The
telecom market in India is vividly outspreading. The services associated with a
Telecom provider is now rated through its ability to provide maximum value to
the customer through its services. Mere calls and short messenger services do
not generate enough prowess to plough the seeds of proficiency in the minds of
the customer.
With the
dawn of 2014, it is easily comprehendible that calling service and short
message service is a saturated market with minimal revenue margin and zilch skill
to attract more customer and even retain the present market. Here walks into
the picture, the internet service. 2G is not a new face in the market, and for
that matter even 3G has established itself quite well and has been selling
profoundly in the market.
In UPW,
Vodafone had been restricted to 2G till May 2014 after which the re-launch of
3G was made. I started working as an intern for Vodafone South Ltd. in April
2014 and thus my project work deals with both 2G and 3G services.
In the
first part of my project I was given a set of pre-collected data called the TEZ report. TEZ consisted of SMSs sent
by authorized Vodafone retailers across the UPW circle, these SMSs contained 2G
data speed, location from where the speed test was done, the time of testing
and the handset used by the retailer test speed.
After
gathering the data, it was pruned and categorized in an orderly fashion using
statistical bar chart tools and MS excel. The data speed was put into different
categories was analysis and further interpretation. The objective was to pick
out the key areas where the 2G speed was unsatisfactory and to determine the
factors influencing the slow speed.
Upon
further analysis it was found that the data speed particularly varies with
respect to area rather than any other factors namely handset model and time of
the speed test. The location with the highest frequency of low speed was found
out, followed by a market visit to that locality to find out the behaviour of
the customer.
It
became crucial at this point to understand the need of 3G in UPW and thus the
second part of the project of undertaken. Vodafone 3G was launched in UPW
earlier in 2013 but due to certain reasons it had to be withdrawn, this lead to
the re-launch of the product again in May 2014 to be made more effective.
I was
tasked with the understanding of the various MarCom elements such as banners,
buntings, hoardings, signages, flanges etc. These elements needed to be
installed and running effectively to reach out to each and every current and
prospective customer. The set of tasks pertaining to each element was Artwork
finalization, printing, dispatch and receiving, installation, going live in the
market and proof from the agency.
Further
these Marcom elements come under two categories: ATL [Above the Line] and BTL
[Below the Line]. ATL deals with marketing elements which are outside the
retailer’s shop and thus require more funding and maintenance, needless to
mention that its effectiveness in attracting customer is more. BTL are in store
elements that provide in depth details of the plans they would wish to
purchase, rather than their magnanimity BTL elements possess the power to reach
out to the willing customer already within the grasp of purchasing a Telecom
Service.
To
maintain a proper update of these elements, a Gantt chart was made to
collectively and efficiently link the MarCom team with the 3G data team.
Successful updates of each element was put into effect in the Gantt chart and
information was conveyed to the Data and MarCom team with presentations.
By the
end of May, after each element was deployed market visits were made to specific
UPW markets [viz. Saharanpur, Meerut, Agra, Aligarh] to find out how and where
the elements are installed, their effectiveness, retailer-manager
communications and the lifetime of each established element.
Each
market had different problems and different ways of handling those issues. The
retailer-manager communication was different in different area as well. The
type of customer targeted varied and thus the approach to lure them also
varied. These key findings were reported and submitted to the marketing head of
Vodafone UPW.
The key
learnings from this project has certainly been:
1.
The
understanding of the office environment of a global Telecom company such as
Vodafone. The necessity of constant change and value addition to customer along
with the fact that complacency leads to rapid revenue expulsion. The Telecom
market is undergoing a rapid change from calling services to data, and thus it
becomes necessary to be a strong contender against a myriad of rising Telecom
service providers.
2.
The
Telecom customer is unlike any other customer, very rarely would it stick to
its loyalty to a brand and not move on to a better alternative. The Telecom
customer is a smart customer only adhering to his/her needs, the customer may
be swayed through advertisements and marketing propaganda but still in the end
it’s the service that matters.
3.
There
was a deep understanding made regarding marketing strategies during a new
product launch, on ground and off ground activities to lure a customer.
4.
The
behaviour of a customer and its reaction to a product launch, the competitive
edge one gains over another competitor through a product launch in such a
tightly fought market and the importance of marketing communications in a
market like Telecom.
