping tours (includes lunch):

Tour A - P1200 / person
Tour B - P1300 / person
Tour C - P1400 / person
Tour D - P1200 / person

For Pasalubong, there are plenty of shops accessible by foot. You may ask local residents for directions.

P.S. Travel during off peak season. You can take advantage of the cheap airfares to plan your own trip. Prices of accommodations are cheaper that time as well. El Nido is also less crowded during this season.

Good News! Palawan is rarely hit by typhoon all year round however expect some tropical monsoons during lean season.

So go ahead and plan your trip to currently ranked #1 in Condé Nast Traveler's list of "20 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World." and  CNNGo  -the Best Beach and Island destination in the Philippines for its "extraordinary natural splendor and ecosystem." - El Nido, Palawan