Tata Indicom Project

INTRODUCTION Marketing is the art of creating, satisfying customers by meeting the needs of customers and by creating value satisfaction for them. As Peter Drucker says “the essence of marketing is that the entire business has to be seen from the point given of the customer”. However, customers face a vast array of product and brand choices prices, supplies and to understand the needs and preferences of the customers it becomes imperative for us to carry out research together information. We believe that customers estimate which offer will deliver the most value to them and which will deliver and maximize value, within the bounds of research costs and limited knowledge, mobility, and income they form an expectation of value and act on it. Whether or not the offer lives up to the value expectation affects both purchase and repurchase probability. The purpose of any Marketing research is to provide information at a specific time on customer, trade, competition and the future brands, so as to enable marketers to formulate successful strategies in their quest for customers mind share and market share. The research helps the marketers to find out the attributes and variable that influence the customers behaviour towards a given product offering and it shapes the attitudes of the customers favorably towards a specific product, thus by analyzing these undertones the researcher can find out the levels of customer satisfaction, and the results of the marketing research can help the marketers to analyse the weak spots in their marketing strategies and can reformulate their strategies so that they can satisfy their customers and maximize their brand loyalty and profitability.

1

NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY From the days of industrial revolution when goods & services were produced to the present day, the emphasis has shifted from the producers to the consumer and his needs, and with the consumer becoming more involved, in the marketing process there is greater need for information regarding the consumer needs. Preferences and making them satisfied of the products & services, has led to a constant but increasing need to conduct marketing research. This research is an insight into the mind of the consumer, with the help of which the organizations will become aware of their pitfalls and in turn can also make improvements in the product regarding the level of satisfaction of the consumers towards their offerings in the market place. The Telecom industry is highly competitive in nature and due to rapid advancements in the field of technology. Land line phones have become redundant and the shift is clearly towards cellular services. As such there has been a greater need to conduct market research studies. Since no risks can be entertained with regard to the satisfaction of the people. Hence the need to constantly monitor the changing preferences, attitudes of the consumers becomes that much more necessary. The basic need of this project is to know the”Satisfaction” amongst the respondents, with regard to “Tata Indicom” services and its products.

2

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 1)

To study the “Customer Satisfaction” amongst the users of “Tata Indicom” products.

2)

To study the ‘satisfaction’ levels of “Tata Indicom” mobile customers & Tata Indicom fixed wireless customers.

3)

To study the ‘Satisfaction’ level of “Tata Indicom” customers with regard to other products and services offered by Tata Indicom.

4)

To make suggestions for improvement of their products & their services from the customer’s point of view based on this research to fulfill customer’s needs.

5)

To know the customers feed back towards the redressal of grievances by Tata Indicom.

6)

To ascertain the role of media in promoting and creating awareness towards the diversified portfolio of Tata Indicom products.

7)

To find out the quality of service in terms of transmission coverage, clarity in the reception and connectivity of the various services that are being offered by Tata Indicom.

8)

To study the satisfaction levels of Tata Indicom walky subscribers.

3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research in common pursuance refers to a search for knowledge in a scientific and systematic way for pursuant information on a specified topic. Once the objective is identified that next step is to collect the data which is relevance to the problem identified and analyze the collected data in order to find out the hidden reasons for the problem. There are two types of data namely. 1. Primary Data 2. Secondary Data 1. PRIMARY DATA Primary data is to be collected by the concerned project researcher with relevance to his problem. So the primary data is original in nature and is collected first hand. Collection of primary data There are several methods of collecting primary data particularly in surveys and descriptive researches. Important ones are as follows: 1. Observation Method 2. Interview Method 3. Questionnaire 4. Schedules and 5. Other methods which include  Warranty needs  Distributor audits  Pantry audits  Consumer panels  Using mechanical devices  Through projective techniques  In depth interviews and  Content analysis 4

1)

OBSERVATION METHOD: It is the most commonly used methods especially in studies

relating to behavioral sciences. This method implies the collection of information

by

way

of

investigators

own

observation,

without

interviewing the respondents. The information obtained relates to what is currently happening and is not complicated by either the past behavior or future intentions or attitudes of respondents. 2)

INTERVIEW METHOD The interview method of collecting data involves presentation of

oral, verbal stimuli and reply in terms of oral-verbal responses. This method can be used through personal interview and, if possible, through telephone interview. Personal Interview The method of collecting information through personal interview is usually carried out in a structured way. As such we call these interview as structured interviews. Such interviews involve the use of a set of predetermined questions and of highly standardized techniques of recording. Thus, the interviewer in a structured interview follows a rigid procedure laid down, asking questions in a given format and the order prescribed. As against it, the unstructured interviews are characterized by flexibility of approach to questioning. Unstructured interviews do not follow a system of pre-determined questions and standardized techniques of recording information. 3)

QUESTIONNAIRE The researcher and the respondents do come in contact with

each other if this method of survey is adopted. Questionnaires are mailed to the respondents with a request to return after completing the same. It is the most extensively used method in various economic and business surveys & research. Questionnaire to be used must be

5

prepared very carefully so that it may prove to be effective in collecting the relevant information. Structured questionnaire Using structured questionnaire method, which contains closeended questions, collected the primary data with respect the problem chosen. The questions have some options, from which the respondents have to choose a choice. As the answers lie within a specified range they are called close-ended questions. Open-ended questions are those questions where no choices are given to respondents and respondents are free to express their choice or answer. The following sampling method was used. Sampling: A non-probability conclusive sampling method was used in the study for data collection. Sample size: The sample was taken from the universe on random sampling basis in Badrachalam. The sample size designed for this project is 100 keeping in mind the paucity of time and also the customer base of the organization in the research area. Research Methodology A structured questionnaire was prepared and presented to the respondents and related questions were asked. Questionnaires mainly contained close-ended questions and a few open ended questions, to identify the reasons for customer’s satisfaction & their dissatisfaction. Secondary data It is the data already existing, which has gone through some standard analysis. Under the secondary data, the company’s annual reports, brouchers, pamphlets, newspapers, journals and internet were taken into consideration.

6

SCOPE OF THE STUDY  The scope of project work is to get the opinions from respondents on the issues mentioned earlier.  It is limited to the city of Badrachalam and is confused to the urban areas as the respondents are the subscribers of Tata Indicom services is one form or the other.

7

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY 1)

The present research is restricted to the city of Badrachalam city only.

2)

The sample size taken is only 100 and as such is very small as compared to the universe, this is due to the constraints of time and effort, and as such may not be enough to generalize to the entire population, however it is presumed that the sample represents the universe.

3)

Respondents might have responded with the actual feelings

of

facts

while

giving

responses

to

the

questionnaire. 4)

Time being a limiting factor was not sufficient to gather opinions from majority of the respondents, who form part of the universal sample.

5)

While every care as been taken to eliminate perceptual bias

from

the

side

of

the

researcher

and

the

respondents however certain element of bias might have set in to the research inadverantly. 6)

Since this study concentrated on customer satisfaction towards Tata Indicom no attempt was made to study other activities of the organization. Such as finance, human resource management etc.,

8

INDUSTRY PROFILE In the present day, the information technologies have been successful

in

building

a

super

highway

for

communications.

Communication technologies are found contributing substantially to the developmental process. In the communication services, we find that telecommunications are playing a significant role, in various processes and in the overall development of the economy. We

can’t

nagate

the

fact

that

after

the

attainment

of

independence and to be more specific during 1980s and 1990s. The telecommunication services have made rapid strides both in quality and quantity. However, the users at large are found dissatisfied with the quality of services made available to them. The major problem area for telecommunication service providers is to meet the expectation of the consumers with regard to quality of service and value added services along with competitive pricing. So to satisfy the consumer and to retain customer loyalty in the fast growing telecom sector it becomes pestiuent to study the various factors that have a bearing on the customer satisfaction towards the organization & to find ways to improve the level of customer satisfaction amongst the users of these services. As consumers, each one of us has a vast number of attitudes towards products, towards services, towards advertisements, towards retailers. Whenever we are asked whether we like or dislike a product, service, we are being asked to express our attitudes and when we like a product or service we express our attitudes and when we like a product or service we express it in items of our satisfaction, and satisfied customers leads to more customers by way of publicity. The first experimental electric telegraph line was started between Calcutta and Diamond Harbour in November, 1850.

9

The

visionary

behind

this

landmark

was

Dr.

William

O’

Shaughnessay –credited to pioneer telegraph and telephone in India. The

successful

working

of

this

experimental

lime

led

to

the

construction of 4000 miles of telegraph line connecting Calcutta and Peshawar in the north via Agra and Mumbai through Sindhwa Ghats, Mumbai and Chennai in the south as well as Ooctacamund and Bangalore. A regular Telegraph Department was set up in 1854 when the Telegraph Act was enacted and telegraph facilities were thrown open to public traffic. Dr. O’ Shaughnessy’s continual innovative perusals propelled him to the coveted post of the first Director General. The significant leap, which really set the telecom ball rolling, was the establishment of Indo-Ceylon link. The Indo-Ceylon cable was laid in 1858, in 1865 the first Indo-European telegraph communication was effected in 1873 Duplex telegraphy was introduced between Bombay and Calcutta. In 1875, ITD supplied the first private telephone line and two ears later it erected telegraph line between Srinagar and Gilgit on behalf of Maharaja of Kashmir. In the historical archives, the year 1888 has vital importance. It was in this year that the Indo-European Telegraph Department was merged with Indian Telegraph Department. In 1895, phonograms were introduced for the first time at Bombay and Calcutta and in 1902 the first wireless Telegraph Stations was established between Saugor Islands and Sand heads and a year, the Department Wireless Telegraph was introduced. The tradition of milestone years was now gaining momentum. 1905 can be termed as the cornerstone of today’s telecom profile. It was in this year that the control of the Telegraph Department was transferred from PWD to Commerce & Industry Department.

10

In 1907, women signalers were employed for the first time. In 1914 the Postal and Telegraph Departments were amalgamated under a single Director General. At the same the control of the P & T Department was reverted top PWD. The year also witnessed the opening of the first automatic exchange at Simla with a capacity of 700 lines and 400 actual connections. A major reorganization of the department took place when the accounts of the Indian Posts and Telegraphs were reconstituted to examine the true fiscal profile of the Department the attempt was to find out the extent to which the department was imposing a burden on the taxpayers and bringing in revenue to the Exchequer and how far each of the four constituent branches, namely postal, telephone and wireless, were contributing. Radio Telephone Communications between England and India were opened in 1933: Indo-Burma Radio Telephone Service started functioning between Madras and Rangoon in 1936. Deluxe Telegrams with foreign countries were introduced in 1937;

Bombay

commissioned

in

–New

York

1914;Hindi

wireless telegram

telegraph in

service

Devnagari

script

was was

introduced and won your telephone scheme was inaugurated in 1949. The year 1950 saw the Indian telegraph and Radio/Wireless telephone service span its wings across frontiers. “Own your telephone exchange” scheme began to operate in 1950. The first coaxial route between Delhi and Agra and the first Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) route between Kanpur and Lucknow were commissioned. In the 1950 and 60’s while the Beatles wave was sweeping the world. The Indian telecom think tank was busy in introducing the microwave culture long before the Indian housewife ever heard about

11

it. In the 1960’s the first microwave route between Calcutta and Asansol was opened. The 1970’s witnessed the installation of SPC Gateway Telex Exchange and introduction of International Subscriber Dialed Telex Service and commissioning of the first Optic Fiber System for local junction in Pune. The 1980’s completely established Indian Telecom as the frontrunner. In one giant leap, the universe shrinked the first satellite earth

station

for

domestic

communications

was

set

up

at

Secunderabad. The 1990’s saw the revolution in the Indian telecom sector with the launch of cellular services, the government gave various incentives to the service providers to improve the connectivity on one hand and also lower the prices in the NCD & ICD sector. This period saw the emergence of contrasting technology plat forms namely GSM and CDMA technologies. It also saw the advent of the internet and broad band services in our country. As the time of the century India. Stood at the gateways of telecom revolution. The start of the 21st century saw the explosion of telecom services and Indian market started to show remarkable growth rates with respect to addition of new subscribers. This period also saw the consolidation of the various services providers at regional level and by 2006 there appeared 4 major cellular providers in the GSM space namely 1) 2) 3) 4)

AIRTEL BSNL- CELLONE Vodafone IDEA along with a few fringe players.

On the CDMA front the consolidation saw the emergence of two rivals namely Tata-Indicom and Reliance Infocomm.

12

COMPANY PROFILE History of TATA TELESERVICES LTD: Tata Tele services is part of the INR Rs. 96723 crore Tata group, that has 96 companies and over 2,50,000 employees, and more than 2.8 Million share holders, with a committed investment of INR 36,000 crore (US$7.5bill) in Telecom sector. The group has a formidable presence across the telecom value chain. Tata Tele Services spearheads the Group’s presence in the Telecom Sector. Incorporated in 1995, Tata Tele Services was the first to launch CDMA Mobile Services in India within the A.P. Circle. ABOUT TATA TELE SERVICES Starting with the major acquisition of Hughes Telecom Ltd in December 2002. The company has swing in to expansion mode with the total investment of Rs. 19,924 Crore. Tata Tele Services is operating in 20 circles. i.e., A.P. , Chennai, Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi, Maharastra, Mumbai, Orissa, Tamilnadu, Bihar, Rajashtan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (e). Uttar Pradesh (w), Kerala, Calcutta, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal. The industry has a customer base of 3 million. The investment in the companies of March, 2009 totals INR 7,993 (US$1200 mill). INTEGRATIONS Having pioneered with CDMA 3GIX Technology plat from in India. Tata Tele Services has established a robust and reliable infra structure that ensure quality in its services. It has partnered with, 1)

Motorola

2)

Erickson

3)

Nokia

13

4)

Lucent

5)

LG

6)

ECI Telecom for the deployment of reliable, technology

advanced network. STRENGTH The company, which heralded convergence technologies in the Telecom Sector, is today the market leader in the fixed wireless tele-phony market with a customer vase of 3.8 million. A) SERVICES OFFERED BY TATA INDICOM 1)

Mobile Services

2)

Fixed Wireless Services

3)

Public Booth Telephony

4)

Fixed Wire Line Services

Other services include value added services like, voice portal, roaming, post-paid & pre-paid, internet services, 3-way conferencing, group calling and date services. B) VSNL- BROAD BAND It has recently marketed its entry in to the pre-paid segment by launching 100% “SACHAI TRU PAID” across all its existing 20 circles. With the latest initiation, Tata Indicom has opened up prepaid segments, by offering 1-Second pulse and 100% Talk Time on True Paid. The company will be shortly launching a new service for corporate called “PUSH TO TALK” (First across the world partner with QUALCOMM fro Brew Chat). This service will be advisable for the masses across the country. Tata Indicom also launched a collection of 100 mobile games, one of the largest collections of mobile games in the world.

14

C) TATA INDICOM RANGE OF SERVICES 1)

Post-Paid services

2)

Pre-Paid services

3)

Wire line Services

4)

Wireless Services

5)

Public booth Services

6)

Internet Connectivity

Post –Paid Services It has launched Post-Paid. Public phone booth, new handsets, Brew Games, voice new and interactive applications like News, Cricket, and Astrology etc. Pre-Paid services It is offering 1-second pulse rate and 100% talk time on TruePaid services. With this the customers can talk according to their convenience. D) MEDIA MARKETING For Tata Indicom Services, media marketing is necessary one. With regard to this the company have taken contract with three people as their Brand Ambassador’s who are public figures in India. They are, 1) Ajay Devgan 2) Kajol 3) Trisha  Sourav Ganguly launches exclusive Tata Indicom “ Sourav Phone”.  Irfan Pathan Indian cricket fast bowler presenting Tata Indicom’s True-Paid Services

15

 The ‘Ace’ Tennis sensation of India Sania Mirza joins hands with Tata Indicom. E)

MILE STONES

2009 January Tata Indicom becomes 1st service provider to launch its online store “I-chosse” 2008 September Tata indicom enters Limca Book of Records for opening 100 branded stores in 1 single day nationally. August Tata indicom launches it unique T-SIM card based “one world one

number”

international

roaming

service

across

CDMA/GSM

countries. June Tata Indicom 1st service provider to offer” Anti-theft Mobile Tracker& Emergency SOS alter” features in handset with Samsung. Tata Indicom subscriber base crosses the 10 Mn mark nationally in June 2006. January Tata Indicom subscriber base crosses the 8 Mn mark in Jan 06. 2007 November Tata Indicom acquires over 1 Mn gross subscribers in the month of November 05. Tata Indicom Subscriber base crosses the 7 Mn mark in Nov 05. October

16

Tata indicom launches the first of its kind offer-Non stop mobile in the mobile prepaid market. Tata Indicom Subscriber base crosses the 6 Mn mark. August Tata Indicom Subscriber base crosses the 5 Mn mark. Tata Indicom service made available in 1500 cities. Tata Indicom crosses the 1500 city mark June Tata Indicom launches its first own exclusively branded phone under the brand name “Indicom gem”. May Tata Indicom Subscriber base crosses the 4 Mn mark Tata Indicom service made available in 1000 cities. Tata Indicom crosses the 1000 city mark March Tata Indicom launches its exclusive portal for women on its mobile phones called “Woman’s Zone”. February Tata Indicom completes roll-out in new circles with its services now available in 20 circles. January Tata Indicom subscriber base touches crosses the 3 Mn Mark. F) TATA WALKY FEATURES & SERVICES FEATURES  Clip facility  Get missed calls details  Send & receive SMS  In-hook alarm  10 in-built ring tones

17

 Alert for unread messages  Alarm & reminders details  Speed dial  Call log register  Make emergency call even if phone is disconnected  Speaker phone  Control cost with per minute alert Services 1) Saving monthly bills by paying just land line rates 2) Roam the number same, when customer change their home or office 3) Enjoyment of voice based infotainments 4) Avoidment of dead phones or irritating linemen’s 5) Prevent misuse with the keypad lock G) TATA INDICOM PRODUCTS & SERVICES 1) Tata Indicom Mobile 2) Tata Indicom Walky 3) Tata Indicom Fixed wire phone 4) Tata Indicom fixed Wireless 5) Tata Indicom ISDN services 6) Tata Indicom E-links 7) Tata Indicom basic/primary rate ISDN 8) Tata Indicom managed leased lines 9) Tata Indicom inward dialing 10)

Tata Indicom public booth

11)

Tata Indicom voice reminder services

18

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr. Rathan Tata Chairman

Mr. K.A. Chukar Managing Director

Tata Son’s Ltd.

Tata Industries Ltd.

Dr. J.J. Irani

Mr. S.K. Gupta

Director

Group Telecom

Tata Son’s Ltd.

Advisor

Mr. R. Gopala Krishnan

Mr. I. Hussain

Director

Director

Tata Consultants Ltd.

Group Tata Son’s Ltd

Mr. N. Srinata

Mr. N.s.Ramachandram

Director

Director

Group –VSNL

Tata Tele Services Ltd.

Mr. S. Ramadorai

Dr. Mukund Govind Rajn

CEO & MD

Vice President

Tata Consultancy Services

Tata Son’s Ltd.

19

TATA INDICOM THERITICAL ANALYSIS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION & THEORETICAL OVER VIEW CUSTOMER SATISFACTION Customer Satisfaction is supreme in business. It focuses on how to satisfy people who are using our product or services. Delivering great customer satisfaction is no accident. It’s the result of skilled planning and exceptional management practices. At any help desk; customer satisfaction is a key indicator of success. Theoretical over view on customer satisfaction Satisfaction in person’s feelings of pleasure of disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s perceived performance (out come) in relation to his or her expectations. Customer perceived value Our premise is that customers will buy from the firm that they see as offering the highest perceived value. Customer perceived value (CPV) is the difference between the prospective customer’s evaluation of all the benefits and all the costs of an offering and the perceived alternatives. Total customer Value is the perceived monetary value of the bundle of economic, functional and psychological benefits customers expect from a given market offering. Total Customer Cost is the

20

bundle of costs customers expect to incur in evaluating, obtaining, using and disposing of the given market offering. Total Customer Satisfaction Whether the buyer is satisfied after purchase depends on the offer’s performance in relation to the buyer’s expectations. In general, satisfaction is a person’s feelings of pleasure of disappointment resulting from comparing a product perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectations. If the performance falls short of expectorations, the customer is dissatisfied. It is the performance matches the expectations, the customer is satisfied. If the performance exceeds the expectations, the customer is highly satisfied or delighted. Measuring Satisfaction Although the customer centered firm seeks to create high customer satisfaction, that is no its main goal. If the company increases customer satisfaction by lowering its price or increasing its services, the result may be lower profits. Even bad-mouth it. At levels two or four, customers are fairly satisfied but still find it easy to switch when a better offer comes along. At level five, the customer is very likely to repurchase and even spread good work of mouth about the company. High satisfaction or delight creates an emotional bond with brand or company.

21

High satisfaction or delight creates an emotional bond with the brand or company, not just a rational preference. Customer expectations From past buying experience, friends and associates advice, and marketers and competitors information and promises. If marketers raise expectations too high, the buyer is likely to be disappointed. However, if the company sets expectations too low, it won’t attract enough buyers (although it will satisfy those who do buy). Delivering high customer value The key to generating high customer loyalty is to deliver high customer value. According to Micheal planning, in his delivering profitable value, a company must design a competitively superior value proposition aimed at a specific market segment, backed by a superior value-delivery system. The value proposition consists of the whole cluster of benefits the company promises to deliver, it is more than the core positioning of the offering.

22

THEORETICAL OVERVIEW ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION In a buyer’s market where the customer is the king, business begins and ends with the customer. The business growth, profitability, liquidity and image of an organization depend upon the customer. It is therefore essential that a supplier meets the customer’s expectations fully and ensures that he is satisfied. Hence it is necessary to place emphasis on building and maintaining customer satisfaction by putting the customer first in all activities.

Customer satisfaction is the customer’s perception that a vendor has met his expectation fully, efficiently and promptly.

This may pertain to different segments of business from marketing, engineering, manufacturing, timely project completion, quality, response to customer queries/suggestions/letters,

post-

installation services, complaint handling etc.. Customer satisfaction is the summary of the opinion of the customer about the vendor. Right from

pre-marketing

management,

the

to

after-installation

customer

comes

in

service contact

and

complaint

with

carious

departments and functions of vendor organization and the opinion he makes about the supplier is the sum total of his experience and perception he makes while coming in contact with different sections of

23

vendor. The customer ultimately chooses a vendor who provides him more value for his money and with whose product he is comfortable and satisfied. Higher the satisfaction level, the better is the emotional and sentimental attachment to that brand and more intense is the relationship between the customer and the vendor.

With all the

products and services, these are always chances of problem arising. What makes a company stands out from the rest is the way these problems are handled. The customer expects that when he makes a request for assistance, it will be listened to the issue will be resolved as quickly as possible.

Will have a bearing on the trouble free

operation and lesser maintenance requirement after the product has come into the operation, i.e. efficiency and performance and its maintenance requirement. If a product is having frequent breakdowns or is requiring expert attention more frequently, it becomes a source of irritation for the customer apart from the financial loss. Similarly, if the equipment is not operating efficiently and consuming higher resources, it becomes a source of worry and headache for the customer. It is seen that in consumer segment, many customers are able to tolerate slight inefficiency but will get completely detached with the vendor if the product needs high maintenance. In core segment equipment efficiency is an important as its availability.

Too much

24

maintenance may affect availability of the equipment and it may derail the economic calculations of the customer.

It is generally seen that no single vendor would be able to provide the entire above feature. There will always be some positive and negative features in the product and human behavior that will please or antagonize the customer.

More the positive feeling, the

more satisfied a customer feels. The vendor must make an attempt to increase these positive feelings and make determined attempt to strengthen them.

At the same time he should also look for the

deficiency factors and try to remove them. This way he can enhance the satisfaction level of the customer. What will satisfy a customer or, for that matte, an individual is difficult to predict and will vary from customer to customer.

While

some may place more emphasis on price others may be more worried about quality or complaint management. It is thus necessary to target a customer and then work out factors that he considers important and address them appropriately.

25

FACTORS AFFECTING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: Customer satisfaction is the ultimate and final opinion of customer about the vendor and its product.

It is shaped by the vendor’s

performance or the perception of customer about vendor performance on following factors: -

capability – financial, technological, project management, managerial

-

Engineering and technology

-

Response from vendor

-

Vendor’s ability to meet commitments

-

Customer service

-

Complaint handling

-

Product – efficiency, quality, price, performance

-

Appearance and customer friendly features

-

Life cycle

-

Smooth and trouble free operation

-

Maintenance requirements

As seen from the above, basically, these factors can be classified in the following two broad categories: -

vendor behavior

-

vendor’s product and service performance

26

The vendor behavior deals with the behavior of management and employees of the vendor.

The vendor’s response,

service and

complaint handling are the factors largely dependent on the attitude and skill of the human resources available with the vendor. second aspect is about the product itself.

The

It is dependent on the

capabilities of the vendor and the skill of its employees. It exhibits the engineering and technology developed or acquired by the vendor. The quality system being followed by the vendor and its effectiveness. In the core sector the customer needs and focus will vary widely and unlike consumer segment, it does not follow any pattern or regional or other type of classification. Hence it becomes essential to understand each and every customer separately. In case of consumer sector it is difficult to focus on each and every customer but it is possible to study and identify behavior and needs of group of consumers

who

show

common

buying

characteristics.

Having

identified the parameters of importance for the customer, the vendor must try to get opinion of the customer about himself on these parameters to get feedback and take corrective action.

27

MEASUREMENT OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: In today’s globalised economy and competitive environment, the customer has the options and there are competitors waiting to spoil and exploit the situation.

Interested parties can leverage small

amount of dissatisfaction by feeding exaggerated information about a vendor to the prospective unsuspecting customer. Thus it is necessary that the supplier have proper information and feedback on the image he enjoys with the customer. To evaluation the image the supplier enjoys with the customer, he needs reliable information. He needs to know what comes to the mind of customer on hearing the name of the supplier. Does it sound as one efficient, innovator, modern, quality supplier, reliable or untrustworthy?

One who keeps commitment?

Does the customer

understand and appreciate why the supplier’s company is different from others and how it provides better value to the customer? It is therefore necessary for the suppliers to measure customer satisfaction and take appropriate action to improve it.

Nay business

requires quantitative measures to run it. It is often said that what is not measurable is not authentic.

Can a business be run without

knowing in quantitative actual turnover, profitability or cash position? Customers are the most important assents of a business, without them there cannot be any business.

Measurement provides specific

28

information needed by the supplier to steer the company through uncertain waters. It provides ways to keep the organization running smoothly and meet its business goals. No customer will buy from, or recommend a supplier until he is fully satisfied with the product and services offered by the supplier. Thus measurement of customer satisfaction provides a supplier with quantitative feedback.

If such measurement is done at regular

intervals as in the case of other business parameters like turnover ands profits, the supplier also gets feedback whether his efforts have produced positive results or there is need for course correction.

In

fact it is expected that in future, like targets for turnover, profits, similar targets would be set for achievement of different parameters of customer satisfaction to drive the company towards it. The objective of the supplier should not end at customer enrichment. The road to this begins with sincerity and integrity followed by hard work and dedication. Measurement of customer satisfaction can provide the following information and feedback and can help in business promotion.

29

METHODS: Practicing managers attempt to define standards or targets for customer service/satisfaction poses one of the most difficult questions faced by the organization for a variety of reasons. Every organization must have a set of tools and methodology to collect hard data on customer expectation, needs and level of its fulfillment.

This must

include the tools that provide the following information: -

Identifying needs of customer.

-

Factors considered by customer as important.

-

Customer feedback on these factors for supplier and other competitors.

-

Benchmark

-

Deviation between customers’ expectations and supplier’s achievement.

-

Deviation between supplier’s achievement and benchmark.

If the measurement is being done as a follow-up to a similar exercise done earlier then the process should also indicate the relative improvement of worsening of the situation against each identified factor compared to earlier feedback.

This helps in ascertaining the

effectiveness of corrective action taken after similar exercise in the past and the analyses of the need for incorporating suitable corrective action in the remedial plan.

30

There are a number of direct and indirect methods to measure customer

satisfaction.

They

have

their

own

advantage

and

disadvantages and are detailed below: -

Direct methods

-

Customer feedback surveys

-

Informal chat/interview with the customer

-

Surprise visits to market-customer sectors

-

Indirect methods

-

Measurement using transient changes in complaints

-

Measurement using transient changes in loyalty

Direct methods: Listening to the customer and getting his feedback is like an investigation done to identify diseases in medical science. done to diagnose the diseases, i.e.

It can be

falling market share and loss of

business or it can be used as a preventive check-up so that the organization remains healthy. There are a number of ways to tab the pulse of the customer. Some of them are: Feedback through frontline agencies. Marketing and service department, call centers, complaint handling department can act as frontline agencies and their

31

feedback can be properly compiled and analyzed to provide structured feedback on customer perception at regular intervals. Feedback during one-to-one meeting. It is often seen that during informal meetings or discussion organized for feedback but these are not comprehensive and are generally more concentrated on immediate issues. Complaint/appreciation letters. Customer meets. Customer perception/satisfaction survey. The customer survey method is the one that produces the best results and we shall discuss it in detail. INDIRECT METHODS: The biggest disadvantages of direct methods are that they are costly, require elaborate preparation and can only be done after substantial time gap/intervals. Thus the supplier, if fully dependent on then, losses transient feedback and an opportunity to take corrective action.

On such occasions, the vendor can use indirect feedback

methods for obtaining information and modifying the action plan. In order to minimize the effect of such late feedback and consequent loss of business and customer, the vendor can monitor two other parameters for getting feedback on customer satisfaction.

32

These are:  Customer complaints  Customer loyalty The methodology is simple.

Complaints are classified under

different heads and their movements are monitored. If the number of complaints against a particular head is increasing for a predetermined fixed time period then the company’s performance in that particular area

is

diminishing

decreasing.

and

customer

satisfaction

in

that

field

is

If the complaints are decreasing then the company’s

performance in that segment is improving and so is the customer satisfaction.

By actually monitoring the quantitative increase and

decrease in the number of complaints, one can arrive at the quantitative change in performance and keep a detailed record of the same and plot the curve for relative change.

Based on the earlier

results, one can also predict the change in customer satisfaction. The above system suffers from a number of disadvantages. Firstly while it can monitor and predict the changes at supplier’s end, it has no similar access to monitor and analyze the changes taking place at the competitors end. Customer satisfaction and benchmarking is as much dependant on supplier’s capabilities and performance as on competitors. Thus the system cannot provide reliable information on

33

the customer satisfaction and the supplier’s efforts towards achieving business excellence. Secondly there can be reasons other than better performance for reduction in customer complaints.

It can also mean that the

customers are getting increasingly disillusioned with the complaint redressed mechanism of the supplier and hence have stopped approaching him with the complaint. Thus the reason for reduction in complaints may be further deterioration in the customer satisfaction rather than increase in it. Similarly increase in customer complaints can on one hand, mean that the gap between the performance of product and service of the vendor and expectation of the customer is increasing and is a cause for worry. On the other hand it may also mean that company’s complaint redressed procedure is meeting the customer needs and producing more positive results than earlier so that more consumers are now having faith in it and are increasingly taking the help of the supplier rather than going outside parties. In both the above cases results/conclusions for some factual change in the measuring parameters can be exactly opposite and thus bring forth the serious limitation of indirect methods. In similar fashion increase or decrease in customer loyalty may or may not be directly related to the customer satisfaction for reasons discussed in detail. One method

34

to reduce this uncertainty and arrive at the possible results can be to use the result of the indirect methods along with the results available with other sources.

Thus if there is increase in customer loyalty,

increase in market share and increase in price realization then reduction in customer complaint is a sure sign of increasing customer satisfaction and business excellence by the supplier and a positive sign of his efforts in achieving benchmark.

Similarly increase in price

realization and market share along with the increase in complaints, the supplier must do some investigation during service calls to identify whether the increase in complaints is a result of deterioration in supplier’s quality or return of earlier loss service business due to better performance and value now offered by the supplier.

The feedback

during business negotiations can also be utilized to enable correct interpretation of quantitative feedback received by indirect methods

35

ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION Analysis and findings The total number of respondents of the survey is Hanamkonda. The main aim of the survey is to know the satisfaction level of the Tata Indicom Services. The

data

collected

is

through

primary

source,

through

interviewing the concerned respondents by giving them a structured questionnaire, which includes few open-ended questions.

36

1) Are you really satisfied with Tata services? Table no: 1 S.NO

Mode

No of responding

Yes

1

60

No

2

40

Total

Percentage 60% 40%

100

100%

Interpretation: From the above table it is clear that 60% of respondents are satisfied

with

services

while

a

significant

number.40%

of

the

respondents replied they are not satisfied with the services of Tata. Graph no:1

37

Graph No.1 Tata Services Satisfied & Un satisfied Numbers.

38

2) What is the reason for choosen tata service? Table:2 s.no mode 1 Less price 2 Convenience 3 Brand image Total

No. of respondents 20 56 24 100

Percentage 20% 56% 24% 100%

Interpretation From the above table it is shown that 56% of the respondents are citing Convenience as the factor. While 24% cited brand image as the reason for choosing the service. As far as price is concerned only 20% of the respondents have quoted it as the reason for choosing this service.

39

Graph no:2 The reason for choosen tata services

20%

24%

Less price Quality service Brand image

Convenience

56%

3) How do you feel about the pricing of Tata Indicom services as compared with other? Table no:3 40

S.no 1 2 3

Mode Expensive Competitive Can’t say Total

No. Of respondents 00 96 04 100

Percentage 00% 96% 04% 100%

Interpretation: The feelings of customers of Tata Indicom about the pricing of the services is, 96% of them are satisfied and feel the prices are comparable with others and 4% of them are not satisfied with the pricing of the company as they feel the prices are not competitive enough.

Graph NO. 3 The Pricing of Tata Indocom services compared with other. 41

4) Which Kind of service are you using? Table no:4 42

s.no

1 2 3

Type of service

Fixed line service Mobiles Walky Total

No. of respondents

27 60 13 100

Percentage

27% 60% 13% 100%

Interpretation From the above table it can be seen that 60% of them are using mobile services, while 27% are using fixed line services, and the remaining 13% are using walky services.

Graph no:4 Kinds of services Tata

43

13%

27% Fix ed line servic e M obiles W alk y

60%

5) who influenced your purchase decision? Table no:5 S no

Mode

No. of respondents

Percentage

44

1 2 3 4

Family Friends Own Others Total

60 15 25 0 100

60% 15% 25% 0% 100%

Interpretation: From the above table it is shown that 60% of the respondents were influenced by their Family, 25% by their own decisihon and 15% by friends.

Graph no:5

45

Purchase decission for Tata services

46

6) Which offer is more useful in Tata prepared services? Table no:6 S no 1 2 3

Offers All 50-picea Pay per call Pay per flex offer Total

No. of respondents 32 55 13 100

percentage 32% 55% 13% 100%

Interpretation: The above table is explain about 32% respondents are prefare all 50-pices offer and 55% responding pay per call and 13% respondents are preferring pay per flexi offer.

47

Graph no:6 Offers of Tata services

48

7)

Have you faced any problem at the time of connection & activation? Table no:7

s.no 1 2

mode Yes No Total

No. of respondents 10 90 100

percentage 10% 90% 100%

Interpretation: The above table indicates that at the time of activation only 10% of the respondents have faced problem with company, and 90% of the respondents have not face any problem.

49

Graph no:7 Any problem at the time of connection and activitation.

50

8)Are you satisfied with availability of recharge vouchers? Table no:8 S no 1 2

mode Yes No Total

No. Of respondents 55 45 100

Percentage 55% 45% 100%

Interpretation: The above table is indicating that ,availability of recharge vouchers are satisfied only 55% the remaining 45% of respondents are not satisfied about availability of recharge vouchers.

51

Graph no:8 The Availability of recharge vouchers of Tata services

52

9)

Since how many months have you been using this service? Table no:9

S. no 1 2 3 4

Mode 0-6 months 6-12 months 1-2 years More than 2 years Total

No. of respondents 23 37 36 04

Percentage 23% 37% 36% 04%

100

100%

Interpretation: From the above table it is seen that 37% of the respondents have been using tata indicom products for past one year. While 36% have been using it for more than 1 year, and a significant 23% of respondents have been using the service for less than six months. Only 4% of the respondents have been using Tata Indicom products for more than 2 –years.

53

Table no:9 How many months have you been using the service.

4% 23%

0-6 months

36%

6-12 months 1-2 years More than 2 years

37%

54

10)

how do you feel using tata products? Table no:10

S no Mode 1 Happy 2 Average 3 Not happy Total

No. of respondents 60 30 10 100

Percentage 60% 30% 10% 100%

Interpretation: From the above table it can be seen that 60% of them are happy to using tata products 30% are feel average and the remaining 10% are not satisfied the products of tata.

55

Graph no:10 The custor feel using tata products

56

11)Are you satisfied with the signal of tata services? Table no:11 S no 1 2 3 Total

Mode Good average Bad

No of respondents 54 38 8 100

percentage 54% 38% 8% 100%

Interpretation: The above table indicates that 54% of the respondents are satisfied signal of Tata services 38% of the respondents are say average and the remaining 8% of the respondents are not satisfied the signal of Tata services

57

Graph no:11

The signal services of Tata Indicom.

58

12)

Are you satisfied with durability if battery of tata mobiles? Table no:12

S no 1 2

Mode Yes No Total

No. of respondents 67 33 100

Percentage 67% 33% 100%

Interpretation: From the above analysis it is clear that 67% of the respondents are feel the durability of tata mobiles battery is happy and

the

remaing 33% off respondents feel uncomfortable.

59

Graph no:12 Customer satisfied with durability battery of Tata mobiles.

60

13)

Are you satisfied with the message services of tata?

Table no:13

S no 1 2

Mode Yes No Total

No. of respondents 59 41 100

Percentage 59% 41% 100%

Interpretation: From the above table it is clear that 59% of the respondents are satisfied the message services of tata indicom and remaining 41% of respondents are not satisfird the message services of tata indicom.

61

Graph no:13 The message services of Tata Indicom.

62

14)

Are you satisfied with Tata Indicom mobiles price? Table no:14

S no 1 2 3

mode Yes Average No Total

No. of respondents 58 36 06 100

Percentage 58% 36% 06% 100%

Interpretation: It is clear that 58% of the respondents are satisfied the price of tata indicom mobiles 36% of the respondents are average the remaing 6% of the respondents are not satisfied the price of tata indicom mobiles.

63

Graph no:14 The mobiles price of Tata Indicom

64

15)

where will you complaint if any need on your services? Table no:15

S no 1 2 3

Mode Service center Dealer Costumer care Total

No. of respondents 70 5 25 100

Percentage 70% 5% 25% 100%

Interpretation: From the above table it is clear that 70% of the total respondents are go to service center and 25% respondents are go to customer care and the remaining 5% of the respondents went to the dealer for complaint needed.

65

Graph no:15 Customer complaint if any needed on Tata Services.

66

16) Is the customer care officer pleasing and courteous with you? Table no:16 S no 1 2 Total

Mode Yes No

No of respondents 66 34 100

percentage 66% 34% 100%

Interpretation : From the above table it is shown that 66% the respondents are satisfied with the services of costumer care officer and the remaining 34% of the respondents are not satisfied the service of customer care officer.

67

Graph no:16 Customer care officer pleasing and courteous with customers.

68

17) How much time are you waiting in getting connected to the customer care office? Table no:17 S no

Duration of

No of respondents

Percentage

1

time 5 minutes

60

60%

2

5-10

20

20%

3

minutes 10-15

10

10%

4

minutes 15-30

10

10%

minutes Total

100

100%

Interpretation : The above table clear that 60% of the respondents are satisfied with only 5 min to connected with customer care office and 20% are 510 min to connect with customer care office and 10-15 min and 15-10 min those are 10% and10% to connecting with customer care office.

69

Graph no:17 Time duration while getting connected to the customer care office.

70

18)

Are you faced any problem facing with Tata services?

Table no:18 S no 1 2 Total

Mode Yes No

No of respondents 44 56 100

percentage 44% 56% 100%

Interpretation : The above table clearly explain 56% of the respondents are not facing any problems and the remaining 44% of the respondents faced some problems.

Graph no:18 Any problem faced with Tata services.

71

19) Did you find any variance on Tata promises and commitments? Table no:19

72

S no 1 2 Total

Mode Yes No

No of respondents 62 38 100

percentage 62% 38% 100%

Interpretation : The above table clearly explain 62% of the respondents are not satisfied Tata promises and commitments and the remaining 38% of them satisfied with Tata commitments and promises.

Graph no:19 Any variance on Tata promises and commitment

73

FINDINGS:  Tata Indicom cannot provide more offers to fixed line services and waikes compared with mobiles offers  Pay per flex offer is not attract to the customer compare with pay per call and all 50-pice offer

74

 The company failure regularly availability of recharge voucher based on customer demand  The Tata Indicom failure in message services because in the time of special occasions the messages are not send to others  The company take lot of time to connecting with customer care because of this reason costumers feel un comfortable  More of the costumer says the company not follow the promises and commitments  Customers are suffering from Tata signal services.

CONCLUSIONS

75



The respondents are subscribers of Tata Indicom, and they came know about the service from hoardings, print media, primarily and through electronic media and road shows secondarily.



The respondents are using Tata Indicom since 1 year and below 1 year in most of the cases.



The mobile service provided by Tata Indicom is used by majority of the respondents and the reason for choosing it is the quality of the service, followed by brand image.



Customer satisfaction of the respondents towards Tata indicom is high; however a significant number of the respondents are dissatisfied with its services.



In purchasing Tata Indicom products family appear to be the prime motivators of the respondents in making their purchase decisions, due to the special offers being targeted by the company at this segment.



The respondents are paying their bills at the company show rooms, and these are also acting as customer care centers for all queries and needs of the consumers.

SUGGESTIONS

76



Tata Indicom should increase the coverage of it cellular services by installing more towers at strategic points. So that the signal strength increases in indoors.



The coverage is limited to only urban areas hence effort should be made to increase the coverage in semi urban and rural areas, as it increases the number of subscribers.



The quality of the cellular service needs to be improved in terms of clarity and connectivity.



Tata Indicom should create awareness amongst its customers regarding various services that are being offered by it by increasing its sales promotion reach.



Tata Indicom should vigorously promote its fixed line services as compared with the competition and should concentrate on individual customers and non-commercial customers.



Tata Indicom should aggressively promote its offerings in various media and should concentrate on hoardings and road shows and electronic media.



Attractive schemes for owning the cellular instruments should be launched to attract more customers.

Customer satisfaction of Tata Indicom ANNEXURE –I 77

QUESTIONNAIRE Mobile no:

1)

Name of the respondent

:

A) Age

:

B) Gender

:

Occupation

:

Are you really satisfied with the Tata services ? a)

2)

3)

Yes

b)

No

What is the reason for choosing this service? a)

Less price

b)

Convenience

b)

Brand image

d)

Features

How do you feel about the pricing of Tata Indicom Services as compared with other?

4)

5)

a)

Expensive

c)

mode rate

b)

Competitive

Which kind of service is you using? a)

Fixed line service

c)

Wacky

b)

Mobiles

Who influenced your purchase decision? a)

family

b)

friends

78

c) 6)

7)

own

d)

other

Which offer is more useful in Tata prepaid? a)

all 50- Picasa offer

c)

pay per flexi offer

b) pay per call offer

Have you faced any Problem at the time of connation & activation? a) Yes

8)

b) No

are you satisfied with avaleblety of Recharge voucher a) Yes

9)

10)

b)No

Since how many months have you been using this? a)

0-6 months

b)

6-12 months

c)

1-2 years

d)

more than 2 years

How do you feel using Tata Products ? a) Happy

b) Average

c) not happy 11) Are you satisfied with the signal of Tata Services? a)Good

b)average

c) Bad 14)

Are you satisfied with Tata mobiles price? a)

Yes c)

15)

b) average No

Where will you complaint is any need on your services? a) service center

b) Dealer

c) customer care 16)

Is the customer care officer pleasing and courteous with you? a) Yes

17)

b) No

How much time are you waiting in getting connected to the customer care office? 79

18)

a)

5 minutes

b)

5-10 minutes

c)

10-15 minutes

d)

15-30 minutes

Are you faced any problems facing with Tata ? a) Yes

19)

b) No.

Did you find any variance on Tata promises and commitments? a) Yes

b)No c) Not happy

Thank you

80

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.

2.

3.

4.

MARKETING MANAGEMENT -

Philip Kotler

-

Philip Kotler & Gary Armstrong

-

Stanton

PRINCIPLE OF MARKETING

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY -

5.

www.tataindicom.com

6.

www.tatateleservice.com

7.

www.trai.com

C.R. Kothari

81