INTRODUCTION

My project title was inclusive of objective, later on we discussed what dimensions should be covered under this title, like analysis of data collected by questionnaires which was filled by the users during the survey in the Raipur city, then I applied various statistical method like hypotheses, ranking, graphical representation, and various test on collected data to get accurate result. In order to convince the respondents we have to explain them why we conduct survey and the information what we need is fill in the form of questionnaires. Our learning here is as follows: I learn that theoretical knowledge is different from practical knowledge. Learned about some of the soft skills like acceptability, adjustability and patience required during field work. Time management. Art of convincing people. Discipline of the work place. Consistency in work.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 1

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed in October, 2000, is World's 7th largest Telecommunications Company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India: Wire line, CDMA mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier service, MPLS-VPN, VSAT, VoIP services, IN Services etc. Within a span of five years it has become one of the largest public sector unit in India. BSNL has installed Quality Telecom Network in the country and now focusing on improving it, expanding the network, introducing new telecom services with ICT applications in villages and wining customer's confidence. Today, it has about 47.3 million line basic telephone capacity, 4 million WLL capacity, 20.1 Million GSM Capacity, more than 37382 fixed exchanges, 18000 BTS, 287 Satellite Stations, 480196 Rkm of OFC Cable, 63730 Rkm of Microwave Network connecting 602 Districts, 7330 cities/towns and 5.5 Lakhs villages. BSNL is the only service provider, making focused efforts and planned initiatives to bridge the Rural-Urban Digital Divide ICT sector. In fact there is no telecom operator in GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 2

the country to beat its reach with its wide network giving services in every nook & corner of country and operates across India except Delhi & Mumbai. Whether it is inaccessible areas of Siachen glacier and North-eastern region of the country. BSNL serves its customers with its wide bouquet of telecom services.

BSNL is numero Uno operator of India in all services in its license area. The company offers vide ranging & most transparent tariff schemes designed to suite every customer. BSNL cellular service, Cell One, has more than 17.8 million cellular customers, garnering 24 percent of all mobile users as its subscribers. That means that almost every fourth mobile user in the country has a BSNL connection. In basic services, BSNL is miles ahead of its rivals, with 35.1 million Basic Phone subscribers i.e. 85 per cent share of the subscriber base and 92 percent share in revenue terms. BSNL has more than 2.5 million WLL subscribers and 2.5 million Internet Customers who access Internet through various modes viz. Dial-up, Leased Line, DIAS, Account Less Internet (CLI). BSNL has been adjudged as the NUMBER ONE ISP in the country. BSNL has set up a world class multi-gigabit, multi-protocol convergent IP infrastructure that provides convergent services like voice, data and video through the same Backbone and Broadband Access Network. At present there are 0.6 million DataOne broadband customers. The company has vast experience in Planning, Installation, network integration and Maintenance of Switching & Transmission Networks and also has a world class ISO 9000 certified Telecom Training Institute. Scaling new heights of success, the present turnover of BSNL is more than Rs.351,820 million (US $ 8 billion) with net profit to the tune of Rs.99,390 million (US $ 2.26 billion) GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 3

for last financial year. The infrastructure asset on telephone alone is worth about Rs.630, 000 million (US $ 14.37 billion).

BSNL plans to expand its customer base from present 47 millions lines to 125 million lines by December 2007 and infrastructure investment plan to the tune of Rs. 733 crores (US$ 16.67 million) in the next three years. The turnover, nationwide coverage, reach, comprehensive range of telecom services and the desire to excel has made BSNL the No. 1 Telecom Company of India.

1.1 Satisfaction
Satisfaction is a persons feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a products perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectations. If the performance falls short of expectations, the customer is dissatisfied. If the performance matches the expectations, the customer is satisfied. If the performance exceeds expectations, the customer is highly satisfied or delighted.

1.2 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 a part four consumer perspectives of a balanced scoreboard.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 4

In a competitive

market place where business competes for customers, customer

satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy. There is substantial body of empirical literature that establishes the benefits of customer satisfaction for firms.

1.3 Measuring customer satisfaction

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 market place. Customer satisfaction is ambiguous and abstract concept and the actual manifestation of the state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and product number of both psychological and physical variables which correlates with satisfaction behaviors as such returns and recommend rate. The quality values which influence satisfaction behavior, further expanded on satisfaction includes: Quality, Value, Timelines, Efficiency and Ease improvement and organizational changes and measurement and are most often utilized to develop the architecture for satisfaction between the customers being measure when an organization can fulfill customer expectation and perception about their needs.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 5

Measurement of customers satisfaction is a difficult task which is challenge for the marketer and organization. But customer satisfaction measurement is the term which can provide the grant success to the organization.

1.4 Telecom service providers in Raipur city

BHARTI TELECOM
One of the foremost corporate leaders of contemporary India Sunil Bharti Mittal is the chairman and MD of Bharti Airtel Ltd.

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel is the flagship company of Bharti enterprise. The Bharti group has a divert business portfolio and has created global brand in telecommunication sector. Airtel comes to us from Bharti airtel ltd. Indias largest integrated and the first privet telecom service provider. Bharti Airtel offers GSM mobile services in all the 23-telecom circles of India and is the largest mobile service provider in the country, based on the number of customers. The Company compliments its mobile and broadband & telephone services with national and international long distance services. It has over 35,016 route kilometers of optic fiber on its national long distance network. Airtel also provides the internet service by there cellular network customers have freedom to access the internet anytime anywhere across the India.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 6

The company will invest up to $3.5 billion this fiscal (07-08) in network expansion. It has an installed base of 40,000 cellists and 59% population coverage After the proposed network expansion, an additional 30,000 towers will result in the company achieving 70% population coverage. Bharti has over 39 million users as on March 31, 2007 . It has set a target of 125 million subscribers by 2010 Prepaid customers account for 88.5% of Bhartis total subscriber base, an increase from 82.7% a year ago.

IDEA CELLULAR
Idea Cellular is a wireless telephony company operating in various states in India. It initially started in 1995 as a join venture between the Tatas, Aditya Birla Group and AT&T by merging Tata Cellular and Birla AT&T Communications. IDEA Cellular is part of the Aditya Birla Group, a US$ 24 billion corporation with a market cap of US$ 31.5 billion and in the league of Fortune 500. As India's leading GSM Mobile Services operator, IDEA Cellular has licenses to operate in all 22 Service Areas. Presently, operations exist in 11 Service Areas covering Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Haryana, UP-West, Himachal Pradesh, UP-East, Rajasthan and Kerala. With a customer base of over 24 million, IDEA Cellular's footprint currently covers approximately 60% of India's telecom population. Customer Service and Innovation are the drivers of this Cellular Brand. A brand known for their many firsts, Idea is only operator to launch GPRS and EDGE in the country. Idea has received international recognition for its path-breaking innovations when it won the GSM Association Award for "Best Billing and Customer Care Solution" for 2 consecutive years

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 7

The company has its retail outlets under the "Idea n' U" banner. The company has also been the first to offer flexible tariff plans for prepaid customers. It also offers GPRS services in urban areas. IDEA Cellular is a publicly listed company, having listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in March 2007. The New Service Areas are Uttar Pradesh (East), Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. Innovate, Stimulate, Liberate. Idea believes on these three words which makes Idea a Brand which made idea a formidable player in the telecom industry.

RELIANCE INFOCOMM
It was with this belief in mind that Reliance Communications (formerly Reliance Infocomm) started laying 60,000 route kilometers of a pan-India fiber optic backbone. This backbone was commissioned on 28 December 2002, the auspicious occasion of Dhirubhais 70th birthday, though sadly after his unexpected demise on 6 July 2002. Reliance Communications has a reliable, high-capacity, integrated (both wireless and wire line) and convergent (voice, data and video) digital network. It is capable of delivering a range of services spanning the entire infocomm (information and communication) value chain, including infrastructure and services for enterprises as well as individuals, applications, and consulting. Indias one of the leading integrated telecom company, Reliance Communications is the flagship company of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) of companies. Listed on the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange, it is Indias leading integrated telecommunication company with over 48 million customers. GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 8

There business encompasses a complete range of telecom services covering mobile and fixed line telephony. It includes broadband, national and international long distance services and data services along with an exhaustive range of value-added services and applications. Our constant endeavor is to achieve customer delight by enhancing the productivity of the enterprises and individuals they serve.

Reliance Communications, along with Reliance Telecom and Flag Telecom, is part of Reliance Communications Ventures (RCoVL). According to National Stock Exchange data, Anil Ambani controls 66.75 per cent of the company, which accounts for more than 1.36 billion shares of the company.

Reliance Infocomm is an Indian telecommunications company. It is the flagship company of the Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, comprising of power (Reliance Energy), financial services (Reliance Capital) and telecom initiatives of the Reliance ADA Group. Reliance Infocomm is currently managed by Anil Dhirubhai Ambani.It uses CDMA2000 1x technology. At present, Reliance Telecom's GSM cellular services are available in 340 towns within its eight-circle footprint. Reliance's CDMA services are available in 19 states and cover about 65% of the country, state wise. Reliance Infocomm also offered for the first time in India, mobile data services through its R-World mobile portal. This portal leverages the data capability of the CDMA 1X network.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 9

TATA TELECOM

Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) is part of the Tata Group of Companies, an Indian Conglomerate. It runs the brand name Tata Indicom in India in various telecom circles of India. The company forms part of the Tata Group's presence in the Telecommunication Industry in India, along with Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited (TTML) and VSNL. TTSL was incorporated in 1995 and was the first company to offer CDMA Mobile services in India, specifically in the state of Andhra Pradesh. In December 2002, the company acquired the erstwhile Hughes Telecom (India) Ltd. which was renamed Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 10

In September 2007, Tata Indicom launched the Talk World plan, an International Long Distance Plan. Tata is the direct competitor with Reliance, both CDMA operators in India. The company provides unified telecommunication solutions including mobile, fixed wireless, fixed line and broadband. Other competitors are Vodafone, Airtel, Idea, MTNL, and BSNL providing GSM based mobile telephony. The company was first in India to provide free intra network calling within city limits. They launched a unique scheme providing lifetime rental free connectivity on its mobile and fixed wireless for a one time charge. .

BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LIMITED (BSNL)

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (known as BSNL, India Communications Corporation Limited) is a public sector communications company in India. It is the India's largest telecommunication company with 24% market share as on March 31, 2008. Its headquarters are at Bharat Sanchar Bhawan, Harish Chandra Mathur Lane, Janpath, New Delhi. It has the status of Mini-ratna - a status assigned to reputed Public Sector companies in India. BSNL is India's oldest and largest Communication Service Provider (CSP). Currently BSNL has a customer base of 72.34 million (Basic & Mobile telephony). It has footprints throughout India except for the metropolitan cities of Mumbai and New Delhi which are managed by MTNL. As on March 31, 2008 BSNL commanded a customer base of 31.55 million Wireline, 4.58 million CDMA-WLL and 36.21 million GSM Mobile subscribers. BSNL's earnings for the Financial Year ending March 31, 2007 stood at INR 397.15b (US$ 9.67 b) with net profit of INR 78.06b (US$ 1.90 billion). Today, BSNL

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 11

is India's largest Telco and one of the largest Public Sector Undertaking with estimated market value of $ 100 Billion. India's fastest growing cellular service, along with postpaid and prepaid services brings cellular telephony to the masses, through innovative technology and strategic pricing. This ambitious service uses state-of-the-art GSM technology to attain global excellence and leadership in business. There entry into this sector has brought GSM cellular service at an affordable cost to the common man. All serving a single objective, to provide better communication to millions across India. Customers have reposed tremendous faith in BSNL and it has enrolled over 30 Lack Cellular customers within ten months of launch of Cellular service, an unprecedented mark in Indian Cellular Market. Cell One provides a number of Value Added Services. These services helps BSNL serve customer better & enhance the ease & quality of communication thus bringing global connectivity at customers doorstep.

2.1 Objective of Research 2.2 Purpose of Research 2.3 Limitations 2.4 Literature Review
GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 12

2.5 Methodology

2.1 OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH

This study has been under taken with followings objectives:-

1) To find out the impact of customer satisfaction on BSNL services. 2) To find out the different features provided by telecom service provider 3) To find out the factor that influences the consumer to choose BSNL services. 4) To find out the consumer satisfaction towards services provided by BSNL. 5) To find out the satisfaction level of the features provided by telecom providers.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 13

2.2 PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

Every research has its own purpose which provides the sense to researcher to help for the society in any form. The analysis of the impact of BSNL services on the level of customer satisfaction earned could be beneficial for the any company. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India periodically publishes a quarterly report on The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators. The information contained in the report is collected from various telecom operators and service providers. TRAI collects performance-oriented data from various service providers on a quarterly basis to monitor the growth trend in the sector and to decide upon pro-active and So motto measures to fuel the growth of the telecom services in the country. Also, in exercise of the powers vested in the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) under the TRAI Act, 1997, the Authority has been conducting periodical survey of the quality of basic and cellular telephone services provided by different telecommunication service providers all over the country. The survey also covers an assessment of the level of GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 14

satisfaction with the services received by subscribers of these telephone service providers.

The present study was deemed necessary because of the following reasons: Particularly the surveys conducted to assess the consumer satisfaction misses out on the multifaceted nature of consumer satisfaction and thus do not capture the status of consumer satisfaction holistically. The study gives a comprehensive assessment of the satisfaction of consumers encompassing quality of technical service, quality and operational aspects of gadgets; and social / psychological costs due to unsolicited promotional calls/SMSs etc.

Sometimes, the strategies of service providers / producers to ensure customer satisfaction by serving them in a better way or providing quality gadgets use to be based on erroneous theoretical and partially tested empirical postulates. The study aims to provide inputs to testify few of such postulates in order to provide the service providers / producers afresh insights on the consumer behavior.

One of the major purposes of the research study is that it is an intellectual property which encourages the researcher to find out the unknown aspects which is beneficial for the society. Report writing is beneficial for the newly researcher as they can use there statistical techniques what they have learnt previously. The research is the assets of researcher. It is also inspiration for the researcher to work out in future on another problem. This research provides us the manifestation of the telephony users and there views will work as the recommendation for the telecom service provider.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 15

The aim of study was to objectively understand the behavior of BSNL users in Raipur and further capture their satisfaction level that is influenced by various technical and non technical factors. Specific aspects to be studied were:

Level of the satisfaction of users Reasons for dissatisfaction Usage Pattern of functionalities and added services provided Satisfaction regarding frequent calls

2.3 LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH

This study has find out the impact of customer satisfaction of BSNL users with the specified features. Though researcher goes towards many of the findings and objective but in this crucial task has a lot of difficulties in the way to get destination. Specially the satisfaction and attitude measurement are the aspects which is very difficult to observe very correctly. The limitations of the research are listed below: 1. Due to time and money constraints sample size is very small. 2. Some of the respondents were not interested to fill the questionnaire.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 16

3. Some question like receive of unsolicited calls and their response didnt provide honestly answers. 4. Females are not freely or easily show their interest regarding research and questionnaire.

5. Random sampling collection for the very low sample size does not give the appropriate result. 6. Open ended questions used in the questionnaire were answered very difficult fully by the respondents.

2.4 REVIEW OF RELATED LITRATURE

Review of related literature means researcher should undertake extensive literature survey connected with the problem. For this purpose, the abstracting and indexing journals and published or unpublished bibliographies are the first place to go to. Academic journals, conference proceeding, government reports books etc. must be tapped depending on the nature of the problem. In this process, it should be remembered that one source will lead to another. The earlier studies, if any, which are similar to the study in hand, should be carefully studied. A good library will be a great help to the researcher at this stage.

SEVEN STEPS OF CONSUMER SATISFACTION

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 17

It's a well known fact that no business can exist without customers. In the business of Website design, it's important to work closely with your customers to make sure the site or system you create for them is as close to their requirements as you can manage. Because it's critical that you form a close working relationship with your client, customer service is of vital importance. What follows are a selection of tips that will make your clients feel valued, wanted and loved.

1. Encourage

Face-to-Face Dealings

This is the most daunting and downright scary part of interacting with a customer. If you're not used to this sort of thing it can be a pretty nerve-wracking experience. Rest assured, though, it does get easier over time. It's important to meet your customers face to face at least once or even twice during the course of a project. My experience has shown that a client finds it easier to relate to and work with someone they've actually met in person, rather than a voice on the phone or someone typing into an email or messenger program. When you do meet them, be calm, confident and above all, take time to ask them what they need. I believe that if a potential client spends over half the meeting doing the talking, you're well on your way to a sale.

2. Respond

to Messages Promptly & Keep Your Clients Informed

This goes without saying really. We all know how annoying it is to wait days for a response to an email or phone call. It might not always be practical to deal with all customers' queries within the space of a few hours, but at least email or call them back and let them know you've received their message and you'll contact them about it as soon as possible. Even if you're not able to solve a problem right away, let the customer know you're working on it.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 18

A good example of this is my Web host. They've had some trouble with server hardware which has caused a fair bit of downtime lately. At every step along the way I was emailed and told exactly what was going on, why things were going wrong, and how long it would be before they were working again. They also apologised repeatedly, which was nice. Now if they server had just gone down with no explanation I think I'd have been pretty annoyed and may have moved my business elsewhere. But because they took time to keep me informed, it didn't seem so bad, and I at least knew they were doing something about the problems. That to me is a prime example of customer service.

3. Be Friendly and Approachable A fellow Site Pointer once told me that you can hear a smile through the phone. This is very true. It's very important to be friendly, courteous and to make your clients feel like you're their friend and you're there to help them out. There will be times when you want to beat your clients over the head repeatedly with a blunt object - it happens to all of us. It's vital that you keep a clear head, respond to your clients' wishes as best you can, and at all times remain polite and courteous.

4. Have

a Clearly-Defined Customer Service Policy

This may not be too important when you're just starting out, but a clearly defined customer service policy is going to save you a lot of time and effort in the long run. If a GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 19

customer has a problem, what should they do? If the first option doesn't work, then what? Should they contact different people for billing and technical enquiries? If they're not satisfied with any aspect of your customer service, who should they tell? There's nothing more annoying for a client than being passed from person to person, or not knowing who to turn to. Making sure they know exactly what to do at each stage of their enquiry should be of utmost importance. So make sure your customer service policy is present on your site -- and anywhere else it may be useful.

5. Attention

to Detail (also known as 'The Little Niceties')

Have you ever received a Happy Birthday email or card from a company you were a client of? Have you ever had a personalized sign-up confirmation email for a service that you could tell was typed from scratch? These little niceties can be time consuming and aren't always cost effective, but remember to do them. Even if it's as small as sending a Happy Holidays email to all your customers, it's something. It shows you care; it shows there are real people on the other end of that screen or telephone; and most importantly, it makes the customer feel welcomed, wanted and valued.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 20

6. Anticipate

Your Client's Needs & Go Out Of Your Way to Help Them Out

Sometimes this is easier said than done! However, achieving this supreme level of understanding with your clients will do wonders for your working relationship. Take this as an example: you're working on the front-end for your client's exciting new ecommerce endeavor. You have all the images, originals and files backed up on your desktop computer and the site is going really well. During a meeting with your client he/she happens to mention a hard-copy brochure their internal marketing people are developing. As if by magic, a couple of weeks later a CD-ROM arrives on their doorstep complete with high resolution versions of all the images you've used on the site. A note accompanies it which reads: "Hi, you mentioned a hard-copy brochure you were working on and I wanted to provide you with large-scale copies of the graphics I've used on the site. Hopefully you'll be able to make use of some in your brochure."

Your client is heartily impressed, and remarks to his colleagues and friends how very helpful and considerate his Web designers are. Meanwhile, in your office, you lay back in your chair drinking your 7th cup of coffee that morning, safe in the knowledge this happy customer will send several referrals your way.

7. Honors

Your Promises

It's possible this is the most important point in this article. The simple message: when you promise something, deliver. The most common example here is project delivery dates. Clients don't like to be disappointed. Sometimes, something may not get done, or you might miss a deadline through no fault of GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 21

your own. Projects can be late, technology can fail and sub-contractors don't always deliver on time. In this case a quick apology and assurance it'll be ready ASAP wouldn't go a miss. Conclusion Customer service, like any aspect of business, is a practiced art that takes time and effort to master. All you need to do to achieve this is to stop and switch roles with the customer. What would you want from your business if you were the client? How would you want to be treated? Treat your customers like your friends and they'll always come back.

Customer Retention Introduction In this era of intense competition, it is very important for any service company to understand that merely acquiring customers is not sufficient because there is a direct link between customer retention over time and profitability & growth. Customer retention to a great extent depends on service quality and customer satisfaction. It also depends on the ability of the organization to encourage customers to complain and then recover when things go wrong. Complaints are natural part of any service activity as mistakes are an unavoidable feature of all human endeavor and thus also of service recovery.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 22

Service recovery is the process of putting things right after something goes wrong in the service delivery. Importance of Customer Retention Why are customers more profitable for service firms over a period of time? There are a number of reasons for this. To begin with, to acquire a customer a company incurs promotional costs like advertising, sales promotion etc. It is said that it costs five times more to attract a new customer than retaining one . The operating cost decreases when a customer stays. Services being rich in experience and credence qualities, it takes some time for customers to get accustomed to it and once they are used to the service and are satisfied with the service provider ,they tend to purchase more over a period of time. As they remain satisfied with a service provider, they spread a positive word of mouth, which is very effective in case of services for attracting new customers. Longer the customer stays with an organization, more the organization knows about him, which enables it to offer customized services which make it difficult for the customer to defect. This may even provide opportunities to the organization to charge price premium by offering individualized services which may be difficult for the competitors to offer.

Considering the importance of retaining customers in service business, Reichheld & Sasser coined a term Zero Defection. They highlighted that companies can boost profits by almost 100% by retaining just 5% more of their customers. Further, it is also very important to understand the life time value of a customer . For example, if an average customer of BSNL pays Rs. 500 per month and stays with the company for 20 years., his average lifetime value will be Rs. 500x 12x 20=Rs. 1,20,000. Further, if by a positive word of mouth, he brings just one more customer to the organization, his value to the organization doubles. Therefore, it is important for all the employees in the GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 23

organization to understand the life time value of their customers. Once they understand it, they will treat the customer accordingly and will focus on building relationship with the very people who keep them in business. Reasons for customer Switching The reasons for customer switching can be identified as following: 1. Pricing (High price, unfair pricing, deceptive pricing) 2. Inconvenience (Wait for service, wait for appointment) 3. Core service failure (Service mistakes, Billing errors) 4. Service encounter failure (Uncaring, impolite, unresponsive behavior) 5. Response to service failure (Negative response, no response, reluctant response) 6. Competition (Found better service) 7. Ethical problem (Cheating, Unsafe) 8. Involuntary switching (customer moved, provider closed)

An important aspect of the above is that six out of the eight service switching factors are controllable from a service organizations point of view.

Strategies for Customer Retention (A) Complaint Management System Any worthwhile complaints management system has to have following basic features: a. Visibility: Customer should know where to complain. GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 24

b. Accessibility: Customer should know how to complain. As a rule of thumb, the more formal the system for lodging complaints, the less accessible it is to customers. c. Responsiveness: Complaints need to be dealt quickly. The quicker the complaints are dealt with, the higher the customer satisfaction. d. Customer-focused approach: A service provider, who adopts customerfocused approach, invites complaints and indicates commitment of resolving complaints by its words and actions in all fairness. e. Accountability: Someone in the organization has to take responsibility for complaint handling. f. Continuous Improvement: This is about looking at the root causes and fixing them.

A good complaint management system must ensure that that complainant is kept informed, the staff understands the complaint processes, complaints are taken seriously and employees are empowered to deal with situations.

(B) Service Recovery Strategies Consider the following incident regarding an airlines (British Airways). An aircraft door was left open in a rainstorm before take off and a passenger near the door unfortunately got showered. The flight attendant not only did everything that was routine- offered to have the customers garments cleaned and made sure that a customer relations representative contacted the customer later to demonstrate that

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 25

they genuinely cared- but also made special gesture by offering the passenger a complimentary choice of certain tax free goods. It is very important for service companies to have service recovery strategies which can be applied in case of service failure. The following steps are useful in an effective service recovery system. 1. Measure the costs of effective service recovery. It should include the indirect cost also, when a customer departs unhappily. 2. Break customer silence and listen closely for complaints. 3. Act fast. 4. Train and empower employees. The front line people must be trained and empowered by the organization. 5. Close the customer feedback loop.

(C) Managing Customer Waiting Sometimes, it is not possible to match demand & capacity, and hence waiting by customers becomes inevitable. While reducing waiting time is important for a marketer, it is equally if not more, important to reduce the customers perceived waiting time. If a customers perceived waiting time is less, he will be more satisfied with the service.

Various ways of managing customer waiting are as follows: 1. The organization should analyze its operational processes in order to identify and remove inefficiencies or bottlenecks, if any. 2. In case waiting cannot be avoided, a reservation system can be used. GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 26

3. Since unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time, keep customer occupied by installing distractions that entertain and physically involve them. For example, TV sets, magazines reading material can be provided in waiting area. 4. Provide waiting duration information i.e. information about the expected length of wait and/or queuing information i.e. a customers position in queue with continuous update. 5. If unexpected delays occur, explanation should be given to the customer. This helps in reducing uncertainty and customer irritation. The key is to impress upon the customer that he has not been forgotten. Simple things like providing a glass of water or a cup of tea to the waiting customer can do wonders. 6. Keep resources not serving customer out of sight. This can be done by keeping idle employees out of view and conducting activities that do not involve customer interactions out of customers sight. 7. Try to reduce pre-service waiting time by transferring some of the pre-service waiting to the service encounter phase. 8. A smiling service person who knows his job well can be very helpful in overcoming many negative effects of waiting. Therefore, training and incentive/ rewards for providing good service should be made.

Conclusion Todays customers are becoming harder to please. They are smarter, more price conscious, more demanding, less forgiving and they are approached by many more competitors with equal or better offers. The challenge is not to produce satisfied customers; several competitors can do this. The challenge is to produce GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 27

delighted and loyal customers. If these customers are retained with the organization, they become really profitable by way of increase in purchasing, reduced operating costs, price premiums and through referrals. Too many companies suffer from customer churn i.e. high customer defection. It is like adding water to a leaking bucket. Various strategies such as measuring customer life time value, efficient complaint management system and service recovery strategies can be really helpful in retaining customers.

2.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research methodology is a way to solve systematically the research problem. In it, the researcher studies the various steps that are generally adopted in studying research problem along with the logic behind them. It is necessary for the researcher to design GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 28

his methodology for his problem as the same may differ from problem to problem. Thus, when a researcher talks of research methodology; he not only talks the of research methods but also considers the logic behind the methods he uses in the context of his research study and explains why he is using a particular method or technique and why he is not using others so that research results are capable of being evaluated either by the researcher himself or by others. The proper research methods prevent the researcher to trap in the difficulties and rescue to problems occurring in the path of research study. The proper steps following are very beneficial for the researcher. The methodology to conduct the study was composed of different tasks as follows: The aim of study is to objectively understand the behavior of BSNL users in Raipur and further capture their satisfaction level that is influenced by various technical and non-technical factors. Specific aspects to be studied were: Level of the satisfaction of users Reasons for dissatisfaction Usage Pattern of functionalities and added services provided Satisfaction regarding frequent calls

1. A review of literature on consumer satisfaction in telecom industry was undertaken in order to define the comprehensive scope of the study and ensuring its objectivity. 2. Empirical research was based on a stratified random sample survey, a series of structured interviews and few focus group discussions. The sample size of 100 for the GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 29

survey was drawn from various categories of consumers and thus appropriate representation of all market segments was ensured. The length of survey questionnaire was kept optimum to avoid the psychological burden of responding for the sampled consumers. The information collected through survey was supplemented by conducting a few Focus Group Discussions with consumers in the all market segments. 3. Analytical Framework for the study is aimed at getting an insight in to the behavior of consumer by analyzing the data / information gathered through empirical research.

2.5.1 UNIVERSE
Population refers to the total of items about which information is desired. The attribute that are the object of study are referred to as characteristics and the units possessing them are called as elementary units. The aggregate of such units is generally described as population. Thus, all the units in any field of inquiry constitute universe and all elementary units constitute population. The population can be finite and in finite. The population is said to be finite if it consists of a fixed number of elements so that it is possible to enumerate it in its totality. An infinite population is one in which it is theoretically impossible to observe all the elements. The population is specific group of people, firms, conditions; activities etc. which forms the pivot of research for developing and using.

It becomes primary duty of a researcher to define the population from which he draws the sample. Population To achieve this objective, the city of Raipur was selected. GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 30

2.5.2 SAMPLE
The sample is the representative unit of population. The researcher has taken the consumer as sample for this research. Since in this research the researcher has collected the sample according to his own convenience, so the sample is convenient sample and the sample size of the research is 100.

2.5.3 SIZE OF THE SAMPLE

This refers to number of items to be selected from the universe to constitute a sample. The size of the sample should neither be excessively large, nor too small. It should be optimum. An optimum sample size is one which fulfills the requirements of efficiency, representativeness, reliability, and flexibility.

2.5.4 SAMPLING METHOD

In this method the Sample units are chosen primarily on the basis of convenience to the investigator. In this type of sampling, items for the sample are selected deliberately by the researcher; his choice concerning the items remains supreme. In other words, under this sampling, the organizers of the inquiry purposely choose the particular unit of the universe for constituting a sample on the basis that the small mass that they so select out of a huge one will be typical or representative of the whole. In this research Random sampling method is used.

2.5.5 DATA COLLECTION

GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 31

The task of data collection begins after a research problem has been defined. Researcher should keep in mind two types of data, primary data and secondary data. The primary data are those which are collected afresh and for the first time, and thus happen to be original in character. The secondary data, on the other hand, are those which have already been collected by someone else and which have already been passed through the statistical process. Both primary data and secondary data were used in accomplishment of objective of the research.

1. Primary DataIn laymans language data originally collected in the process of the investigation are known as primary data. Methods of Collecting Primary DataPrimary data may be obtained by applying any of the following methods:a) Direct Personal Interviews. b) Indirect oral Investigation. c) Information from Correspondents. d) Mailed Questionnaires Methods. e) Schedules sent through Enumerators. In this Research we have adopted the Direct Questionnaire Method and Personal Interview Method for collecting primary data.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 32

A qualitative exploratory Questionnaire survey study was conducted to understand the attitude of Raipurs consumers towards mobile services. The present study has been organized on a sample size of 100 Respondents is thus both a residential and user unit which is considered as respondent. It includes the persons who are employees, businessman, professionals, Workman, students, and house wives.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 33

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 34

Number of respondents using service providers

SERVICE PROVIDER AIRTEL IDEA BSNL RELIANCE TATA INDICOM TOTAL NO. OF REPONDENT 30 15 34 16 5 100 PERCENTAGE (%) 30% 15% 34% 16% 5% 100%

INTERPRETATION:Thus by observation table we can get the result that BSNL and Airtel are both have equal respondents and have its market share high than others.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 35

Gender wise analysis

GENDER MALE FEMALE TOTAL

NUMBER OF RESPONDENT 76 24 100

PERCENTAGE (%) 76% 24% 100%

INTERPRETATION:Thus by observation table we conclude that the male users is 76% out of total respondents out of our sample size that is 100.

Preference of using services

GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 36

SERVICE PROVIDER AIRTEL IDEA BSNL RELIANCE TATA INDICOM TOTAL

RANK 1 55 5 17 28 5 100

RANK 5 10 14 23 13 40 100

INTERPRETATION:Thus by observation table we can get the result that Airtel have the highest preference among the respondents and Tata Indicom have the least preference whereas BSNL having mixed reactions among the respondents.

Satisfaction level of customer care services

LEVEL OF SATISFACTION HIGHLY SATISFIED GA 2008-2010 NO. OF RESPONDENTS 5 PERCENTAGE (%) 5% DIMAT Page 37

SATISFIED AVERAGE DISSATISFIED HIGHLY DISSATISFIED TOTAL

32 43 12 8 100

32% 43% 12% 8% 100%

INTERPRETATION:The buyers behavior is universally known that their highly satisfaction is very difficult and here also only 5% users are highly satisfied and only 43% are satisfied averagely and 32% are satisfied which shows that customer care is improving and a major factor for checking the satisfaction level.

Features to be required in telecom service

FEATURES Network coverage Voice quality RATING (1-5) 4.3 3.4

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 38

Accuracy of billing Time to repair faults Variety of value added service provided Tariff schemes

2.8 1.8 3.2 3

INTERPRETATION:Thus by the observation it is clear about the features required in a telecom services, in which network coverage is most desired feature.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 39

FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESIS .
.

The hypothesis is a statement. It is a prediction or proposed solution to a problem based on prior knowledge or information gathered. It is an 'educated guess' about the GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 40

outcome of the experiment. A hypothesis must be able to be tested. A hypothesis is also referring to one, hypotheses refers to many.

Chi-square test
Null hypothesis is satisfaction and different features are not dependent to each other. Alternative hypothesis is satisfaction and different features are dependent to each other.

Calls Basic Telephony Customer Care Service Regarding Various Schemes Satisfied Dissatisfied TOTAL 77 23 100 85 5 90 42 43 85 204 71 275 TOTAL

To determine the value of

X,

we have to find out the expected value of observed

frequencies. And Formula to find it is following.

E= RT*CT N

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 41

Where, E=Expected frequency RT=the row total for the counting the cell CT=the column total for the column containing the cell N=the total number of observations. Expected value of all numbers starts from column wise. E Value of 77=204*100/275=74.18 of 23=71*100/275=25.82 of 85=204*90/275=66.76 of 5=71*90/275 =23.24 of 42=204*85/275=63.05 of 43=71*85/275 =21.95

Now the calculation of chi-square test Formula for that

X= (O-E) /E
Where E=Expected frequencies O=Observed frequencies

Degree of freedom is =(C-1)*(R-1) GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 42

(3-1)*(2-1) =2*1=2

O 77 23 85 5 42 43

E 74.18 25.82 66.76 23.24 63.05 21.95

(O-E) 7.94 7.94 332.56 332.56 443.29 443.29

(O-E) /E 0.11 0.31 4.98 14.31 7.03 20.20 (O-E)/E =46.94

Significance level is 1%, the tabulated value is 9.21. Hence the calculated value of chi-square is more than from tabulated value, so our hypothesis is rejected and therefore satisfaction and different features are dependent to each other.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 43

FINDINGS
After the analysis of the data collected the followings were the findings:

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 44

 The result that BSNL and Airtel are both have equal respondents and have its
market share high than others.

That the male users is 76% out of total respondents out of our sample size that is 100.

Airtel have the highest preference among the respondents and Tata
Indicom have the least preference whereas BSNL having mixed reactions among the respondents. 5% users are highly satisfied and only 43% are satisfied averagely and 32% are satisfied with the service provided.

Network coverage is most desired feature for a telecom user.

Satisfaction level and different features of service are dependent to each other.

RECOMMENDATIONS
GA 2008-2010 DIMAT Page 45

 Telecom service provider can increase their level of satisfaction to the customers by providing the congestion free network with good signal support. The paying cost for these services should be low which is affordable by the lower and middle class persons. There should not be very much unsolicited calls which make people irritated. There should be effective customer care services which can properly work on complaints of customers for their comfort ability. The effective schemes could also raise the customer satisfaction as their will be more moneys worth.

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 46

BIBLIOGRAPHY
The name of the books, websites Magazines and News papers referred to prepare the research are as follows: Philip Kotler, Marketing Management, Published by Ashok K. Ghosh,12th Edition C.R. Kothari , Research Methodology , New Age International Pvt. Ltd. ,Second Edition Business Today, Business Magazine

INTERNET: www.airtel.in www.ideacellular.com www.bsnl.co.in www.tataindicom.com www.rim.com www.trai.co.in

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 47

ANNEXURE

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 48

BSNL services on customer satisfaction Questionnaire

Name:Age:Phone no. :Occupation:NOTE: Remember to respond to all items, even if you are not completely sure. Also, please be honest in responding to these statements. 1. Which Teleservices you prefer, please rank.(rank 1to 5) Airtel____ Idea_____ BSNL_____ Reliance______ Tata Indicom_____ 2. Which Telecom services you are customer of? ____________ 3. Please rate (1to5) the features you look for in Telecom Service Provider.
Network coverage Voice quality Accuracy of billing Time to repair faults Variety of value-added services provided Tariff schemes

4. If BSNL user how much satisfied are you with the basic Telephony of BSNL? 1. Highly satisfied: 4. Dissatisfied: 2. Satisfied: 5. Highly dissatisfied: 3. Average:

5. Rate how much you are satisfied by the customer care service? 1. Highly satisfied:
GA 2008-2010

2. Satisfied:

3. Average:
DIMAT Page 49

4. Dissatisfied:

5. Highly dissatisfied:

6. Rate how feel about the frequent calls regarding the various schemes? 1. Highly satisfied: 4. Dissatisfied: 2. Satisfied: 5. Highly dissatisfied: 3. Average:

7. What are your recommendations you need for service provider? _______________________________________________________ ___

GA 2008-2010

DIMAT Page 50