Customer Satisfaction with Vodafone in India

Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone
Navnirman Institute Of Management
INTRODUCTION ABOUT TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY

The telecommunication companies in India went through a huge make-over during the implementation of the open-market policy of India. The erstwhile closed market policy was replaced by a more liberal form of economic policy. A whole new form of Indian Telecommunication Policy was drafted to compliment the change effected in the economic policy of India. The amendment effected the new telecommunication policy of India made huge changes with respect to investments and entry of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and Foreign Institution Investors (FII) respectively, into the virgin Indian telecommunication market. This resulted entry of private, domestic and foreign telecommunication companies in India. The economic contribution made by these newly formed telecommunication companies of India is really mentioned worthy and this industry witnessed highest growth after the Indian Information Technology industry. The robust growth of Indian economy after the economic liberalization in the 1990s induced massive change in the telecom policy and new draft was framed and implemented by the 'Telecom Regulatory Authority of India' (TRAI) and 'Department of Telecommunication' (DOT), under the Ministry of Telecommunication government of India. The main aim of these telecommunication companies in India is to provide basic telephony services to each and every Indian. With the advent of private telecommunication companies in India, the industry witnessed introduction of mobile telephones into the Indian market and it became popular amongst the Indian masses in no time. Today two types of mobile phone service providers operates in the Indian market, like the following
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
The main binding objective for all the telecommunication companies operating in India are as follows
To facilitate telecommunication for all Ensuring quick availability of telephone connectivity Achieve universal service access at affordable price covering all Indian villages, as early as possible Providing world class telecommunication services Solving consumer complaints, resolve disputes, and special attention to be given to public interface To provide widest possible range of services at reasonable prices
TELECOMMUNICATION SCENARIO IN INDIA India is the world's fastest growing Wireless market, with 752 Million mobile phone subscribers as of February, 2011. It is also the second largest telecommunication network in the world in terms of number of wireless connections after China. The Indian Mobile subscriber base has increased in size by a factor of more than one hundred since 2001 when the number of subscribers in the country was approximately 5 million to 752 Million by Feb 2011. As the fastest growing telecommunications industry in the world, it is projected that India will have 1.159 billion mobile subscribers by 2013. Furthermore, projections by several leading global consultancies indicate that the total number of subscribers in India will exceed the total subscriber count in the China by 2013. The industry is expected to reach a size of 344,921 crore (US$74.85 billion) by 2012 at a growth rate of over 26 per cent, and generate employment opportunities for about 10 million people during the same period. According to analysts, the sector would create direct employment for 2.8 million people and for 7 million indirectly. In 2008-09 the overall telecom equipments revenue in India stood at 136,833 crore (US$ 29.69 billion) during the fiscal, as against 115,382 crore (US$25.04 billion) a year before. Navnirman Institute Of Management 3
HISTORY OF TELECOM INDUSTRY IN INDIA

The history of telephone services in India found its beginning when a 50-line manual telephone exchange was commissioned in Kolkata in the year 1882 in less than five years after Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. While India became independent in the year 1947, the country had about 82,000 telephone connections, which slowly rose up to 3.05 million by the year 1984. The telecom sector in India was a government monopoly until the year 1994 when liberalization was gradually unrolled. For the first time, cellular services were launched in India in Kolkata in the year 1995.
THE IMPACT OF TELECOM INDUSTRY IN INDIA ON INDIAN ECONOMY

The telecom industry in India has witnessed a phenomenal and manifold growth over the recent years. In the country, personalized telecom access has become an essential necessity of life for a growing number of people. The telecom sector in India holds unlimited potential talking of future growth. In the nation, both Public as well as private firms are vigorously enhancing their technologies in a venture to take the telecom industry in the country to a much higher development. In addition to this, the manufacturers of mobile handsets are significantly contributing to the telecom industry in the country and the economy of India. Telecom industry plays a major role in contributing to the Indian economy. As a highly encouraging factor, the Indian government is also introducing some highly beneficial and effective telecom policies and regulative measures from time to time for the growth of infrastructure connected to this industry. Owing to these measures, a large number of multinational telecommunication leaders are pouring into the nation and expressing their interest to invest in the telecom industry in India.
EVOLUTION OF THE INDUSTRY - IMPORTANT MILESTONES:

Year 1851 1881 1883 1923 1932 1947 Description First operational land lines were laid by the govt. near Calcutta(seat of British Power) Telephone Service introduced in India Merger with the postal system Formation of Indian Radio Telegraph Company (IRT) Merger of ETC and IRT into the Indian Radio and Communication Company(IRCC) Nationalization of all foreign telecommunication companies to form the Posts, Telephone and Telegraph(PTT), a monopoly run by the 1985 governments Ministry of Communication Department of Telecommunications (DOT) established, an exclusive provider of domestic and long-distance service that would be its own 1986 regulator (separate from the postal system) Conversion of DOT into two wholly government-owned companies: the Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) for international telecommunications and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) 1997 1999 2000 for service in metropolitan areas. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India created Cellular Services are launched in India. New National Telecom Policy is adopted. DoT becomes a corporation, BSNL
REVENUE AND GROWTH
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone The total revenue in the telecom service sector was 86,720 crore (US$18.8 billion) in 2005-06 as against 71,674 crore (US$15.6 billion) in 2004-2005, registering a growth of 21%. The total investment in the telecom services sector reached fiscal. Telecommunication is the lifeline of the rapidly growing Information Technology industry. Internet subscriber base has risen to 100 million in 2010. Out of this 10.52 million were broadband connections.More than a billion people use the internet globally. Under the Bharat Nirman Programme, the Government of India will ensure that 66,822 revenue villages in the country, which have not yet been provided with a Village Public Telephone (VPT), will be connected. However doubts have been raised about what it would mean for the poor in the country. It is difficult to ascertain fully the employment potential of the telecom sector but the enormity of the opportunities can be gauged from the fact that there were 3.7 million Public Call Offices in December 2005 up from 2.3 million in December 2004. The value added services (VAS) market within the mobile industry in India has the potential to grow from US$500 million in 2006 to a whopping US$10 billion by 2009. 200,660 crore (US$43.5 billion) in 2005-06, up from 178,831 crore (US$38.8 billion) in the previous
ABOUT TELEPHONE
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone On landlines, intra-circle calls are considered local calls while inter-circle are considered long distance calls. Currently Government is working to integrate the whole country in one telecom circle. For long distance calls, the area code prefixed with a zero is dialed first which is then followed by the number (i.e. To call Delhi, 011 would be dialed first followed by the phone number). For international calls, "00" must be dialed first followed by the country code, area code and local phone number. The country code for India is 91. Telephone Subscribers (Wireless and Landline): 787.28 million (Oct 2010) Land Lines: 35.09 million (Oct 2010) Cell phones: 752.19 million (Oct 2010) Monthly Cell phone Addition: 22.62 million (Dec 2010) Teledensity: 66.16% (Dec 2010) Projected Teledensity: 1 billion, 84% of population by 2012.
MOBILE TELEPHONES
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone With a subscriber base of more than 680 million, the Mobile telecommunications system in India is the second largest in the world and it was thrown open to private players in the 1990s. The country is divided into multiple zones, called circles (roughly along state boundaries). Government and several private players run local and long distance telephone services. Competition has caused prices to drop and calls across India are one of the cheapest in the world. The rates are supposed to go down further with new measures to be taken by the Information Ministry.In September 2004, the number of mobile phone connections crossed the number of fixed-line connections and presently dwarfs the wireline segment by a ratio of around 20:1 The mobile subscriber base has grown by a factor of over a hundred and thirty, from 5 million subscribers in 2001 to over 680 million subscribers as of Sep 2010 (a period of less than 9 years) . India primarily follows the GSM mobile system, in the 900 MHz band. Recent operators also operate in the 1800 MHz band. The dominant players are Airtel, Reliance Infocomm, Vodafone, Idea cellular and BSNL/MTNL. There are many smaller players, with operations in only a few states. International roaming agreements exist between most operators and many foreign carriers.
GROWTH OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

India has become one of the fastest-growing mobile markets in the world . The mobile services were commercially launched in August 1995 in India. In the initial 5-6 years the average monthly subscribers additions were around 0.05 to 0.1 million only and the total mobile subscribers base in December 2002 stood at 10.5 millions. However, after the number of proactive initiatives taken by regulator and licensor, the monthly mobile subscriber additions increased to around 2 million per month in the year 2003-04 and 2004-05. Although mobile telephones followed the New Telecom Policy 1994, growth was tardy in the early years because of the high price of hand sets as well as the high tariff structure of mobile telephones. The New Telecom Policy in 1999, the industry heralded several pro consumer initiatives. Mobile subscriber additions started picking up. The number of mobile phones added throughout the country in 2003 was 16 million, followed by 22 millions in 2004, 32 million in 2005 and 65 million in 2006. The only countries with more mobile phones than India with 156.31 million mobile phones are China 408 million and USA 170 million. India has opted for the use of both the GSM (global system for mobile communications) and CDMA (code-division multiple access) technologies in the mobile sector. In addition to landline and mobile phones, some of the companies also provide the WLL service. The mobile tariffs in India have also become lowest in the world. A new mobile connection can be activated with a monthly commitment of US$ 5 only. In 2005 alone 32 million handsets were sold in India. The data reveals the real potential for growth of the Indian mobile market.
CELLULAR SERVICE PROVIDERS:

Navnirman Institute Of Management 9
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone As on Apr 2007 India has 167 million mobile phone subscribers. Out of this 125 million are GSM users and 41 million CDMA users. BSNL, Bharti Airtel, Hutch, Idea, Aircel, Spice and MTNL are the main GSM providers in India. Reliance Communications and Tata Indicom are the main CDMA providers in India. Bharti Airtel:Airtel is providing cellular services in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, UP and West Bengal. Airtel is the No.1 cellular service provider in India using GSM technology. Airtel has 23% market share in India with a total subscriber base of 38 million. Reliance Communications:Reliance has both CDMA and GSM networks and total subscriber base of 29 million or 17% market share. It has GSM network in Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Kolkata, North East, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal. Reliance has CDMA networks in other states and cities. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL): BSNL is a state owned telecom company which has GSM presence in almost every cities and towns. BSNL has 27 million subscribers with a market share of 16%. Vodafone: Vodafone is another emerging GSM provider in India with coverage in Kerala, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab with a total subscriber base of 27 million. Tata Indicom:Tata Indicom is a main CDMA provider in India with 16 million subscribers all over India. Tata Indicom has presence in almost every state and cities in India.
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THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE:

1) Reliance Communications Limited 2) Bharti Airtel Limited 3) BSNL 4) MTNL 5) Hutchison Essar 6) Ericsson 7) Nokia 8) Siemens Communications 9) Idea Cellular Limited 10Tata Teleservices
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INTRODUCTION:
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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Vodafone is a mobile network operator headquartered in Berkshire, England, UK. It is the largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world by turnover and has a market value of about 75 billion (August 2008). Vodafone currently has operations in 25 countries and partner networks in a further 42 countries. The name Vodafone comes from Voice data fone, chosen by the company to "reflect the provision of voice and data services over mobile phones." As of 2006 Vodafone had an estimated 260 million customers in 25 markets across 5 continents. On this measure, it is the second largest mobile telecom group in the world behind China Mobile. In the United States, Vodafone owns 45% of Verizon Wireless.
MISSION:
Vodafone is primarily a user of technology rather than a developer of it, and this fact is reflected in the emphasis of our work program on enabling new applications of mobile communications, using new technology for new services, research for improving operational efficiency and quality of our networks, and providing technology vision and leadership that can contribute directly to business decisions.
VISION:
Our Vision is to be the worlds mobile communication leader enriching customers lives, helping individuals, businesses and Communities be more connected in a mobile world.
HISTORY:
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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone In 1982 Racal Electronics plc's subsidiary Racal Strategic Radio Ltd. won one of two UK cellular telephone network licenses. The network, known as Racal Vodafone was 80% owned by Racal, with Millicom and the Hambros Technology Trust owning 15% and 5% respectively. Vodafone was launched on 1 January 1985. Racal Strategic Radio was renamed Racal Telecommunications Group Limited in 1985. On 29 December 1986 Racal Electronics bought out the minority shareholders of Vodafone for GB110 million. In September 1988 the company was again renamed Racal Telecom and on 26 October 1988 Racal Electronics floated 20% of the company. The flotation valued Racal Telecom at GB1.7 billion On 16 September 1991 Racal Telecom was demerged from Racal Electronics as Vodafone Group. In July 1996 Vodafone acquired the two thirds of Talkland it did not already own for 30.6 million. On 19 November 1996, in a defensive move, Vodafone purchased Peoples Phone for 77 million, a 181 store chain whose customers were overwhelmingly using Vodafone's network. In a similar move the company acquired the 80% of Astec Communications that it did not own, a service provider with 21 stores. In 1997 Vodafone introduced its Speech mark logo, as it is a quotation mark in a circle; the O's in the Vodafone logotype are opening and closing quotation marks, suggesting conversation. On 29 June 1999 Vodafone completed its purchase of AirTouch Communications, Inc. and changed its name to Vodafone Airtouch plc. Trading of the new company commenced on 30 June 1999. To approve the merger, Vodafone sold its 17.2% stake in E-Plus Mobilfunk. The acquisition gave Vodafone a 35% share of Mannesmann, owner of the largest German mobile network.
Vodafones original logo used until the introduction of the speech mark logo in 1998. Navnirman Institute Of Management 14
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone On 21 September 1999 Vodafone agreed to merge its U.S. wireless assets with those of Bell Atlantic Corp to form Verizon Wireless. The merger was completed on 4 April 2000. In November 1999 Vodafone made an unsolicited bid for Mannesmann, which was rejected. Vodafone's interest in Mannesmann had been increased by the latter's purchase of Orange, the UK mobile operator. Chris Gent would later say Mannesmann's move into the UK broke a "gentleman's agreement" not to compete in each other's home territory. The hostile takeover provoked strong protest in Germany and a "titanic struggle" which saw Mannesmann resists Vodafone's efforts. However, on 3 February 2000 the Mannesmann board agreed to an increased offer of 112bn, then the largest corporate merger ever. The EU approved the merger in April 2000. The conglomerate was subsequently broken up and all manufacturing related operations sold off. On 28 July 2000 the Company reverted to its former name, Vodafone Group Plc. In April 2001 the first 3G voice call was made on Vodafone United Kingdom's 3G network. In 2001 the Company took over Eircell, then part of eircom in Ireland, and rebranded it as Vodafone Ireland. It then went on to acquire Japan's third-largest mobile operator JPhone, which had introduced camera phones first in Japan. On 17 December 2001 Vodafone introduced the concept of "Partner Networks" by signing TDC Mobil of Denmark. The new concept involved the introduction of Vodafone international services to the local market, without the need of investment by Vodafone. The concept would be used to extend the Vodafone brand and services into markets where it does not have stakes in local operators. Vodafone services would be marketed under the dual-brand scheme, where the Vodafone brand is added at the end of the local brand. (i.e., TDC Mobil-Vodafone etc.)
In February 2002 Finland was added into the mobile community, as Radiolinja is signed as a Partner Network. Radiolinja later changed its named to Elisa. Later that year the Company rebranded Japan's J-sky mobile internet service as Vodafone live! and on 3 December 2002 the Vodafone brand was introduced in the Estonian market with signing Navnirman Institute Of Management 15
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone of a Partner Network Agreement with Radiolinja (Eesti). Radiolinja (Eesti) later changed its name to Elisa. On 7 January 2003 the Company signed a group-wide Partner agreement with mobilkom Austria. As a result, Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia were added to the community. In April 2003 Og Vodafone was introduced in the Icelandic market and in May 2003 Vodafone Italy (Omnitel Pronto-Italia) was rebranded Vodafone Italy. On 21 July 2003 Lithuania was added to the community, with the signing of a Partner Network agreement with Bit. In February 2004 Vodafone signed a Partner Network Agreement with Luxembourg's LuxGSM and a Partner Network Agreement with Cyta of Cyprus. Cyta agreed to rename its mobile phone operations to Cytamobile-Vodafone. In April 2004 the Company purchased Singlepoint airtime provider from John Caudwell (Caudwell Group) and approx 1.5million customers onto its base for 405million, adding sites in Stoke on Trent (England) to existing sites in Newbury (HQ), Birmingham, Warrington and Banbury. In November 2004 Vodafone introduced 3G services into Europe. In June 2005 the Company increased its participation in Romania's Connex to 99% and also bought the Czech mobile operator Oskar. On 1 July 2005 Oskar of the Czech Republic was rebranded as Oskar-Vodafone. Later that year on 17 October 2005 Vodafone Portugal launched a revised logo, using new text designed by Dalton Maag, and a 3D version of the Speech mark logo, but still retaining a red background and white writing (or vice versa). Also, various operating companies started to drop the use of the SIM card pattern in the company logo.
On 28 October 2005 Connex in Romania was rebranded as Connex-Vodafone and on 31 October 2005 the Company reached an agreement to sell Vodafone Sweden to Telenor for approximately 1 billion. After the sale, Vodafone Sweden became a Partner
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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Network. In December 2005 Vodafone won an auction to buy Turkey's second-largest mobile phone company, Telsim, for $4.5 billion. In December 2005 Vodafone Spain became the second member of the group to adopt the revised logo: it was phased in over the following six months in other countries. In 2006 the Company rebranded its Stoke-on-Trent site as Stoke Premier Centre, a centre of expertise for the company dealing with Customer Care for its higher value customers, technical support, sales and credit control. All cancellations and upgrades started to be dealt with by this call centre. On 5 January 2006 Vodafone announced the completion of the sale of Vodafone Sweden to Telenor. On February 2006 the Company closed its Birmingham Call Centre. In 1 February 2006 Oskar Vodafone became Vodafone Czech Republic, adopting the revised logo and on 22 February 2006 the Company announced that it was extending its footprint to Bulgaria with the signing of Partner Network Agreement with Mobiltel, which is part of mobilkom Austria group. On 12 March 2006 former chief, Sir Christopher Gent, who was appointed the honorary post Chairman for Life in 2003, quits following rumours of boardroom rifts. In April 2006 the Company announced that it has signed an extension to its Partner Network Agreement with BITE Group, enabling its Latvian subsidiary "BITE Latvija" to become the latest member of Vodafone's global partner community. Also in April 2006 Vodafone Sweden changed its name to Telenor Sverige AB and Connex-Vodafone became Vodafone Romania, also adopting the new logo. On 30 May 2006 Vodafone announced the biggest loss in British corporate history (14.9 billion) and plans to cut 400 jobs; it reported one-off costs of 23.5 billion due to the revaluation of its Mannesmann
subsidiary. On 24 July 2006 the respected head of Vodafone Europe, Bill Morrow, quit unexpectedly and on 25 August 2006 the Company announced the sale of its 25% stake in Belgium's Proximus for 2 billion. After the deal, Proximus was still part of the
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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone community as a Partner Network. On 5 October 2006 Vodafone announced the first single brand partnership with Og Vodafone which would operate under the name Vodafone Iceland and on 19 December 2006 the Company announced the sale of its 25% stake in Switzerland's Swisscom for CHF4.25 billion (1.8 billion). After the deal, Swisscom would still be part of the community as a Partner Network. Finally in December 2006 the Company completed the acquisition of Aspective, an enterprise applications systems integrator in the UK, signaling Vodafone's intent to grow a significant presence and revenues in the ICT marketplace. Early in January 2007 Telsim in Turkey adopted Vodafone dual branding as Telsim Vodafone and on 1 April 2007 Telsim Vodafone Turkey dropped its original brand and became Vodafone Turkey. On 1 May 2007 Vodafone added Jersey and Guernsey to the community, as Airtel was signed as Partner Network in both crown dependencies. In June 2007 the Vodafone live! Mobile Internet portal in the UK was relaunched. Front page was now charged for and previously "bundled" data allowance was removed from existing contract terms. All users were given access to the "full" web rather than a Walled Garden and Vodafone became the first mobile network to focus an entire media campaign on its newly launched mobile Internet portal in the UK. On 1 August 2007 Vodafone Portugal launched Vodafone Messenger, a service with Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. In May 2008 Kall of the Faroe Islands rebranded as Vodafone Faroe Islands.On 30 October 2008, the company announced a strategic, non-equity partnership with MTS group of Russia. The agreement adds Russia, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan to the group footprint.
VODAFONE ESSAR
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INTRODUCTION:
Vodafone Essar, previously Hutchison Essar is a cellular operator in India that covers 21 telecom circles in India. Despite the official name being Vodafone Essar, its products are simply branded Vodafone. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM cellular phone coverage throughout India and is especially strong in the major metros. Vodafone Essar provides 2G services based on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz digital GSM technology, offering voice and data services in 22 of the country's 23 licence areas.
OWNERSHIP:
Vodafone Essar is owned by Vodafone 52%, Essar Group 33%, and other Indian nationals, 15%. On February 11, 2007, Vodafone agreed to acquire the controlling interest of 67% held by Li Ka Shing Holdings in Hutch-Essar for US$11.1 billion, pipping Reliance Communications, Hinduja Group, and Essar Group, which is the owner of the remaining 33%. The whole company was valued at USD 18.8 billion. The transaction closed on May 8, 2007.
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PREVIOUS BRANDS:
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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone In December 2006, Hutch Essar re-launched the "Hutch" brand nationwide, consolidating its services under a single identity. The Company entered into agreement with NTT DoCoMo to launch i-mode mobile Internet service in India during 2007. The company used to be named Hutchison Essar, reflecting the name of its previous owner, Hutchison. However, the brand was marketed as Hutch. After getting the necessary government approvals with regards to the acquisition of a majority by the Vodafone Group, the company was rebranded as Vodafone Essar. The marketing brand was officially changed to Vodafone on 20 September 2007. On September 20, 2007 Hutch becomes Vodafone in one of the biggest brand transition exercises in recent times. Vodafone Essar is spending somewhere in the region of Rs 250 crores on this high-profile transition being unveiled today. Along with the transition, cheap cell phones have been launched in the Indian market under the Vodafone brand. There are plans to launch cobranded handsets sourced from global vendors as well. While there is no revealing the prices of the low-cost Vodafone handsets, the industry is abuzz that prices might start at Rs 666, undercutting Reliance Communications' muchhyped 'Rang Barse' with cheap handsets beginning at Rs 777. Meanwhile, Vodafone Essar sources said there would be no discounts or subsidized handset offers -- rather handset-bundled schemes for customers. Incidentally, China's ZTE, which is looking to set-up a manufacturing unit in the country, is expected to provide several Vodafone handsets in India. Earlier this year, Vodafone penned a global low-cost handset procurement deal with ZTE.
FINANCIAL RESULTS
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Vodafone reports its results in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Vodafone has some large minority stakes, which are not included in its consolidated turnover. In order to provide additional information on the overall scale and growth trends of its business, it publishes "proportionate turnover" figures, and these are included in the tables below. For example, if a business in which it owns a 45% stake has turnover of 10 billion, that equals 4.5 billion of proportionate turnover for Vodafone. Proportionate turnover is not an official accounting measure, and Vodafone's proportionate turnover should be compared with other companies' statutory turnover. Vodafone also produces proportionate customer number figures on a similar basis, e.g. if an operator in which it has a 30% stake has 10 million customers that equals 3 million proportionate Vodafone customers. This is a common practice in the mobile telecommunications industry.
Year ended Turnover Profit before Profit for the Basic m 41,017 35,478 31,104 29,350 34,073 36,492 tax m 4,189 9,001 (2,383) (14,835) 7,951 9,013 year m 3,080 6,756 (5,297) (21,821) 6,518 6,112 (pence) 5.81 12.56 (8.94) (35.01) 9.68 8.70 eps Proportionate customers (m) 302.6 260 206.4 170.6 154.8 133.4
31 March 2009 2008 2007 2006* 2005 2004
*Losses for year to 31 March 2006 reflect write downs of assets, principally in relation to the Mannesmann acquisition. Proportionate turnover includes 7,100 million from discontinued operations.
The group's recent first quarter trading update (24 July 2009) saw management reiterating its profit guidance for the full year. Whilst revenues across Europe had been relatively weak, mirroring general economic conditions, there had been a positive showing from South Africa, with the company's Indian purchase of Hutchison Essar continuing to Navnirman Institute Of Management 22
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone generate returns. Meanwhile, its joint venture with Verizon in the US had strengthened further, with Vodafone's overall customer base now standing at 315 million - 8 million having been added during the first quarter. In addition, management noted that its cost reduction programme, targeted to save 1bn in operating costs by the end of the 2011 financial year, would reach 65pc of its target by the end of the current financial year.The Group admitted in August 2010 that 1.25 billion in tax that should have been paid in Britain was actually paid in Luxembourg and elsewhere.
SWOT ANALYSIS
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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a research project at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies.
Strengths
Leadership Position Global Brand Strength High Geographical reach
Weaknesses Centralized Flexibility High Consumer churn rates Control Low
Internal
Opportunities Expanding marketing boundaries Growth through 3G Strategic Alliances
Threats Increased Competition Market saturation in Europe Emergencies of Low cost Brands
External
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SWOT ANALYSIS OF VODAFONE

Strengths:
The main strength of Vodafone within the telecommunications market lies in its brand image and recognition. Vodafone, having established a global presence and having invested highly in marketing a differentiated image by promoting a Vodafone life style, currently enjoys a differentiating advantage that, if exploited properly, can offer a lead in competition. The presence of Vodafone in numerous countries within Europe as well as in all part of the world enhances this image. It allows customers to travel and enjoy easily the services of their home country operator. In the few countries that Vodafone is not physically present (e.g. Norway) it has well established strategic alliances which allow for a better service of mobile clients.
Weaknesses:
The expansion of Vodafone has been completed at the expense of direct control of its operations. The company grew through a process of acquisitions of national telecommunications companies (e.g. the acquisition of the third biggest Czech mobile phone operator, Cesky mobile) rather than organic growth. This increased its subscribers base quickly, offering direct market knowledge and immediate additions of customer bases at the expense of direct effective control of the subsidiaries. At the same time though, it implicitly imposed a centralized operational structure for the group, nominating the UK headquarters as the leading business unit running a much centralised marketing and handset procurement at group level. This has resulted in the neglect of local markets and local differences, allowing market share to be gained by smaller local competitors. Due to the highly saturated Western European market this has resulted in an increase in the price elasticity of demand, with consumers becoming continuously price oriented. This has resulted in high customer churn rates reaching the level of 32.8% in the UK compared to O2s 24%.
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Opportunities:
The telecommunications market, even though highly saturated in some regions offers great potential due to the ageing population and the sophistication of the consumers. It offers great opportunities through a careful market segmentation and exploitation of particular profitable segments. Different strategies should be pursued simple phones and simplified pricing plans to the ageing population and more updated, sophisticated solutions for younger generations. The expanding Boundaries of the market could provide further opportunities by allowing Vodafone to enter more aggressively into fixedline service and to better enjoy the benefits of its high investment in 3G technology. Moreover the company has undertaken its first steps in establishing strategic alliances to develop customized solutions for endusers: Vodafone recently announced two new partnerships, one with supermarket group ASDA to launch an ASDA branded mobile service in the UK, and another with electrical retailer DSG International to provide mobile solutions to small businesses. This could further be enhanced to avoid being a lateentrant in this new method of distribution which offers access to a wide potential customer base.
Threats:
The European part of Vodafones market is characterized by existing high levels of competition. Major brands such as O2 and TMobile are exploiting the price sensitivity of customers and in this way they are building a stronger image and presence in the market. Indirect competition is also increasing further, through the presence of Skype and other related (not only voice) Internetbased services. This combined with the upcoming European legislative measures is expected to limit further the tariffs for the network providers imposing further need for price cuts which could harm the bottom line profitability of the company.
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CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
INTRODUCTION:
Customer satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key performance indicator within business and is part of the four perspectives of a Balanced Scorecard. In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy. There is a substantial body of empirical literature that establishes the benefits of customer satisfaction for firms.
MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF ORGANISATIONS

Organizations are increasingly interested in retaining existing customers while targeting non-customers; measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication of how successful the organization is at providing products and/or services to the marketplace. Customer satisfaction is an ambiguous and abstract concept and the actual manifestation of the state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and product/service to product/service. The state of satisfaction depends on a number of both psychological and physical variables which correlate with satisfaction behaviors such as return and recommend rate. The level of satisfaction can also vary depending on other
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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone options the customer may have and other products against which the customer can compare the organization's products.
Because satisfaction is basically a psychological state, care should be taken in the effort of quantitative measurement, although a large quantity of research in this area has recently been developed.
Work done by Berry, Brodeur between 1990 and 1998 defined ten 'Quality Values' which influence satisfaction behavior, further expanded by Berry in 2002 and known as the ten domains of satisfaction. These ten domains of satisfaction include: Quality, Value, Timeliness, Efficiency, Ease of Access, Environment, Inter-departmental Teamwork, Front line Service Behaviors, Commitment to the Customer and Innovation. These factors are emphasized for continuous improvement and organizational change measurement and are most often utilized to develop the architecture for satisfaction measurement as an integrated model.
Work done by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry between 1985 and 1988 provides the basis for the measurement of customer satisfaction with a service by using the gap between the customer's expectation of performance and their perceived experience of performance. This provides the measurer with a satisfaction "gap" which is objective and quantitative in nature. Work done by Cronin and Taylor propose the "confirmation/disconfirmation" theory of combining the "gap" described by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry as two different measures (perception and expectation of performance) into a single measurement of performance according to expectation. According to Garbrand, customer satisfaction equals perception of performance divided by expectation of performance.
The usual measures of customer satisfaction involve a survey with a set of statements using a Likert Technique or scale. The customer is asked to evaluate each statement and in term of their perception and expectation of performance of the organization being measured.
29
Managing Customer Expectations to Improve Satisfaction

Encourage Customer Complaints
One public agency found that three quarters of its customers had no idea who to talk to if they had a problem. Many customers think it's simply not worth the hassle to complain. They are skeptical that the organization will do anything or they may even fear retribution. Best-in-business organizations actively encourage customer complaints. Some companies even refer to what they do to encourage complaints as "marketing" their complaint system. Companies make consumer service cards available at the place of business. Many solicit feedback wherever they post or publish customer service standards, on all correspondence, on bills, and in the telephone directory. Some offer discount coupons to encourage customer feedback. Many publish information on how they can be contacted in more than one language. They publish 1-800 and other numbers for the company where consumers are most likely to see them, e.g., on the product packaging. Companies also market their complaint handling systems during conferences and meetings, in annual reports, newspapers, association circulars, videos, audio tapes, letters, press releases, speeches, training sessions and via electronic mail.
Seek to Delight Their Customers

The benchmarking partners often use the phrase "delight the customer" and go out of their way to exceed expectations. Often this means a compassionate ear. An insurance company has a special team that deals with the needs of grieving spouses. Companies give front-line employees the authority to award customers who have complaints with products, coupons, or even cash when it is necessary to resolve a complaint. Even public
30
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone sector employees are able to give certain products and services to customers with complaints.
1. Understand Customer Expectations

These organizations demonstrate a commitment to understanding the customer's perspective. Most of the benchmarking partners send surveys to customers who have complained recently to see how satisfied they were with how the complaint was handled. Some call the customers to determine satisfaction. One organization surveys every fourth customer with a complaint. Another described complaints as "free information" about their customers needs and expectations. These organizations supplement surveys of people who complain with routine and often extensive data collection tools in order to understand their customers. Customers are surveyed to determine their level of satisfaction with existing services. Surveys are sent with questions, often in a Likert Scale format where the customer can select the degree of satisfaction on a scale, e.g., from one to five. These surveys assess customer satisfaction with existing services, delivery of services, helpfulness of employees, and overall performance of the organization. Some companies add a few short questions to the end of customer calls or correspondence. Companies also survey their front-line employees for their attitudes as well as for their ideas for improved service, asking their employees to take the customer's perspective. After the nearby community complained about noise levels, the Red River Army Depot changed the times they detonated ammunition and put "listeners" (members of the community) at checkpoints throughout the surrounding area to monitor noise levels. The partners focus on clear customer target groups. One company that serves a wide variety of customers decided to focus on its high-volume business customers. Three months after a high-volume business customer has complained, the company follows up
31
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone to find out whether they are still using their services and, if not, the reasons for dissatisfaction.
2. Manage Customer Expectations

These organizations do not wait for complaints to come in the door. They try to anticipate the needs and problems of customers and to set realistic expectations through customer education and communication strategies. Research shows that 40 percent of complaints come from customers having inadequate information about a product or a service.(5) Using customer feedback to understand customer expectations and needs, organizations educate their customers and/or the public on what they can expect from their products and services and what obligations and responsibilities their customers have. For example, one enforcement/ regulatory partner has extensive education on the requirements and reasons for utilizing their services.
Know How to Say No

Both companies and government agencies, especially regulatory agencies, need to draw limits. When it is not possible to give the customer what they would like, it is still possible for a customer to feel that he or she has been heard and has been treated fairly. A number of techniques convey concern--calling customers and telling them the company understands; giving the customer the best explanation they can; and being open and honest with customers concerning laws and policies of the organization. Being professional and considerate of customers enhances their view of the organization--even when the customer may be disappointed with the outcome. A recent taxpayer letter to the Internal Revenue Service shows that the techniques cited above really work:
32
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone "For the first time in a long time, a communication from IRS is clear, concise, informative and user friendly. . . The attached--while I'd preferred not to have made the mistake--points out exactly what happened and what needed to be done." In a small percentage of cases, it will be necessary to close a complaint when it is felt that the company or agency has done everything that can be done.
3. Keep the Human Touch

One company found that it made a major mistake when it introduced enhanced information technology. Employees lost eye contact with their customers. Keep the human touch--don't let automation get between the front-line employee and the customer. Eye-to-eye contact may be lost with computers.
Lessons Learned
Customer education is key to managing customer expectations. Know how to say no. Exceeding customer expectations for customers who have problems improves loyalty. Make it easy to complain. Understand what customers want. Maintain a one-on-one relationship with customers
How Does Your Organization Measure Up?

How do you delight customers who have problems? What access do customers have to your organization so that it is easy for them to complain? How do you make sure that you understand what your customers want? How do you manage the expectations of your customers?
33
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone How do you train and prepare the people who work for your organization to say "no"?
What do you do to make sure that information technology doesn't stand between your front-line employees and customers who have a problem?
VODAFONE HAD HIGHEST CUSTOMER SATISFACTION INDEX IN 2007

Lisbon, 25 August 2008 - Vodafone obtained the highest customer satisfaction index in the telecommunications sector in 2007, according to annual results published by Anacom. Vodafone achieved a satisfaction index of 74.4 (on a scale of 0 to 100), the highest score of all the companies in the Portuguese telecommunications market and considerably above the sector average of 67.6. In the report published by Anacom, Vodafone is ranked in first place in all the indicators included in the survey: Satisfaction with the operator, Image that customers have of the operator, Customer Expectations, Perceived Quality of the operator's network and services, Perceived Value for Money, Complaints received and their handling, and Loyalty of customers to their operator. In the Perceived Quality indicator, Vodafone obtained a score of 8.3 points for overall quality, way ahead of the scores of the other two operators (both obtained 7.7 points). Vodafone comes top in all the indicators for perceived quality of network and services: technical quality of the network (8.2 points); customer service and advice capability (7.6 points); quality (8.2 points), diversity (8.0 points) and reliability (7.9 points) of products and services offered; clarity and transparency of information supplied (7.8 points); network coverage (7.9 points) and clarity and transparency of price plans (7.9 points).
34
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Similarly, in the indicators measuring the Image of mobile operators, Vodafone comes top in the five categories analyzed (on a scale of 1 to 10): 'It is a reliable company in terms of what it says and what it does' (8.1 points); 'It is stable and well established in the market' (8.8 points); 'It contributes positively to society' (7.5 points); 'It cares about its customers' (7.6 points); and 'It is innovative and forward looking' (8.5 points).
The methodology used in the ECSI Portugal 2007 survey (ECSI European Customer Satisfaction Index) is similar to that used by the European Commission to survey customer satisfaction in 25 Member States, enabling comparisons to be made between the results obtained in each country. The ECSI Portugal 2007 Communications survey was carried out by the Higher Institute of Statistics and Information Management at Lisbon's New University in partnership with the Portuguese Quality Institute and the Portuguese Quality Association, with sponsorship from Anacom.
VODAFONE CONTINUES TO HAVE THE MOST SATISFIED CUSTOMERS IN THE COMMUNICATIONS SECTOR
16 September 2010 National Customer Satisfaction Index published by Anacom Lisbon, 16 August 2010 Vodafone Portugal has once again obtained the highest customer satisfaction rating in the telecommunications sector, according to a survey published by the regulatory authority, Anacom. Vodafone achieved a satisfaction rating of 7.93 (on a scale from 1 to 10), the highest in the whole of the communications sector. Carried out annually, the ECSI Portugal Report published by Anacom presents the
35
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone National Customer Satisfaction Index in the telecommunications sector, covering mobile, fixed phone, Internet and pay-TV operators. As in the previous two years, Vodafone was ranked in first place in all the indicators reported in this survey: the Image that customers have of the operator, Customer Expectations, the Perceived Quality of the operator's network and services, Perceived Value for Money, Satisfaction with the Operator, Complaints Received and how they are handled, and Customer Loyalty to their operator.
In this years survey, Vodafone saw its already high customer satisfaction ratings improve further on last year, with considerable rises in the results achieved in all indicators. Vodafone customers continue to be those most satisfied with their operator. In the mobile communications subsector, the Report states that "Overall, Vodafone has the highest ratings (...)", and specifically that "Vodafone has the highest ratings in the seven variables surveyed. TMN has the lowest performance overall in the estimated ratings (...)". According to the report, "Vodafone remains in top position in the satisfaction index and in the loyalty index, Vodafone is once again in top position, well ahead of Optimus and TMN (...)". The ECSI Portugal National Customer Satisfaction Index stems from Portugals membership of the ECSI (European Customer Satisfaction Index) project, initiated in 1999 by the European Commission and EOQ (European Organization for Quality). The aim of the project is to analyse customer satisfaction using the same methodology in all Member States so as to provide a comparative analysis for the various business sectors in each country.
The ECSI Portugal survey was carried out by the Higher Institute of Statistics and Information Management at the New University of Lisbon in partnership with the Portuguese Association for Quality and the Portuguese Quality Institute, with sponsorship from Anacom.
36
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone The publication of this survey by the telecommunications sector regulator (at www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1036739) contributes once again to informing the general public about the customer satisfaction ratings of individual operators.
37
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Primary objective- To know the customer satisfaction on Vodafone. Secondary objective- Following are the main objective to study about the customer
satisfaction on Vodafone. To study telecommunication industry. To study the company profile of Vodafone. To study customer satisfaction of Vodafone. To study the various services provided by Vodafone. To know the expectation of Vodafone Customers.
IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

In this competitive era communication plays a vital role so the Telecom Industries are the major source for communication. Vodafone, being on the top obviously have to compete with various players like Airtel, Aircel, Reliance, Tata Indicom, Idea etc.,with their stringent rules and regulations guided by TRAI. Hence in order to understand about the customers satisfaction is sine-quo-non for Vodafone.
38
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone This study would be helpful to various people like student, outsiders, Vodafone staff etc to know the satisfaction level.
BENEFITS OF STUDY:
There are many benefits related to take this study. Some of the benefits of taking this study are as follows: By analyzing this information, the company would be able to better design schemes & services & target right prospects needs & wants. More people will get aware about Vodafone that will increase profit level of Vodafone. This study helps to identify the behavior of consumer when there are no offers & schemes from Vodafone.
PROCESS OF MARKETING RESEARCH:

The marketing research is done in systematic process. The Researcher has pursued the below process of marketing for my study at Vodafone: Problem Identification
Research Design
39
Data Collection
Data Analysis & Interpretation
Research Report & Presentation
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
1 - Type of research design descriptive Descriptive research is undertaken when
the researcher want to know the characteristics of certain groups.
2 - Collection of data - In this study Primary data and secondary data have been
used. Primary data have been collected through surveys. Personal interview technique has been used for conducting the survey. Data collection has been done through the use of structured questionnaire. Secondary data have been collected from Internet.Primary data have been collected through surveys. Personal interview technique has been used for conducting the survey. Data collection has been done through the use of Structured questionnaire.
3 - Data collection techniques: Sampling size - The sampling size to study the consumer satisfaction of Vodafone is
100. The numbers of respondent are 100 in sample size for the study.
Sampling Method -Convenient Sampling method has been adopted for this study.
40
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Sampling frame- To check the customer satisfaction of Vodafone the sampling frame is Surat city only. Only within the Surat city that to the area is Varacha, Pipload / vesu, Bhatar, City light, Adajan and Parvatpatiya to check the level of customer satisfaction the survey is being conducted.
Sampling element- The sampling element for the study is the target audience that is
who are using Vodafone. Students are the main respondents in the survey conducted between the age group of 18-30.
Survey tool - The survey tool used for the study of customer satisfaction for Vodafone
is questionnaire. The questionnaire is prepared and the Questionnaire is both open and close ended questions to elicit responses for the following areas: i. Location. ii. Age. iii. Occupation. iv. Monthly Income. v. Mobile Usage. vi. Mobile service Usage.
4 - Analysis of data - The complete analysis is done through Pie charts and column
graphs in different questions.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY:

This research study is useful for VODAFONE to understand the expectations and requirements of Customers and can serve them in a better way. This research was conducted from December 2010- February 2011. The respondents from surat city have been taken for this study. The satisfaction level is measured in terms of various attributes.
41
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

Time was not sufficient to conduct detailed study. Respondent are very less in sample size to draw the conclusion. Some of the respondents were not willing to answer. Real answers were not given. Like any other research the limitation of personal bias of respondents limits the scope of study. Findings are based on the survey done in month of Jan.-Feb. so the results may differ in other months. For few proper response was there so analysis was difficult which are as follows: i. Chances of Switching ii. Reason for Switching. iii. Monthly Income. iv. Comparative questions
42
43
1. From which source did you come to know about Vodafone? (Multiple Choice) Purpose: The purpose behind this question is to know from which source the respondents came to know about Vodafone.
Sources
Advertisement Hoarding Newspaper Mouth publicity Employees at office Mobile messages
Number of respondents
69 17 14 26 20 4
44
13%
3%
Advertisement Hoarding
17%
47%
Newspaper Mouth publicity Employees at office Mobile messages
9% 11%
Interpretation:
47% of the respondents are aware about Vodafone through Advertisements, 11% are aware because of Hoardings, 9% are aware through newspaper, 17% are aware through mouth publicity, 13% are aware through employees at office and 3% are aware through mobile messages. 2. Since how long are you using Vodafone services? Purpose: The purpose behind this question is to know about the usage time of Vodafone customers i.e. since how long they are using Vodafone services.
Time period
Less than 1 month 2-6 months 6-12 months More than 1 year
9 17 18 56
45
9% 17%
Less than 1 month 2-6 Month 6-12 Month
56% 18%
More than 1 year
Interpretation:
Major Respondents using Vodafone are old customers. 56% of the respondents use Vodafone services from past more than 1 year while the lowest is 9% respondents using Vodafone services less than 1 month.
3. Which of the following services do you use of Vodafone? Purpose: The purpose behind this question is to know which services do the Vodafone customer use, Pre-Paid or Post-Paid.
Services
Pre-Paid Post-paid
64 36
46
36% Pre-Paid services Post-Paid services 64%
Interpretation:
64% of the respondents use pre-paid services while only 36% of the respondents use post-paid services.
4. Are you using any other mobile services along with Vodafone? Purpose: The purpose behind this question is to know that along with Vodafone do they use any other mobile services.
Suggestions
Number respondents
Yes
of 59
No
41
47
41% Yes No
59%
Interpretation:
59% of the respondents use other mobile services along with vodafone while 41% of the respondents do not use any other mobile services along with vodafone.
If yes than which one:
48
Operators service name

Airtel Reliance Aircel Idea Docomo BSNL Uninor
23 16 1 6 10 2 1
3%2% 17% 39% 10% 2% 27% Airtel Reliance Aircel Idea Docomo BSNL Uninor
Interpretation:
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Major respondents are using other mobile services along with Vodafone is Airtel with 39%, 27% of the respondents use Reliance, 2%% respondents use Aircel, 10% of the respondent use Idea, 17% of the respondent use Docomo, 3% of the respondent use BSNL while remaining 2% of the respondent use Uninor services respectively. 5. Do you call at customer care? Purpose: The purpose of this question is to know how many times and how often the respondents call at customer care of Vodafone.
Suggestions
Number respondents
Yes
of 77
No
23
23%
Yes No
77%
Interpretation:
77% of the respondent calls at customer care while 23% respondents do not call at customer care.
50
If yes than,
a) How often you call at customer care?

Purpose: The main purpose of this question is to know how often do the respondents call at customer care.
Time Period
Daily Once a week Once a month Occasionally
No. of respondents
1 2 23 51
1% 3%
30%
66%
Daily Once a week Once a month Occassionaly
Interpretation
51
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Major respondents call customer care occasionally that is 66% of the respondent, 30% of the respondents call customer care once a month while 3% and 1% of respondents call once a week and daily respectively.
b) For what reason you call at customer care? (Multiple choice) Purpose: The main purpose of this question is to know the reason of the respondents regarding calling at customer care.
Reasons
Value Added Services Information regarding new schemes Complaining Other queries Recharge outlets Caller tunes
No. of respondents
16 27 48 12 9 23
52

Value added services 17% 7% 9% 12% Information regarding new schemes 20% Complaining Other schemes Recharge outlets 35% Caller tunes
Interpretation:
12% of respondents call at customer care for value added services, 20% of them call to know information regarding new schemes, 35% of them call customer care for complaining purpose while 9% call to know other schemes, 7% call to knoe about recharge outlets and 17% of respondents call customer care for caller respectively.
c) Are you satisfied with the customer care services? Purpose: The main purpose of this question is to know how much the respondents are satisfied regarding the customer care services.
Satisfaction level
Highly satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dis-satisfied Highly dis-satisfied
12 39 23 3 -
53

4%
16% Highly satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dis-satisfied 50%
30%
Interpretation:
16% of the respondents are highly satisfied with the customer care services, 50% of the respondent are just satisfied, 30% of the respondent have neutral response regarding customer care services while 4% of the respondent are dis-satisfied with the customer care services.
d) What is your opinion regarding the response given by the customer care executives? Purpose: The main purpose of this question is to know the response level given by customer care executives.
Response level
Excellent response Fairly good response Average response Bad response No response
12 42 21 2
54
3% 27%
16%
Excellent response Fairly good response Average response No response
54%
Interpretation:
16% of the respondent had excellent response regarding customer care executives, 54% of the major respondents had fairly good response towards customer care executives, 27% respondent had average response while 3% of the respondent said that thare is no response of the customer care executives. 6. What is satisfaction level in terms of price of Vodafone? (Call rates, SMS rates, Caller tunes, Value added services, Recharge outlets, etc.) Purpose: The main purpose of this question is to know the satsfaction level in terms of price of vodafone.
Response level
Excellent Good Average Poor
13 55 27 5
55

5%
13%
27%
Excellent Good Average Poor 55%
Interpretation:
13% of the respondent had excellent satisfaction level in terms of price, 55% of the respondent had good response, 27% of the respondent had an average satisfaction level in terms of price while remianing 5% had pood response towards satisfaction level in terms of price.
7. Do you have internet connection? Purpose: The purpose of this question is to know how many have internet connection in their mobile phones.
Suggestions
Number respondents
Yes
of 50
No
50
56
50%
50%
Yes No
Interpretation:
50% of the respondent have internet connection while 50% of the respondent do not have internet connection respectively.
If yes than, a) How many times do you login to internet per day? Purpose: The purpose of this question is to know how many times they login to internet per day.
Time period
Once Twice More than two times Not even once
Number of respondent
14 15 17 4
57
8% 28% Once Twice More than 1 times Not even once 30%
34%
Interpretation:
28% of the respondent login to the internet only once in per day, 30% of the respondnet login twice, 34% of the respondent login more than two times per day while only 8% of the respondent who have intenet connection but not even login to in one time also.
b) Rate the internet speed:
Ratings
Number of respondent
6 17 24 3 -
***** **** *** ** *
58
6%
12% 5star 4star 3star 2star
48%
34%
Interpretation:
12% of the respondent rate internet speed as 5 satr, 34% of the respondent rate speed as 4star, 48% of the respondent rate 3star while 6% of the respondent rate as 2 star respectively and there was none who rate for 1star for the internet speed.
8. Rate the following services on the basis of your satisfaction:
59
Services
Network availability SMS rates New schemes & offers
Excellent
57 25 12
Good
37 40 59 44 51 50 51 31
Average
6 29 27 17 28 25 32 9
Poor
6 2 5 4 5 5 1
Customer care 11 Recharge outlets Call rates Value added services Internet connectivity 17 20 12 9
SERVICES
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
ce ll e nt G oo d Av er ag e Po or
Network availability SMS rates New schemes & offers Customer care Recharge outlets Call rates Value added services Internet connectivity
Ex
EXCELLENT:
60
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Services Rattings Network availability SMS rates New schemes & offers Customer care Recharge outlets Call rates Value added services Internet connectivity 57 25 12 11 17 20 12 9
EXCELLENT
6%
Network availability S MS rates New schemes & offers Customer care Recharge outlets
7% 12%
36%
10% 7% 7%
Call rates Value added services Internet connectivity
15%
Interpretation:
36% of the respondent rate network availability as excellent, 15% of the respondent rate SMS rates as excellent, 7% of the respondent rate new schemes and offers, customer care and value added services as excellent, 10% of the responent rate recharge outlets as excellent, 12% of the respondent rate call rates as good while only 6% of the respondent rate internet connectivity as excellent.
GOOD:
Services Rattings Navnirman Institute Of Management 61
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Network availability 37 SMS rates 40 New schemes & offers 59 Customer care Recharge outlets Call rates Value added services Internet connectivity 44 51 50 51 31
GOOD
9% 14% 10%
Network availability
11%
S MS rates New schemes & offers Customer care Recharge outlets Call rates Value added services Internet connectivity
14%
16%
14%
12%
Interpretation:
10% of the respondent rate network availability as good, 11% of the respondent rate SMS rates as good, 16% of the respondent rate new schemes and offers as good, 12% of the respondent customer care as good, 14% of the respondent rate recharge outlets, call rates, and value added services as good, and 9% of the responent rate internet connectivity as good.
AVERAGE :
Services Network availability SMS rates Rattings 6 29
62
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone New schemes & offers 27 Customer care 17 Recharge outlets 28 Call rates 25 Value added services 32 Internet connectivity 9
AVERAGE
5% 3% 19% 17%
Ne twork availability SMS rate s Ne w sche me s & offe rs Custome r care Re charge outle ts Cal l rate s Value adde d se rvices Inte rne t conne ctivity
16% 14% 10%
16%
Interpretation:
3% of the respondent rate network availability as average, 17% of the respondent rate SMS rates as average, 16% of the respondent rate new schemes and offers as average, 10% of the respondent customer care as average, 16% of the respondent rate recharge outlets as average, 14% of the respondnet rate call rates as average, 19% of the respondent rate value added services as average, and %5 of the responent rate internet connectivity as average.
POOR :
Services Network availability SMS rates New schemes & offers Customer care Recharge outlets Rattings 6 2 5 4 63
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Call rates 5 Value added services 5 Internet connectivity 1
POOR
4% 18% 21%
SMS rates New schemes & offers Customer care
7% 18% 18% 14%
Recharge outlets Call rates Value added services Internet connectivity
Interpretation:
21% of the respondent rate SMS rates as poor, 7% of the respondent rate new schemes and offers as poor, 18% of the respondent rate customer care, call rates and value added services as poor, 14% of the respondent rate recharge outlets as poor, and 4% of the respondent rate value added services as poor. 9. Vodafone image and overall impression? Purpose:The main purpose behind this question is to know the Vodafone image and overall impression among the respondents.
Image
Very attractive Some what attractive
45 36
64
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Neutral Some what unattractive Not at all attractive
18 1
18%
1%
Very attractive Some what attractive Neutral Not at all attractive
45%
36%
Interpretation:
Vodafone image and overall impression is very attractive among the respondent.45% of the respondents have very attractive image of vodafone and overall impression, 36% have some what attractive, 18% have neutal respone while remaining 1% have not at all attractive response of vodafone and overall impression and none of them said that it is some what unattractive.
10. How likely are you going to use company brand in future? Purpose:The main purpose behind this question is to know the Vodafone image and overall impression among the respondents. Views Probably will use Number of respondents 29
65
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Definitely will use Not sure Probably will not use Definitely will not use
38 32 1 -
1% 32% 29%
Probably will use Definitely will use Not sure Probably will not use
38%
Interpretation:
29% of the respondents said they will probably use vodafone company brand in future, 38% of the respondents said they will definitely use, 32% of the respondents said they are not sure while 1% of the respondents said they will probably will not use and none of the respondent said that they will definitely not use company brand in future.
11. Would you like to recommend Vodafone to others? Purpose: The purpose of this question is to know the recommendations of the respondents towards Vodafone, whether they would like to recommend the Vodafone services to others or not.
66
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Recommendations Definitely will recommend Probably will recommend Not sure Probably will not recommend Definitely will not recommend
Number of respondents 40 33 24 1 2
2% 1% 24% 40%
De finitely will recommend Probably will recommend Not sure
Probably will not recommend
33%
De finitely will not recommend
Interpretation:
40% of the respondents said they will definitely recommend vodafone to others, 33% of the respondents said they will probably recommend, 24% of the respondents said they are not sure wherther they will recommend or not while 1% and 2% of the respondents said they will probably will not recommend and definitely will not recommend to others. 12. If not Vodafone than which other mobile service would you use at present? Purpose:The main purpose behind this question is to know if the respondent donot use vodafone than which other mobile service would they use.
Operators service name

BSNL
6
67
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Airtel Reliance Docomo Idea Uninor
39 26 16 11 2
11%
2% 6% BSNL Airtel Reliance Docomo Idea Uninor
16% 39%
26%
Interpretation:
6% of the respondents will use BSNL service if not vodafone, 39% of the respondents will use Airtel service, 26% of the respondents will use Reliance, 16% of the respondents will use Docomo, 11% of the respondents will use Idea and 2% of the respondents will use Uninor.
13. Would you like to give any suggestion for better service for Vodafone? Purpose:The main purpose behind this question is to know what the suggestions for better service for Vodafone. Suggestions SMS rates Number of respondents 15
68
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Call rates Internet speed Network problem
8 7 2
6% 22% 47% SMS Rates Call rates Internet speed Network
25%
Interpretation:
47% of the respondent said that vodafone SMS charges are too high and it should be reduced, 25% of the respondent said that vodafone call rates are too high and they should minimize it to attract more customers, 22% of the respondent said that vodafone should increase their internet speed because it is at satisfactory level, 6% of the respondent said that vodafone should work on there network problem.
ADDRESS: Area
Varacha Pipload / vesu Bhatar
4 17 15
69
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone City light Adajan Parvatpatiya
18 44 2
2%4% 17% Varacha Pipload / vesu Bhatar City light Adajan Parvatpatiya
44% 15%
18%
Interpretation:
4% of the respondents are taken from varacha, 17% of the respondents are taken from pipload / vesu, 15% of the respondents are taken from bhatar, 18% of the respondents are taken from city light, 44% of the respondents are taken from adajan area while 2% of the respondents are taken from parvatpatiya.
AGE: Age
10-18 18-30 30-40
29 54 12
70
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone 40+ 5

5% 12% 29%
10_18 18-30 30-40 40+
54%
Interpretation:
29% of the respondents belongs to the age group between 10-18, 54% of the respondent belongs to the age group between 18-30, 12% of the respondent belongs to the age group between 30-40 and remaining 5% of the respondent belongs to the age group of 40+.
OCCUPATION: Occupation
Job Business man Student
17 2 78
71
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Professional Retired
3 -
3%
17% 2% Job Business men Student Professional
78%
Interpretation:
17% of the respondents belongs to the occupation of job, 2% of the respondents belongs to the occupation of business man, 78% of the respondents belongs to the occupation of student while remaining 3% of the respondents belongs to the occupation of professional and none of them belong to the occupation of retired.
SEX: Sex
Male Female
38 62
72
38%
Male Female
62%
Interpretation:
38% of the respondents are male while remaining 62% of the respondents are female.
FINDINGS:
1. Most of the respondents are aware about Vodafone through Advertisements, and least followed by 3% are aware through mobile messages. 2. Major Respondents are old customers followed by 56% of the respondents use Vodafone services from past more than 1 year. Navnirman Institute Of Management 73
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone 3. Major of the respondents use pre-paid services while only few of the respondents use post-paid services. 4. Most of the respondents use other mobile services along with vodafone that is 39% with airtel the highest. 5. 77% of the respondent calls at customer care while 23% respondents do not call. Major respondents call customer care occasionally. Most of the respondent call customer care for complaining. 50% of the respondent are just satisfied while 4% of the respondent are dissatisfied with the customer care services. Most of the major respondents had fairly good response towards customer care executives. 6. 27% of the respondent had an average satisfaction level in terms of price. 7. 50% of the respondent have internet connection while 50% of the do not have. Most of the respondent login more than two times per day. Most of the respondent rate internet speed as 3star.
8. Satisfaction level: Major of the respondents rate the Vodafones network as excellent Major of the respondent rate new schemes and offers as good. Major of the respondent rate value added services as average. Major of the respondent rate SMS rates as poor.
9. Major of the impression.
respondents have very attractive image of vodafone and overall
10. Most of the respondents said they will definitely use vodafone 11. Most of the respondents said they will definitely recommend vodafone to others. 12. Major 39% of the respondents will use Airtel service if not vodafone at present
74
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone 13. Major of the respondent said that vodafone SMS charges are too high. 14. Major of the respondents are taken from adajan area. 15. Most of the respondent belongs to the age group between 18-30. 16. Most of the respondents belongs to the occupation of student. 17. Few of the respondents are male while remaining major of the respondents are female.
75
CONCLUSION:
Follwing are the conclusion that the researcher found after the survey. From the above analysis the major respondents are dissatisfied with some of the major services like call rates, SMS rates and new schemes & offers.
76
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Major respondents from all respondents use services of Vodafone. Major customers of Vodafone are old customers so many of the respondents are satisfied with the services of Vodafone and thus they would like to recommend Vodafone to others. Major respondents using Vodafone use pre-paid services compared to post-paid services. Major respondents are youngsters so they need more SMS facilities and low call rates, but Vodafone dissatisfies these age group (18-25) as their call rates and SMS rates are much high.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Following are some of the recommendations to Vodafone which can serve people and its customers in an improved wayare the following: Vodafone should decrease call rates for local users to attract more customers. Vodafone should provide more offers to Post-Paid customers so that the number of Post-Paid customers increase. Navnirman Institute Of Management 77
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Vodafone should bring introduce some new SMS schemes and should reduce SMS rates also because they are too high. Vodafone should introduce more schemes and offers to attract more customers. Vodafone should decrease call rates of STD and ISD because there are large number of competitors in the market. Vodafone should increase internet speed.
78
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Philpi
Kotler,
13th
edition,
published
by
Dorling
Kindersely(India) pvt. Ltd., licensees of Pearson Education in South Asia, year of publication is 2009.
WEBSITE:
http://wwwpp.vodafone.com/content/index/press/local_press_releases/portugal/po rtugal_press_release/vodafone_continues.html
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone http://www.vodafone.in/pages/index.aspx http://www.google.com http://www.customerexpressions.com/cex/cexweb.nsf/%28GetPages
%29/fb0e21c03e1a1fbb85257011006e6396
80
Respected sir/madam I Kanchan K Gupta the student of Navnirman Institute Of Management (NIM) college conducting survey for winter training project as requirement of partial fulfillment of semester (VI) on CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ON VODAFONRE.I assure that the information given by you are strictly used for academic purpose only. I request you to help me in gathering required information. I will be greatly thankful for your kind co-operation.
1. From which source did you come to know about Vodafone? (Multiple Choice) Advertisement Newspaper Employees at office Other sources specify Navnirman Institute Of Management 81 Hoarding Mouth publicity mobile messages
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone 2. Since how long are you using Vodafone services? Less than one month 2-6 month More 6-12 month than one year
3. Which of the following services do you use of Vodafone? Pre-paid services Post-paid services
4. Are you using any other mobile services along with Vodafone? Yes If yes than which one: Airtel Aircel Docomo 5. Do you call at customer care? Yes If yes than: a) How often you call at customer care? Daily Once a month Once a week Occasionally No Reliance Idea Other specify No
e) For what reason you call at customer care? (Multiple choice) Value added services Complaining Recharge outlets Other reason f) Are you satisfied with the customer care services? Information regarding new schemes Other schemes caller tunes
82
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Highly satisfied Neutral Highly dis-satisfied
Satisfied Dis-satisfied
g) What is your opinion regarding the response given by the customer care executives? Excellent response Average response No response 6. What is satisfaction level in terms of price of Vodafone? (Call rates, SMS rates, Caller tunes, Value added services, Recharge outlets, etc.) Excellent Average 7. Do you have internet connection? Yes If yes than: c) How many times do you login to internet per day? Once More than two times d) Rate the internet speed: Twice Not even once No Good Poor Fairly good response Bad response
***** *** *
**** **
8. Rate the following services on the basis of your satisfaction:
83
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Services Excellent Good Network availability SMS rates New schemes & offers Customer care Recharge outlets Call rates Value added services Internet connectivity
Average
Poor
9. Vodafone image and overall impression? Very attractive Neutral Some what attractive Some what unattractive Navnirman Institute Of Management 84
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone Not at all attractive 10. How likely are you going to use company brand in future? Probably will use Not sure Definitely will not use 11. Would you like to recommend Vodafone to others? Definitely will recommend Not sure Definitely will not recommend 12. If not Vodafone than which other mobile service would you use at present? . 13. Would you like to give any suggestion for better service for Vodafone? Probably will recommend Probably will not recommend Definitely will use Probably will not use
. . .
Name: . Address: .. ..
85
Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone .. Age: 10-18 Years 30-40 Years Occupation: Job Student Retired Annual income: Less than 1 Lakh 3-5 Lakh 1-3 Lakh 5 Lakh + Business man Professional 18-30 Years 40 Years +
Contact No. : .. Male / Female
86

Customer Satisfaction with Vodafone in India

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

Navnirman Institute Of Management

Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

INTRODUCTION ABOUT TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

HISTORY OF TELECOM INDUSTRY IN INDIA

THE IMPACT OF TELECOM INDUSTRY IN INDIA ON INDIAN ECONOMY

Navnirman Institute Of Management

Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

EVOLUTION OF THE INDUSTRY - IMPORTANT MILESTONES:

REVENUE AND GROWTH

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Navnirman Institute Of Management

Navnirman Institute Of Management

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

GROWTH OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

CELLULAR SERVICE PROVIDERS:

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE:

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

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Navnirman Institute Of Management

Navnirman Institute Of Management

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

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31 March 2009 2008 2007 2006* 2005 2004

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Weaknesses Centralized Flexibility High Consumer churn rates Control Low

Opportunities Expanding marketing boundaries Growth through 3G Strategic Alliances

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

SWOT ANALYSIS OF VODAFONE

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF ORGANISATIONS

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Customer Satisfaction On Vodafone

Managing Customer Expectations to Improve Satisfaction

Seek to Delight Their Customers

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1. Understand Customer Expectations

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2. Manage Customer Expectations

Know How to Say No

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3. Keep the Human Touch

How Does Your Organization Measure Up?

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