0% found this document useful (0 votes)
492 views108 pages

Tata Indicom Customer Satisfaction Study

The document provides an overview of the telecommunications industry in India. It discusses key milestones in the development of telecom services in India from 1851 to present day. It notes that India now has the second largest telecom network in the world and is the fastest growing market. It outlines the major players in the industry including state-owned BSNL and private operators like Bharti Airtel, Tata Indicom, Vodafone, Idea, and Reliance. The tele-density in India reached 36.98% in 2009 with over 391 million wireless subscribers on GSM, CDMA, and other networks. Both public and private sectors continue expanding telecom infrastructure and services across India.

Uploaded by

kccvenkat
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
492 views108 pages

Tata Indicom Customer Satisfaction Study

The document provides an overview of the telecommunications industry in India. It discusses key milestones in the development of telecom services in India from 1851 to present day. It notes that India now has the second largest telecom network in the world and is the fastest growing market. It outlines the major players in the industry including state-owned BSNL and private operators like Bharti Airtel, Tata Indicom, Vodafone, Idea, and Reliance. The tele-density in India reached 36.98% in 2009 with over 391 million wireless subscribers on GSM, CDMA, and other networks. Both public and private sectors continue expanding telecom infrastructure and services across India.

Uploaded by

kccvenkat
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

ABSTRACT

The title of the project is “A STUDY ON SATISFACTION LEVEL OF


SERVICE PROVIDED BY TATA INDICOM VIS-A-VIS ITS COMPETITORS” in Vellore
location.

The main objective of the study is to analyse the factors which are considered
as important by the customers for feeling satisfied, to find out whether the Tata Indicom
is providing satisfactory services to their customers by meeting the identified factors, to
find out the satisfaction level of competitors customers and to identify the positive
factors and to suggest the improvements needed in tat Indicom services.

The research design used for the study is descriptive research. Primary data
were collected through direct person interview with the respondents.

The data were tabulated and analysed for logical statements using simple
statistical methods like simple percentage analysis and chi-square test.

The study reveals that the respondents faced problem in billing section and
Tata stands only next to BSNL.

It is also suggested that customer care services could be enhanced with


proper billing facilities.
CHAPTER I

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Communication has been one of the most important aspects of the growth of human society
and culture. Telecommunications, the transmission of signals over a distance for a purpose of
communication, is also very important. It provides business, money and market stability in the
world. The telecom sector is one of the leading contributors to India's flourishing economy.
Telecommunication Sector Opportunities in India assures a transparent, safe, and secured
ambiance for the telecom market. It include introduction of Internet telephony services,
privatization of VSNL, and introduction of a number of international long distance services
sector. The opportunities in the Indian telecom sector is increasing at a massive pace with the
introduction of newer and innovative schemes in various sectors and at present the telecom
sector in India is claimed to be one of the major contributors in India's flourishing economy.

TATA is a rapidly growing business group based in India with significant international
operations. The TATA name is a unique asset representing leadership with trust. TATA
Teleservices spearheads the Group’s presence in the telecom sector. Incorporated in 1996, TATA
Teleservices was the first to launch CDMA mobile services in India with the Andhra Pradesh
circle. TATA Teleservices has established a robust and reliable 3G ready telecom infrastructure
that ensures quality in its services.

Customer satisfaction in telecommunications will reflect the service delivery process as


experienced by customers. The interaction between customers and the delivery system is effected
via alternative contact points; each one of them will be investigated for its impact on the overall
customer satisfaction. That is, the service delivery system can be decomposed into alternative
customer contact points that shape customers' overall judgment about the organization. Each
contact point may retain a relative independence concerning criteria of customer satisfaction
such as personnel, speed, reliability, and pricing.

The objectives of this study are to find the customer’s attitudes towards the TATA Indicom
services and to know the reasons for cancellation of the services. This study helps to find out the
factors affecting purchasing behavior of telecom products and to know customer’s opinion to the
services offered by the TATA Indicom.

Tata Group is Serving the Indian population for about last 126 years, with 91
diversified companies across seven business segments. Revenue of Tata group is about
Rs.67,000 crores. Tata group is pioneers in

Tata Tele Services

Tata tele services is currently functional in 414 towns in 8 circles. Tata is first to
launch.

 Wireless services using CDMA


 PTT (Push-to-talk) services in India.

Tata Subscribers

 Worlds No.1, 3G 1 X7WP service provider with over 1 million subscribes.


 Total subscriber base of over 23 lacs as of September, 2004.

Tata Indicom Technology Advantage

* Capacity

 High speed data access.


 Carries more traffic signal.
* Clarity

 Continuity in speech.
 Cost
 Compatibility
 Coverage

The CDMA advantage

 Superior voice clarity


 High speed internet access.
 Enhanced privacy
The research entitled ‘A study on satisfaction level of Service provided by Tata
Indicom Vis-a-vis its competitors’ envisages the following broad objectives.

 To study the factors which are considered as important by the customers for
feeling satisfied.
 To suggest improvements needed in Tata Indicom service.
CHAPTER II
2.1 INDUSTRY PROFILE

Introduction
The Indian Telecommunications network with 110.01 million connections is the fifth largest in
the world and the second largest among the emerging economies of Asia. Today, it is the fastest
growing market in the world and represents unique opportunities for U.S. companies in the
stagnant global scenario. The total subscriber base, which has grown by 40% in 2005, is
expected to reach 250 million in 2007. According to Broadband Policy 2004, Government of
India aims at 9 million broadband connections and 18 million internet connections by 2007. The
wireless subscriber base has jumped from 33.69 million in 2004 to 62.57 million in FY2004-
2005. In the last 3 years, two out of every three new telephone subscribers were wireless
subscribers. Consequently, wireless now accounts for 54.6% of the total telephone subscriber
base, as compared to only 40% in 2003. Wireless subscriber growth is expected to bypass 2.5
million new subscribers per month by 2007. The wireless technologies currently in use are
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access
(CDMA). There are primarily 9 GSM and 5 CDMA operators providing mobile services in 19
telecom circles and 4 metro cities, covering 2000 towns across the country.
Evolution of the industry-Important Milestones
Year
1851 First operational land lines were laid by the government near Calcutta (seat
of British power)

1881 Telephone service introduced in India

1883 Merger with the postal system

1923 Formation of Indian Radio Telegraph Company (IRT)

1932 Merger of ETC and IRT into the Indian Radio and Cable Communication
Company (IRCC)

1947 Nationalization of all foreign telecommunication companies to form the


Posts, Telephone and Telegraph (PTT), a monopoly run by the
government's Ministry of Communications

1985 Department of Telecommunications (DOT) established, an exclusive


provider of domestic and long-distance service that would be its own
regulator (separate from the postal system)

1986 Conversion of DOT into two wholly government-owned companies: the


Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) for international
telecommunications
and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for service in
metropolitan areas.

1997 Telecom Regulatory Authority of India created.

1999 Cellular Services are launched in India. New National Telecom Policy is
adopted.

2000 DoT becomes a corporation, BSNL


A large population, low telephony penetration levels, and a rise in consumers' income
and spending owing to strong economic growth have helped make India the fastest-
growing telecom market in the world. The first and largest operator is the state-owned
incumbent BSNL, which is also the 7th largest telecom company in the world in terms of
its number of subscribers. BSNL was created by corporatization of the erstwhile DTS
(Department of Telecommunication Services), a government unit responsible for
provision of telephony services. Subsequently, after the telecommunication policies
were revised to allow private operators, companies such as Bharti Telecom, TATA
Indicom, Vodafone, MTNL, Idea,Vodafone and BPL have entered the space. major
operators in India. However, rural India still lacks strong infrastructure.

In 2007, an article by Businessweek magazine reported that India's mobile phone


market is the fastest growing in the world, with companies adding some 6 million new
customers a month.

The total number of telephones in the country crossed the 300 million mark on June 18
2008The overall tele-density has increased to 36.98% in March 2009 In the wireless
segment, 15.87 million subscribers have been added in March 2009. The total wireless
subscribers (GSM, CDMA & WLL (F)) base is more than 391.76 million now. The
wireline segment subscriber base stood at 38.22 million with a decline of 0.13 million in
October 2008.

Market shares of public and Private Players

Both fixed line and mobile segments serve the basic needs of local calls, long distance
calls and the international calls, with the provision of broadband services in the fixed line
segment and

GPRS in the mobile arena. Traditional telephones have been replaced by the codeless
and the wireless instruments. Mobile phone providers have also come up with GPRS-
enabled multimedia messaging, Internet surfing, and mobile-commerce. The much-
awaited 3G mobile technology is soon going to enter the Indian telecom market. The
GSM, CDMA, WLL service providers are all upgradingthemto provide
3Gmobile services.

Along with improvement in telecom services, there is also an improvement in


manufacturing. In the beginning, there were only the Siemens handsets in India but now
a whole series of new handsets, such as Nokia's latest N-series, Sony Ericsson's W-
series, Motorola's PDA phones, etc. have come up. Touch screen and advanced
technological handsets are gaining popularity. Radio services have also been
incorporated in the mobile handsets, along with other applications like high storage
memory, multimedia applications, multimedia games, MP3 Players, video generators,
Camera's, etc. The value added services provided by the mobile service operators
contribute more than 10% of the total revenue.

Global telecom sector


Earnings visibility
Earnings growth is being driven by improving pricing conditions, stabilizing operating trends,
aggressive cost cutting initiatives, a positive regulatory environment, strong wireless growth, and
new market opportunities. This has translated into greater visibility of forward earnings as
evidenced by recent increased analyst upgrades within the sector.

Merger synergies
Given the substantial amount of excess capital available in the sector and in private equity we
expect to see additional merger and acquisition activity, albeit at a slower pace than recently
witnessed. Global telecom M&A deals over the past two years have reflected market expansion
but have also had a positive effect on the buyers’ balance sheets. Partnering companies have
begun realizing their synergies through cost reductions and economies of scale. In the US, the
largest three companies now account for over 70% of the sector market cap; this compares to
34% in 1990. Trends in bundled services are also paving the way for additional M&A activity.
Sector consolidation will further increase the importance of stock selection.
Growth
While cost-cutting has been a major source of earnings growth, we have seen top-line pressures
decreasing which will help revenues become a larger driver of earnings growth again. We see
growth within the sector coming from a number of areas including: broadband, 3G (third
generation) technology, expansion in emerging markets. Broadband penetration has been
accelerating as internet customers are seeking faster downloads for audio and video files. 3G
services, which facilitate the simultaneous transfer of both voice and non-voice (i.e. video,
downloads, SMS, etc.) data are providing mobile users with a much more robust communication
platform and should finally begin to realize their growth potential in 2007. Emerging market
companies benefit from low penetration rates and also tend to have lower leverage, higher
margins and higher growth than most developed markets telecom companies.

Global opportunities
It has become less difficult to find attractive telecom investment opportunities globally than it
was a year ago. As the fog has lifted from the sector, there are increased opportunities within
both the growth and value spaces. In the US, improved clarity in the regulatory environment has
opened the door for a number of players. Within Europe the risk of negative news flow remains a
potential detractor but there is valuation support from attractively priced stocks. There is little
difference between the European and US integrated carriers making it more of a stock call than a
regional call. Within Asia we see high revenue growth and return on assets. Overall, emerging
markets continue to be the fastest growing region within the sector and offer the largest valuation
discount. Additionally, the healthy macro environment in emerging markets coupled with
increasing domestic wealth is creating a positive consumer environment in the local markets.
Fortis Investments: Telecom sector strategy
Our strategy is to create a more focused portfolio of diversified high conviction ideas. In the
current environment we continue to be sensitive to relative valuations and positive earnings
momentum. Our portfolio is largely levered to growth. We have positioned ourselves in
companies that will provide synergies as well as margin expansion through wireless exposure.
We recognize the sensitivity of the regulatory environment in some markets and have minimized
our exposure to those markets. We also continue to overweight our exposure to
niche players within developed markets as well as to emerging markets which have low
penetration rates and more growth opportunities.

2.2 COMPANY PROFILE


TATA GROUP
TATA is a rapidly growing business group based in India with significant international
operations. Revenues in 2007-08 are estimated at $62.5 billion (around Rs251,543 crore) of
which 61 per cent is from business outside India. The Group employs around 350,000 people
worldwide. The TATA name has been respected in India for 140 years for its adherence to strong
values and business ethics.
The business operations of the TATA Group currently encompass seven business sectors:
communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer
products and chemicals. The Group’s 27 publicly listed enterprises have a combined market
capitalisation of some $60 billion, among the highest among Indian business houses, and a
shareholder base of 3.2 million. The major companies in the Group include TATA Steel, TATA
Motors, TATA Consultancy Services (TCS), TATA Power, TATA Chemicals, TATA Tea,
Indian Hotels and TATA Communications.

The Group’s major companies are beginning to be counted globally. TATA Steel became the
sixth largest steel maker in the world after it acquired Corus. TATA Motors is among the top five
commercial vehicle manufacturers in the world and has recently acquired Jaguar and Land
Rover. TCS is a leading global software company, with delivery centres in the US, UK,
Hungary, Brazil, Uruguay and China, besides India. TATA Tea is the second largest branded tea
company in the world, through its UK-based subsidiary Tetley. TATA Chemicals is the world.s
second largest manufacturer of soda ash. TATA Communications is one of the world.s largest
wholesale voice carriers.

In tandem with the increasing international footprint of its companies, the Group is also gaining
international recognition. Brand Finance, a UK-based consultancy firm, recently valued the
TATA brand at $11.4 billion and ranked it 57th amongst the Top 100 brands in 11 the world.
Businessweek ranked the Group sixth amongst the .World.s Most Innovative Companies. and the
Reputation Institute, USA, recently rated it as the .World.s Sixth Most Reputed Firm.

Founded by Jamsetji TATA in 1868, the TATA Group.s early years were inspired by the spirit of
nationalism. The Group pioneered several industries of national importance in India: steel,
power, hospitality and airlines. In more recent times, the TATA Group.s pioneering spirit has
been showcased by companies like TATA Consultancy Services, India.s first software company,
which pioneered the international delivery model, and TATA Motors, which made India.s first
indigenously developed car, the Indica, in 1998 and recently unveiled the world.s lowest-cost
car, the TATA Nano, for commercial launch by end of 2008.

The TATA Group has always believed in returning wealth to the society it serves. Two thirds of
the equity of TATA Sons, the TATA Group’s promoter company, is held by philanthropic trusts
which have created national institutions in science and technology, medical research, social
studies and the performing arts. The trusts also provide aid and assistance to NGOs in the areas
of education, healthcare and livelihoods. TATA companies also extend social welfare activities
to communities around their industrial units. The combined development-related expenditure of
the Trusts and the companies amounts to around 4 per cent of the Group.s net profits.

Going forward, the Group is focusing on new technologies and innovation to drive its business in
India and internationally. The Nano car is one example, as is the Eka supercomputer (developed
by another TATA company), which in 2008 is ranked the world.s fourth fastest. The Group aims
to build a series of world class, world scale businesses in select sectors. Anchored in India and
wedded to its traditional values and strong ethics, the Group is building a multinational business
which will achieve growth through excellence and innovation, while balancing the interests of its
shareholders, its employees and wider society.

CORE VALUES OF TATA


Purpose
At the TATA Group “ our purpose is to improve the quality of life of the communities we serve.
We do this through leadership in sectors of national economic significance, to which the Group
brings a unique set of capabilities. This requires us to grow aggressively in focused areas of
business. Our heritage of returning to society what we earn evokes trust among consumers,
employees, shareholders and the community. This heritage is being continuously enriched by the
formalization of the high standards of behaviour expected from employees and companies”. The
TATA name is a unique asset representing leadership with trust. Leveraging this asset to enhance
Group synergy and becoming globally competitive is the route to sustained growth and long-
term success.
FIVE CORE VALUES
The TATA Group has always sought to be a value-driven organization. These values continue to
direct the Group’s growth and businesses. The five core TATA values underpinning the way we
do business are:
Integrity: We must conduct our business fairly, with honesty and transparency. Everything we do
must stand the test of public scrutiny.
Understanding: We must be caring, show respect, compassion and humanity for our colleagues
and customers around the world, and always work for the benefit of the communities we serve.
Excellence: We must constantly strive to achieve the highest possible standards in our day-to-
day work and in the quality of the goods and services we provide.
Unity: We must work cohesively with our colleagues across the Group and with our customers
and partners around the world, building strong relationships based on tolerance, understanding
and mutual cooperation.
Responsibility: We must continue to be responsible, sensitive to the countries, communities and
environments in which we work, always ensuring that what comes from the people goes back to
the people many times over.

TATA INDICOM - PROFILE


• Brand Name: TATA Indicom
• Network: CDMA 2000-1x
• Network Coverage: 20 Telecom circles
• Subscriber base: > 2 million
• Market Share: 8 . 10%
• Subscriptions: Post Paid, Pre Paid , internet facility
TATA Teleservices is part of the INR Rs. 2,51,543 Crore (US$ 62.5 billion) TATA Group, that
has over 80 companies, over 3,30,000 employees and more than 3.2 million shareholders. With a
committed investment of INR 36,000 Crore (US$ 7.5 billion) in Telecom (FY 2006), the Group
has a formidable presence across the telecom value chain.

TATA Teleservices spearheads the Group’s presence in the telecom sector. Incorporated in 1996,
TATA Teleservices was the first to launch CDMA mobile services in India with the Andhra
Pradesh circle.

Starting with the major acquisition of Hughes Tele.com (India) Limited [now renamed TATA
Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited] in December 2002 the company swung into an expansion
mode. With the total Investment of Rs 19,924 Crore, TATA Teleservices has created a Pan India
presence spread across 19 circles that includes Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi,
Maharashtra, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana,

Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W), Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh and
RoWB.

Having pioneered the CDMA 1X technology platform in India, TATA Teleservices has
established a robust and reliable 3G ready telecom infrastructure that ensures quality in its
services. It has partnered with Motorola, Ericsson, Lucent and ECI Telecom for the deployment
of a reliable, technologically advanced network.
The company, which heralded convergence technologies in the Indian telecom sector, is today
the market leader in the fixed wireless telephony market with a total customer base of over 3.8
million.
TATA Teleservices bouquet of telephony services includes Mobile services, Wireless Desktop
Phones, Public Booth Telephony and Wireline services. Other services include value added
services like voice portal, roaming, post-paid Internet services, 3-way conferencing, group
calling, Wi-Fi Internet, USB Modem, data cards, calling card services and enterprise services.
Landline service

Internet Mobile service


Some of the other products launched by the company include prepaid wireless desktop phones,
public phone booths, new mobile handsets and new voice & data services such as BREW games,
Voice Portal, picture messaging, polyphonic ring tones, interactive applications like news,
cricket, astrology, etc.

TATA Indicom redefined the existing prepaid mobile market in India, by unveiling their offering
. TATA Indicom .Non Stop Mobile. which allows customers to receive free incoming calls.
TATA Teleservices today has India.s largest branded telecom retail chain and is the first service
provider in the country to offer an online channel Http://www.ichoose.in to offer postpaid mobile
connections in the country.

TATA Teleservices has a strong workforce of 6000. In addition, TTSL has created more than
20,000 jobs, which will include 10,000 indirect jobs through outsourcing of its manpower needs.
Today, TATA Teleservices Limited along with TATA Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited
serves over 27 million customers in more than 6000 towns. With an ambitious rollout plan both
within existing circles and across new circles, TATA Teleservices offers worldclass technology
and user-friendly services in 19 circles.

TATA Indicom Product Profile

TATA Indicom has three services Dial up internet, mobile connection, landline connection.

Products / Services

Dial up internet Prepaid mobile Wireless phones


Mobile internet Post paid mobile Landline phones
Wireless internet Mobile mobile

Dial-up Internet through


landline from TATA Indicom, provides bundled dialup internet access along with Landline
connection. This dialup internet service is activated by default for on customer’s phone, no
separate subscription is required. Customers have to purchase an external modem or use
PC/Laptop’s internal modem to connect to internet. After creating the dialer on computer,intenet
facility will activate.

Mobile internet:- TATA Indicom offers world-class internet service through the CDMA
network.. Just connect TATA Indicom mobile phone, using a data cable to PC or Laptop & get
started.TATA Indicom Internet through mobile service offers world-class standards for wireless
Internet access. The benefits are:

• High speed Internet access.

• No need to buy an external modem since your existing TATA Indicom mobile phone has
one.

• User can receive and make voice calls when no active data transfer takes place.

Wireless internet it is used with a USB modem, so we can use where ever we go. It provides high
speed connection and free downloading.
Prepaid mobile: In Prepaid service we make an advance payment for the usage i.e. to make calls
and use data services. There are no deposits to be made for STD/ISD. These features are pre-
activated. Also, need not wait for a bill to be generated to know the usage & then pay
accordingly.

Features

• Free SMS
• Roaming in over 2400 cities

• STD & ISD Facility

Postpaid mobile: In Postpaid service, the company itself generate the monthly bill to the
customers. TATA Indicom postpaid mobile phone STD call charges are amongst the lowest in
India for distances over 500 km with absolutely no additional-airtime charges Most importantly,
TATA Indicom postpaid mobile phone offers superior voice clarity, congestion-free networks,
high speed data access, and coverage in over 1000 cities.

Mobile handset: TATA Indicom has the widest range of CDMA Handsets to choose from a
range of the top CDMA mobile handsets from Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Huawei and Haier
with low price.

Currently available CDMA Mobile Phones:

Samsung

 Samsung Duos Touch

 Samsung Mpower Muzik

 Samsung Guru muzik

 Samsung Hero B189

 Samsung Super Hero mobile phones

 Mpower 309 mobile phones

 Mpower 569 mobile phones

 Huawei C2206 mobile phones

 Huawei C2806 mobile phones

 Huawei C2809 mobile phones


 Huawei C5100 mobile phones

 Haier CG100

 Haier C2030 mobile phones

 Haier C200 mobile phones

 Indicom

 Radio Phone mobile phones

 Sumukha mobile phones

 BlackBerry 8830 Smartphone

 ZTE

 ZTE- CS130

Wireless phones: TATA introduced Walky Talky, are highly economical and easy to use.

Features of Walky Fixed Wireless Phones

• Get Missed Call details

• Send and receive SMS

• Store family and friends numbers in the in-built phone book

• Get Receiver Off-hook Alarm

• Receive calls when receiver off-hook (after the alarm period)

• Avail Hotline with timer facility

• Select from 10 in-built ring tones

• Get alerts for unread messages


• Talk more with 2 hours talk time & 24 hours standby time

• Set Alarm and Reminder Alerts

• Speed dial from Phone Book

• Track calls with the Call Log Register

• Dial frequently called numbers from memory and save time

• Make an emergency call, even if your phone is disconnected

• Install the phone without disfiguring your walls

• Control cost with per minute alerts

• Speaker Phone

Walky Wireless Service

• Savings on monthly bills by paying just landline rates

• Roam at home

• Retain your number even when you change home or office

• Get a quick connection

• Save using Group Call across wireline, mobile and wireless phones

• Enjoy voice based Infotainment services*

• Avoid suffering dead phones or irritating linesmen

• Book a connection from the comfort of your home

Security Features

• Bar all calls except to select numbers


• Enjoy enhanced privacy with CDMA technology

• Dial up through an in-built modem

• Surf the Internet at high speeds

• Receive calls when on the Internet

Landline phones: TATA Indicom offers instant phone connections. TATA Indicom Landline
Phone services based on the state of the art Optical Fibre Cable-based backbone.

TATA Indicom Phone Connections Advantage

 Superior voice clarity

 Instant and hassle - free connections

 Accurate billing

 Secure and tamper - proof lines

 Responsive and friendly service

TATA indicom have more than 10000 retail outlets in a district. TATA have their own retail
business unit located at all cities. These are: -

 HNI
 BRBU
 EBS
 CMBU

HNI ( High network individuals)


HNI network is used for selling only postpaid products of TATA Indicom like data cards, walky
talky, mobile phones. It provides after sales service also.

EBS (Enterprise Business Service)

The Enterprise Business Service function drives business growth & customer centricity by
providing telecom related solutions to Corporate Entities. The EBS function also undertakes
customer relationship management and retention along with revenue enhancement and channel
management.

BRBU(Branded Retail Business Unit)

The Branded Retail Business Unit looks after the retail chain of the TATA Indicom
Exclusive stores. Branded retail has a national presence with over 3100 outlets
comprising of 600 TTSL (Company) owned stores and more than 2500 stores in the
Franchisee format Branded Retail outlets have become the touch points for its
customers in more than top 1000 towns in India.

CMBU(Consumer Market Business Unit)

The Consumer Market Business Unit (CMBU) deals with the large and dynamic pre-
paid segment of the telecom sector. CMBU has always offered to its customers with
innovative

offers like Non Stop Mobile (Lifetime Validity) attractive bundled packages (handsets +
connections), cheapest tariff plans, etc.

TATA Indicom has many promotional programs like

 Television advertisement

 Calls free with special recharge offer

 Free downloading for internet facility


 Handset Upgrade program for all the individual post paid customers.

 Seasonal discount with purchase of handset etc…

TATA Indicom products have different pricing strategies. There are two types of pricing
strategies. They are market skimming and market penetration. Skimming means fixing
at high price and selling to those customers who are less price sensitive. Penetration
means fixing at low price initially. TATA Indicom follows their product by fixing the price
at high.ie; market skimming. The price include the hand set and connection charge

Competitors

Competitors Pulse Price Incoming Local STD ISD rates


rate calls rates rates

Reliance 60 sec Rs .195 Free for .99 Rs. Rs.6


life long price/min 2.75 USA,Canada,Europe,Australia,
Singapore, Hongkong,
Malaysia

BSNL 60 sec Rs.495 Free for Rs . 1 Rs. 7.20


like long 2.75 USA,Canada,Europe
,Australia, Singapore,
Hongkong,

TATA 60 sec Rs Free for 1.50 2.75 17.20


Indicom .489 life long USA,Canada,Europe
,Australia, Singapore,
Hongkong,New Zealand
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1.2 PRIMARY OBJECTIVES

To study whether the services provided by Tata Indicom is significantly superior to that
of its competitors and whether there is any scope for improving the quality of service further.

1.3 SECONDARY OBJECTIVES

1To study the factors which are considered as important by the customers for feeling
satisfied.
2To find out whether the Tata indicom is providing satisfactory services to their
customers by meeting the identified factors.
3To find out the satisfaction level of competitors customers and to identify the positive
factors.
4To suggest improvements needed in Tata Indicom services.
1.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

 Non-response errors due to refusals or inaccuracy in response. Some respondents


refused to respond or co-operate during the survey. They feel that the survey is an
invasion of their privacy.

 Time pressure The respondents who initially were reluctant to participate because
they were busy. However, when they were persuaded they sometimes were
anxious to complete the questionnaire fast which might reduce the quality of data.

 Survey cost depend on multitude of factors, the amount of professional time


required to design the questionnaire length, availability and interest of the
respondents increases the cost of the survey.

 The survey is limited to Chennai town alone and the study cannot be generalized
to other geographical locations.
CHAPTER III

Literature review And Theoretical Framework

3.1 LITERATURE REVIEW

1)Brand selection

The research study tiltled “factors affecting the brand decision in the mobile phone industry” in
Asia by Liu 2002.This study found that the choice of a cellular phone is characterized by two
attitudes to brands : attitude towards the mobile phone brand on one hand and attitude towards
the network on the other. While price and regularity of service were found to dominate choice
between network providers, choices between mobile phone brands were affected by new
technology features such as memory capacity and SMS – options, more than size. The brand will
actually be not towards smaller phones but towards phones with better capability and larger
screen.

2) Consumer satisfaction

This study is conducted by TRAI. It assesses the satisfaction level of consumers


encompassing quality of technical service, quality and operational aspects of gadgets and
social /psychological costs due to unsolicited promotional calls /SMS. The analysis in this report
shows that the consumption behavior of the mobile phone users in Delhi and covers the aspects
like usage pattern of the mobile phone services, assessment of the level of satisfaction,
preference for various attributes and functionalities of gadgets .

3) Consumer behavior

The titled named “consumer buying behavior” by Martin Tina; Sam Manaberi [2005] discussed
the industrial purchasing stands for more than half of the whole economic activity in
industrialized countries. Therefore it is important to understand how industries perform buying
activities. The telecommunication industry is a fast growing industry and therefore interesting to
investigate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of industrial buying
behaviour in the telecommunication industry. The purpose has been further developed in forms
of research questions dealing with the buying process, buying center and choice criteria. A case
study was made with a customer, to the telecom supplier Ericsson, from the company HI3G
Access, also known as 3. A highly topical company in the third generation telecom networks
with Ericsson as one of their primary suppliers. The conducted telephone interview indicates a
swift buying process, influenced by word of mouth. Additional findings involve a small buying
center, which is mainly controlled by the technical and procurement staff and the importance of
price as a selection criteria as the product is becoming a commodity.

4) Consumer behavior

The article named “consumer buying behavior in mobile phone market in Finland” by EMAC
conference, Track : New Technologies and E – Marketing. The survey conducted with 397
consumers and looked at their motives to purchase new mobile phones on one hand and factors
affecting operator choice on the other. The results indicate that while price and properties were
the most influencial factors affecting the purchase of a new mobile phone, price, audibility and
friends operator were regarded as the most important in the choice of the mobile phone operator.
This paper concludes with a discussion of contributions and purposes ideas for future studies in
this under researched area.

5) Customer buying behavior

The project study titled “customer buying behavior of mobile phone brands” by Riquelme
(2001. She conducted an experiment with 94 consumers to identify the amount of self –
knowledge consumers have when choosing between mobile phone brands. The study was build
upon six key attributes like telephone features, connection fee , access cost , mobile to mobile
phone rates call rates and free calls related to mobile phone purchasing respondents had to
importance rate. The research shows that consumers with prior experience about a product can
predict their choices relatively well but customers tended to overestimate the importance of
features, call rates, and free call and underestimates the importance of a monthly access fee,
mobile to mobile phones rates and the connection fee.

6) Consumer perception

The article titled “consumer perception and its choice mobile telecom service provider in
Malaysia,Journal of International Business and Economics, May, 2007 by Ahasanul Haque, Ali
Khatibi, Abdur Raquib, Shameem Al Mahmud. The study aims to find out what are critical

factors those are playing an important role to select the telecommunication service provider.
Result provides a comprehensive analysis of the important factors for playing an important role
for the customer to select the telecommunication service provider. The analysis confirms the
significant positive relationship of price, service quality, product quality and availability, and
promotional offer for consumer perception. These factors are expected to have a great role
during the time to choose telecommunication service provider. In conclusion, practitioners can
be deriving a better understanding of the activities that are being played a vital role for the
consumer perception.

3.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Consumer
An individual who buys products or services for personal use and not for manufacture or resale.
A consumer is someone who can make the decision whether or not to purchase an item at the
store, and someone who can be influenced by marketing and advertisements

Customer
A person, company, or other entity which buys goods and services produced by another person,
company, or other entity.

Customer service
According to Turban et al “customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level
of customer satisfaction that is, the feeling that aproduct or service has met the customer
expectation.
The needs, wants and preconceived ideas of a customer about a product or service. Customer
expectation will be influenced by a customer’s perception of the product or service and can be
created by previous experience, advertising , hearsay, awareness of competitors and brand image.
The level of customer service is also a factor and a customer might expect to encounter
efficiency, helpfulness, reliability, confidence in the staff and a personal interest in his / her
patronage.

The main objectives of customer services are : -

• Learn to identify and analyze customer needs and problems


• Recognize the most common reasons for customer complaints
• Discover techniques to cultivate and maintain special customer relationships
• Assess your communication style and use two – way communication skills to level with
people, to accept feedback from them, and to discuss problems
• Identify specific problems in your customer service program and apply treatment.

Customer satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is a measure of how products and services supplied by the company meet
or surpass customer expectation. Satisfaction is a person’s feelings of pleasure or disappointment
resulting from comparing a product’s perceived performance in relation to his or her expectation.

• Encourage face to face dealing

• Be friendly and approachable

• Respond to messages promptly and keep your client informed

• Have a clear defined customer service policy


• Attention to detail

• Anticipate your client’s needs and go out of your way to help them out

• Honour your promises

Kano's model of customer satisfaction distinguishes six categories of quality attributes, from
which the first three actually influence customer satisfaction:
1. Basic Factors. (Dissatisfiers. Must have.) - The minimum requirements which will cause
dissatisfaction if they are not fulfilled, but do not cause customer satisfaction if they are
fulfilled (or are exceeded). The customer regards these as prerequisites and takes these
for granted. Basic factors establish a market entry 'threshold'.
2. Excitement Factors. (Satisfiers. Attractive.) - The factors that increase customer
satisfaction if delivered but do not cause dissatisfaction if they are not delivered. These
factors surprise the customer and generate 'delight'. Using these factors, a company can
really distinguish itself from its competitors in a positive way.
3. Performance Factors. The factors that cause satisfaction if the performance is high, and
they cause dissatisfaction if the performance is low. Here, the attribute performance-
overall satisfaction is linear and symmetric. Typically these factors are directly connected
to customers' explicit needs and desires and a company should try to be competitive here.
4. Indifferent attributes. The customer does not care about this feature.
5. Questionable attributes. It is unclear whether this attribute is expected by the customer.
6. Reverse attributes. The reverse of this product feature was expected by the customer.

Five facts for improving productivity

• As senior managers, only know about the tip of the iceberg, a small fraction of all the
problems your customers encounter.

• Service can be a major µ α ρ κ ε τ ι ν γ


τ ο ο λ 0 1 0 009000003α φ 0 3000000002903000000000400000003010800050000000 β02
00000000050000000 χ0217001700030000001 ε 0004000000070104000800000026060 φ00
0600544 ε 5050060151000000410 β8600 ε ε 0 0 16001600000000001600160000000000280
000001600000016000000010001000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000 φ φ φ φ φ φ 0 0 0 07 χ 0 00 β 03 φ φ 8 0 0207 φ φ χ 0 0 003 φ φ ε 0 0 0 018 φ φ 0 0
00003 φ8000000 φ8000000 φ χ 0 000007 χ 0000007 χ 0000007 χ 0000007 χ0000007 χ 000
0007 χ000000 φ χ 0 00001 φ 8000003 φ 800001 φ φ 0 00001 φ φ 0 00001 φ ε 0 0 0001 φ 8000
001 φ000029030000410 β χ 6 00880016001600000000001600160000000000280000001600
000016000000010008000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0 φ φ φ φ φ φ 0 0 4 6 χ 8 910064 δ 1 α 30086 δ β β 7 0 0 β 1 ε 8 δ 0 0 0 ε 1 φ 6 ε δ 0 0 4 1 χ 6 8
ε 0 04 β χ 9 940069 δ 2 α 500 α 8 ε 5 χ β 0 0 50 χ β 9 6 0054 χ χ 9 900 δ 4 φ 2 ε 6 0 059 χ ε 9
χ 0081 δ α β 4 0 0 δ 7 φ 3 ε 7 0 0 β δ ε β δ 8 0 0 95 ε 0 β φ 0 0 5 ε χ φ α 0 0 0 90 δ ε β δ 0 0 6
δ δ 3 α 8 00 β 4 ε 8 δ 2 0 0 χ ε φ 0 ε 2 0 0 73 δ 5 α β 0 0 χ 5 ε ε δ χ 0 0 α 4 ε 4 χ 9 0 07 α δ 7
α φ 0 0 δ 2 φ 1 ε 4 0 07 φ δ 9 β 2 0 08 β δ δ β α 0 0 χ 1 ε χ δ α 0 0 α 0 ε 3 χ 6 0 094 δ φ β φ
00 β6 ε 9 δ 4 00 δ 0 φ 1 ε 3 0 09 β ε 1 χ 4 0 097 ε 0 χ 1 00 α 9 ε 6 χ χ 0 0 δ χ φ 4 ε α 0 0 α δ
ε7 χ ε 0 0 ε 4 φ 7 ε φ 0 0 δ ε φ 5 ε β 0 0 δ 9 φ 4 ε 8 00 χ α ε φ δ φ 0 0 β α ε β δ 6 0 0 δ 8
φ 3 ε 8 00 χ 8 ε ε δ ε 0 0 0 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000101010101010101012α0 δ 1 χ 0 δ 2 7 01010101
010101010000010101010101292α27100 δ 172 χ 191 φ 2 φ 2 7010101010100000101010101
290606272 ε 0 δ 1 72 χ 191 φ 11222 χ 01010101000001010101010129062α2 β 0 δ 1 72 χ 1 9
1 φ2 δ 2 2051 φ 0101010000010101010101012929010101061711220528261 φ01010000010
1010101010101010101010101271128261α1 α 230100000101010101010101010101010101
0101161α2024260100000101010101010101010101010101010123242425251 χ000001010
101010101010101010101010101010α2121142200000101010101010101010101010101010
1011 φ1 ε 1 ε 1 ε 2 0 000001010101010101010101010101010101010 δ0404041 ε 00000101
0101010101010101010101010101011 χ1 δ 1 δ 1 δ 0 4 0000010101010101010101010101010
1010101051 β1 β 1 β 1 400000101010101010101010101010101010101041818181α000001
010101010101010101010101010101050915151819000001010101010101010101010101010
117180303090 φ01000001010101010101010101010101010α150 ε 1303031601000001010
101010101010101011112090 β0 χ 0 ε 0 ε 1 3 14010100000101010101010101010101070202
080 β0 χ 0 ε 0 φ 1 0 010100000101010101010101010101070702080 β0 χ 040 δ 0101010000
010101010101010101010107070208090α0101010101000001010101010101010101010203
04050601010101010100000800000026060 φ000600544 ε 50500701040000002701 φ φ φ
φ 030000000000
• Customer problems can cost not only an immediate lost sale, but also future
purchases by that customer and by other customers as a result of negative word-of-
mouth behavior.
• We can and must quantify the expected payback from service and/or quality
improvements.

• The market transaction (sale) often is not the key point of customer pain and lost
revenue.
DOING THE JOB RIGHT THE FIRST TIME + EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE =
MAXIMUM CUSTOMER SATISFACTION/LOYALTY

Customer oriented organization chart

In
this pyramid shows customers will be the top most priority and next in importance are front line
people who meet, serve and satisfy customers ; under them are the middle managers, whose job
is to support the front – line people so they can serve customers well and at the base is top
management, whose job is to hire and support good middle managers.

Customer behavior
Customer behavior is to know about the customer’s way to obtain, use and dispose products. It's
important for marketing to know the customer behavior by using different strategies. There are
so many different ways to influence customers like new products, promotions, advertisement,
good quality and price etc.

Customer behavior analysis is based on consumer buying behaviour, with the customer playing
the three distinct roles of user, payer and buyer. Relationship marketing is an influential asset for
customer behaviour analysis as it has a keen interest in the re-discovery of the true meaning of
marketing through the re-affirmation of the importance of the customer or buyer. Customer
behaviour analysis aims to ultimately improve business performance through an understanding
of past and present customers so as to determine and identify future customers and their
behaviour.

Customer-Focused Marketing

All marketing is done with the customer in mind. Marketing can in fact be referred to as
an on-going conversation occuring between business and customer. It is therefore
necessary for businesses to gain in-depth knowledge of their relative customers so that
the best marketing strategies can be employed in order to attract these potential buyers.
This can effectively be done by performing activities such as customer behaviors
analysis to ensure customer retention. Listed below are a number of tips to aid
businesses striving towards customer retention through marketing efforts:

1.Marketing as a Conversation:

Direct interaction with customers is necessary to essentially find out what it is that they are
wanting. This marketing conversation involves a process running from action - reaction -
feedback - repeat. Businesses need to be willing to take the time to listen to their customers as
this can ensure a business of putting something up for offer which is of great worth amongst their
targeted consumers, and is relative to their particular needs and desires. It is required for
businesses to constantly perform marketing promotion so that these customers will come back
for more. Giving satisfaction to first-time buyers can prove effective for a business in the long-
run for the reason that by giving customers what they desire the first time round, customer
retention is encouraged through this form of customer loyalty.

1. Active Customers:

Making customers feel as though they are in control is an effective strategy in customer-focused
marketing. This is done by transforming consumers into active customers who are given the
ability to make choices for themselves by actively engaging in promotions and, hereby, deciding
on the best possible products and services their money can buy. Customer retention is
encouraged through this interaction with customers which aids in customer loyalty. Businesses
need to make each and every one of their customers feel good about themselves by giving
themsomething to do. Therefore, retaining customers means keeping them happy by keeping
them active.

2. Determining Future Customer Behaviour:

This is most effectively done through an analysis of the actual behaviour of past and present
customers. Actual behaviour needs to be differentiated from demographic behaviours (which are
implied consumer characteristics). Actual behaviour is, as such, better at predicting the future
which is done by keeping a watch over the actions customers perform with regard to online
purchases and the products they purchase over the Internet.

3. Allocating Resources for Marketing:

Businesses need to take their budget into consideration when allocating resources for
promotions. It is well-known amongst businesses that some marketing activities will generate
higher profits than others and data therefore needs to be created by interacting with customers in
order to consequentially identify the most profitable promotions, which will be delivered to the
right customer at the right time, without wasting time or money. Hereby, effectivemarketing
means avoiding unprofitable promotion which will as such mean not reaching the right
customers and wasting money.

Customer buying behaviour


Process by which individual search for select, purchase, use and dispose of goods and services,
in satisfaction of their needs and wants.
Types
 Minor new purchase – these purchases represent something new to a consumer but
in the customer’s mind is not a very important purchase in terms of need, money or
other reason.

 Minor re- purchase – these are the most routine of all purchase and often the
consumer returns to purchase the same product without giving much thought to
other product options.

 Major new purchase – these purchases are the most difficult of all purchase
because the product being purchased is important to the consumer but the
consumer has little or no previous experience making new decisions. The
consumer’s lack of confidence in making this type of decision often requires the
consumer to engage in an extensive decision making process

 Major repurchase – the purchase decision are also important to the consumer feels
confident in making these decisions since they have previous experience purchasing
the product

Stages of the Consumer Buying Process

Six Stages to the Consumer Buying Decision Process .


1. Problem Recognition(awareness of need)--difference between the desired state and the actual
condition were deficient? I.E., see a commercial for a new pair of shoes, stimulates your
recognition that you need a new pair of shoes.

2. Information search--

o Internal search, memory.

o External search if you need more information. Friends and relatives (word of mouth).
Marketer dominated sources; comparison shopping; public sources etc.

3. Evaluation of Alternatives--need to establish criteria for evaluation, features the buyer wants
or does not want.

4. Purchase decision--Choose buying alternative, includes product, package, store, method of


purchase etc.

5. Purchase--May differ from decision, time lapse between 4 & 5, product availability.
6. Post-Purchase Evaluation--outcome: Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction. Cognitive Dissonance,
have you made the right decision. This can be reduced by warranties, after sales
communication etc.

Buying behavior model

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Gaining a better understanding of customers buying behaviour is based on knowing the


following;

• Awareness
• Reasons for buying

• How often do they buy

• Current usage

• Reasons for usage

• What do they buy?

• Where do they like to buy?

• Where do they gather their buying information

• Are they an exclusive customer?

Customer loyalty
The term customer loyalty is used to describe the behavior of repeat customers, as well as those
that offer good ratings, reviews, or testimonials. Some customers do a particular company a great
service by offering favorable word of mouth publicity regarding a product, telling friends and
family, thus adding them to the number of loyal customers.

Ten ways to build customer loyalty:

1. Communicate: - Whether it is an email newsletter, monthly flier, a reminder card for a tune
up, or a holiday greeting card, reach out to the customers.

2. Customer Service: - Go the extra distance and meet customer needs. Train the staff to do the
same. Customers remember being treated well.

3. Employee Loyalty: - Loyalty works from the top down. If managers are loyal to the
employees, they will feel positively about their jobs and pass that loyalty along to customers.

4. Employee Training: - Train the employees and interact with customers. Empower employees
to make decisions that benefit the customer.

5. Customer Incentives: - Give customers a reason to return to business.


6. Product Awareness: - Know what y steady patrons purchase and keep those items in stock.

7. Reliability: - If a purchase will arrive on Wednesday, deliver it on Wednesday. Be reliable. If


something goes wrong, let customers know immediately and compensate them for their
inconvenience.

8. Be Flexible: - Try to solve customer problems or complaints to the best of ability.

9. People over Technology: - The harder it is for a customer to speak to a human being when he
or she has a problem, the less likely it is that you will see that customer again.

10. Know Their Names: - Remember the theme song to the television show Cheers? Get to
know the names of regular customers or at least recognize their faces.

Customer loyalty model

This model is developed by Schelsinger and Heskett (1991). In this model explains that effort
spent in selecting and training employees and creating a corporate culture in which they are
empowered can lead to increased employee satisfaction and employee competence. This will
likely result in superior service delivery and customer satisfaction. This in turn will create
customer loyalty, improved sales levels and higher profit margins.
Essentials of customer care

1) Encourage employees to deliver high-quality customer care.

 Make sure employees have good basic communication skills.


 Train employees in job-specific skills.
 Train all relevant personnel how to answer and deal with telephone calls.
 Make sure employees can handle complaints effectively.

 They should apologise, be sympathetic, listen, establish the facts, agree what to do and then
do it

2) Think of ways to make life easier for customers.

 Try to save the customer inconvenience.

 Exceed your customers’ expectations.


 Keep customers informed about any problems, and make it easy for them to contact
 Use your website to give customers the services and information they want.

3) Use appropriate technology.


 A good database system can help you record, organise and plan your contact with
customers.
 Make sure information from your website can be transferred to your main database.
 Contact management software may be a useful tool if you have a lot of high-value
customer accounts.
 Company will need to explain the advantages of the system to employees, and provide
training and incentives for use.

4) Give customers a personalised service.


 A common way to achieve this is by giving each customer an account manager.
 Personalise all communication.
 Personalise the email addresses of customer-facing employees

 If use computerised telephone systems, give customers the option of talking to an operator at
any time.

Customer retention

Customer Retention is the activity that a selling organization undertakes in order to


reduce customer defections. Successful customer retention starts with the first contact
an organization has with a customer and continues throughout the entire lifetime of a
relationship. A company’s ability to attract and retain new customers, is not only related
to its product or services, but strongly related to the way it services its existing
customers and the reputation it creates within and across the marketplace.

Customer retention rate: -- The customer retention rate refers to the number of
customers lost over a period of time. It is normally calculated by the percentage of lost
customers versus existing customers over a quarterly or annual period, without tallying
new customer acquisitions

Customer life time value

Customer lifetime value enable an organization to calculate the net present value of the
profit an organization will realize on a customer over a given period of time. Retention
Rate is the percentage of the total number of customers retained in context to the
customers that approached for cancellation.

Customer perception
Perception is the process of selecting, organizing and interpreting information inputs to produce
meaning. IE we chose what info we pay attention to, organize it and interpret it.
Information inputs are the sensations received through sight, taste, hearing, smell and touch.
• Selective Exposure-select inputs to be exposed to our awareness. More likely if it is linked to
an event, satisfies current needs, intensity of input changes (sharp price drop).
• Selective Distortion-Changing/twisting current received information, inconsistent with
beliefs.
• Selective Retention-Remember inputs that support beliefs, forgets those that don't.

Factors influencing perception


0100090000037400000002001c00000000000400000003010800050000000b0200000000050000
000c02090e1d1c040000002e0118001c000000fb0238ff000000000000900100000000044000125
4696d6573204e657720526f6d616e0000000000000000000000000000000000040000002d01000
00400000002010100050000000902000000020d000000320ab80000000100040000000000201c0
40e20cb5b001c000000fb021000070000000000bc02000000000102022253797374656d0000000
00000000000001800000001000000304b1700e4040000040000002d010100030000000000

1.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

 Non-response errors due to refusals or inaccuracy in response. Some respondents


refused to respond or co-operate during the survey. They feel that the survey is an
invasion of their privacy.
 Time pressure The respondents who initially were reluctant to participate because
they were busy. However, when they were persuaded they sometimes were
anxious to complete the questionnaire fast which might reduce the quality of data.

 Survey cost depend on multitude of factors, the amount of professional time


required to design the questionnaire length, availability and interest of the
respondents increases the cost of the survey.

 The survey is limited to Chennai town alone and the study cannot be generalized
to other geographical locations.

CHAPTER – 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 METHODOLOGY

Methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. The research


methods used in this study can be classified into the following two groups:

i) The sample design used.


ii) Methods used for collection of data.

3.2 SAMPLING

A sample is a smaller representation of a larger whole. When some of the elements are
selected with the intention of finding out something about the population from which they are
taken, that group of elements is referred as a sample, and the process of selection is called
Sampling.

“A sample design is the theoretical basis and practical means by which we infer the
characteristics of some population by generalizing from the sample of relatively few of the units
comprising the population”.
When population elements are selected for inclusion in the sample based on the ease or
access it can be called as convenience sampling.

3.3 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE


The population is divided into several sub-populations that are individually more
homogeneous and then items are selected from each stratum to constitute a sample.

The sampling design of the study is based on stratified random sampling. The researcher
has selected 300 respondents randomly in Chennai.

The Chennai was divided into three stratas, namely north, south and central. Various
places like shopping mall, theatres, banks were chosen to draw sample. 100 respondents were
surveyed from each strata accounting to a total of 300.

3.4 METHODS USED FOR COLLECTION OF DATA

The data collected can be categorized into two types.


a) Primary data b) Secondary data

The Primary data are those which are collected afresh for the first time, and thus happens
to be original in character.

Among the various methods, which can be used to collect the primary data, the researcher
has adopted two methods which are Personal Interview method and Structural Questionnaire
method. The researcher prepared structured questionnaires, which contained predominantly
multiple choice questions. The respondent’s opinions are gathered with regard to the problem
with the help of the questionnaires.

The Secondary data are those which have already been collected by someone else and
which have already passed through the statistical process.

The secondary data are collected from various periodicals, magazines,


Newspapers etc.

3.5 TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES USED

The tools used for collecting the Primary data are:

 Structured Questionnaire.
 Personal Interviewing.

The various statistical techniques which are applied for analysis are:

 Percentage Analysis
 Chi-Square test.
CHAPTER 4

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 ANALYSIS OF DATA


TABLE NO.4.1.1
GENDER OF THE RESPONDENTS
No. of
S.No. Gender Percentage
Respondents
1 1 year 31 10.3
2 1-3 years< 10 3.3
Total 300 100.0
TABLE NO.4.1.1
GENDER OF THE RESPONDENTS

INFERENCE

From the above table it can be observed that out of 300 respondents, 67% of the
respondents are males and 33% of the respondents are females.
TABLE NO. 4.1.2
AGE OF THE RESPONDENTS
No. of
S.No. Age Percentage
Respondents
1 Below 30 years 61 20.3
2 31-35 years 93 31.0
3 Above 35 years 146 48.7
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.2


AGE OF THE RESPONDENTS
INFERENCE

From the above table it is observed that 48.7% of the respondents belong to above 35
years category, 31.0% of the respondents belong to 31-35 years category, 20.3% of the
respondents belong to below 30 years category.
TABLE NO. 4.1.3
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONDENTS

No. of
S.No. Educational Qualification Percentage
Respondents
1. Undergraduate 149 49.7
2. Postgraduate 74 24.6
3. Professional 77 25.7
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.3


EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONDENTS

INFERENCE
It is observed from the above table that 49.7% of the respondents are undergraduates,
25.7% of the respondents are professionally qualified and 24.6% of the respondents are qualified
post graduates.
TABLE NO. 4.1.4
EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS
No. of
S.No. Employment Details Percentage
Respondents
1 Salaried 170 56.6
2 Professional 42 14.0
3 Business 38 12.7
4 Retired 50 16.7
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.4


EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS

INFERENCE
It is observed from the above table that 56.6% of the respondents belong to salaried
class, 16.7% of them are retired people, 14% of them are professional and 12.7% of the
respondents are doing business.
TABLE NO. 4.1.5
OWNING OF TATA INDICOM PRODUCT

No. of
S.No. Period Percentage
Respondents
1. <6 months 115 38.3
2. 6-12 months 119 39.7
3. > 1 year 66 22.0
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.5


OWNING OF TATA INDICOM PRODUCT

INFERENCE
From the above table it is found that 39.7% of the respondents use Tata Indicom landline
phone for a period which is 6-12 months, 38.3% of the respondents using the product for less
than 6 months and 22.0% of them using it for a period above 1 year.

TABLE NO. 4.1.6


USAGE OF VARIOUS PLANS

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. Plan 240 125 41.7
2. Plan 499 175 58.3
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.6


USAGE OF VARIOUS PLANS

INFERENCE

From the above table it is observed that 58.3% of the respondents are using plan 499 and
41.7% of the respondents are using plan 240.

TABLE NO. 4.1.7


AVERAGE BILLING AMOUNT
No. of
S.No. Amount Percentage
Respondents
1. < 500 84 28.0
2. 500-1000 113 37.7
3. 1000-2000 65 21.6
4. >2000 38 12.7
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.7


AVERAGE BILLING AMOUNT

INFERENCE
It is observed from the above table that 37.7% of the respondents were billed between
Rs.500-Rs.1000 followed by 28.0% of the respondents who were billed below Rs.500, 21.6% of
the respondents paid in the range of Rs.1000 -Rs.2000 and 12.7% of the respondents paid an
amount which is above Rs.2000.

TABLE NO. 4.1.8


WHETHER BILLS ARE DELIVERED IN TIME

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. Yes 193 64.3
2. No 107 35.7
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.8


WHETHER BILLS ARE DELIVERED IN TIME

INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 64.3% of the respondents are happy that their
bills were delivered in time and 35.7% of them reported that their bills were not delivered in
time.

TABLE NO. 4.1.9


SATISFACTION LEVEL ON THE QUALITY OF THE MONTHLY
BILL – TATA INDICOM
No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. Highly Satisfied 29 9.7
2. Satisfied 191 63.6
3. Neutral 45 15.0
4. Dissatisfied 35 11.7
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.9


SATISFACTION LEVEL ON THE QUALITY OF THE MONTHLY
BILL – TATA INDICOM

INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 63.6% of the respondents are satisfied to
some extent with the quality of monthly bill, 15% of the respondents are neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied, 11.7% of the respondents are dissatisfied to some extent with the level of quality of
monthly bill and 9.7% of the respondents are highly satisfied.
TABLE NO. 4.1.10
PAYMENTS AT CUSTOMER CARE

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. Made at customer care 221 73.7
2. Made elsewhere 79 26.3
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.10


PAYMENTS AT CUSTOMER CARE
INFERENCE

From the above table it is observed that 73.7% of the respondents made the payments
at customer care and 26.3% of the respondents made the payments elsewhere.

TABLE NO. 4.1.11


SATISFACTION LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE – TATA INDICOM

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. Highly Satisfied 55 18.3
2. Satisfied 193 64.4
3. Neutral 28 9.3
4. Dissatisfied 24 8.0
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.11


SATISFACTION LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE – TATA INDICOM

INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 18.3% of the respondents are highly satisfied
with the level of customer service, 64.4% of the respondents are satisfied some what, 9.3% of the
respondents are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 8.0% of the respondents are dissatisfied
some what with the level of customer service.

TABLE NO. 4.1.12


FREE CALLS AND PULSE DURATION OF TATA INDICOM
No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. Highly Satisfied 148 49.3
2. Satisfied 115 38.3
3. Neutral 30 10.0
4. Dissatisfied 7 2.3
5. Highly dissatisfied 0 0
Total 300 100.0
TABLE NO. 4.1.12
FREE CALLS AND PULSE DURATION OF TATA INDICOM
INFERENCE

From the above table it is observed that 49.3% of the respondents are highly satisfied
with the level of free calls and pulse duration followed by 38.3% of the respondents belonging
to category satisfied some what, 10% of the respondents are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and
2.3% of the respondents are dissatisfied some what.
TABLE NO. 4.1.13
SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH REGARD TO COVERAGE - TATA INDICOM

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. Highly Satisfied 100 33.3
2. Satisfied 141 47.0
3. Neutral 55 18.3
4. Dissatisfied 4 1.3
5. Highly dissatisfied 0 0
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.13


SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH REGARD TO COVERAGE - TATA INDICOM
INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 33.3% of the respondents are highly satisfied
with the level of coverage, 47% of the respondents are satisfied some what, 18.3% of the
respondents are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 1.3% of the respondents are dissatisfied some
what.

TABLE NO. 4.1.14


FEATURES OF THE PHONE LINE – TATA INDICOM

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. Highly Satisfied 108 36.0
2. Satisfied 122 40.7
3. Neutral 43 14.3
4. Dissatisfied 27 9.0
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.14


FEATURES OF THE PHONE LINE – TATA INDICOM
INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 36.0% of the respondents are highly satisfied
with the level of features of phone line, 40.7% of the respondents are satisfied some what, 14.3%
of the respondents are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 9.0% of the respondents are
dissatisfied some what.
TABLE NO. 4.1.15
SATISFACTION LEVEL OF OVERALL SERVICE – TATA INDICOM

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. Highly Satisfied 60 20.00
2. Satisfied 123 41.00
3. Neutral 80 26.67
4. Dissatisfied 37 12.33
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.15


SATISFACTION LEVEL OF OVERALL SERVICE – TATA INDICOM
INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 20% of the respondents are highly satisfied
with overall services, 41% of the respondents are satisfied some what, 26.67% of the respondents
are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 12.33% of the respondents are dissatisfied some what.
TABLE NO. 4.1.16
USAGE OF OTHER CONNECTION

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. BSNL 143 47.7
2. Reliance 53 17.7
3. Airtel 104 34.6
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO. 4.1.16


USAGE OF OTHER CONNECTION

INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 47.7% of the respondents are using the BSNL
connections, 34.6% of the respondents are using Airtel connections and.

TABLE NO. 4.1.17


USAGE OF AIRTEL PHONE LINE
No. of Percentage
S.No. Usage Period
Respondents
1. <1 year 10 3.3
2. 1-3 years 78 26.0
3. >3 years 16 5.3
Total 104 34.6

TABLE NO. 4.1.17


USAGE OF AIRTEL PHONE LINE

INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 26% of the respondents are using the Airtel
phone line for a period of 1-3 years, 5.3% of the respondents are using the Airtel connection for a
period of over 3 years and 3.3% of the respondents are using the facility for a period below 1
year.

TABLE NO. 4.1.18


USAGE OF THE BSNL PHONE LINE

S.No. Usage Period No. of Percentage


Respondents
1. <1 year 12 4.0
2. 1-3 years 53 17.7
3. >3 years 78 26.0
Total 143 47.7

TABLE NO. 4.1.18


USAGE OF THE BSNL PHONE LINE

INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 26% of the respondents are using the BSNL
phone line for period of above 3 years, 17.7% of the respondents are using the BSNL connection
for a period between 1-3 years and 4% of the respondents are using the facility for a period of
below 1 year.

TABLE NO. 4.1.19


USAGE OF THE RELIANCE PHONE LINE

No. of Percentage
S.No. Usage Period
Respondents
1. <1 year 31 10.3
2. 1-3 years 10 3.3
3. >3 years 12 4.0
Total 53 17.6

TABLE NO. 4.1.19


USAGE OF THE RELIANCE PHONE LINE

INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 10.3% of the respondents are using the
Reliance phone line for a period below 1 year, 4% of the respondents are using the Reliance
connection for a period above 3 years and 3.3% of the respondents are using the facility for a
period of 1-3 years.
TABLE NO. 4.1.20
FLEXIBILITY AND EASE OF THE PAYMENT

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. BSNL 34 11.3
2. Reliance 21 7.0
3. Airtel 32 10.7
4. Tata Indicom 213 71.0
Total 300 100.0
TABLE NO.4.1.20
FLEXIBILITY AND EASE OF THE PAYMENT

INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 71% of the respondents opined that Tata
Indicom offers more flexible and ease mode of payment, 11.3% of them prefer BSNL, which
10.7% of them prefer Airtel and 7% of them prefer Reliance.

TABLE NO. 4.1.21


INFORMATION ABOUT PRODUCT AND PLAN CHANGE

No. of
S.No. Opinion Percentage
Respondents
1. BSNL 62 20.7
2. Reliance 14 4.7
3. Airtel 57 19.0
4. Tata Indicom 167 55.7
Total 300 100.0

TABLE NO.4.1.21
INFORMATION ABOUT PRODUCT AND PLAN CHANGE
INFERENCE
From the above table it is observed that 55.7% of the respondents feel that product
and plan change are informed to the customer first by Tata Indicom, 20.7% of them feel the same
with BSNL, 19% of them says it is Airtel and 4.7% of them with Reliance.

TABLE NO. 4.1.22

SATISFACTION LEVEL VIS-À-VIS COMPETITORS WITH REGARD TO THE


QUALITY OF MONTHLY BILL

TATA Other service providers


INDICOM
BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total

1. Highly Satisfied 29 9 10 3 12
2. Satisfied 191 56 36 42 134
3. Neutral 45 50 3 40 93
4. Dissatisfied 35 16 12 11 39
5. Highly Dissatisfied 0 12 2 8 22
Total 300 143 53 104 300
Chi-square Contingency Table Test for Independence

BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total


Row
Observed 238 10 26 274
1
Expected 68.50 137.00 68.50 274.00
Row
Observed 38 102 100 240
2
Expected 60.00 120.00 60.00 240.00
Row
Observed 6 132 84 222
3
Expected 55.50 111.00 55.50 222.00
Row
Observed 12 190 30 232
4
Expected 58.00 116.00 58.00 232.00
Row
Observed 6 166 60 232
5
Expected 58.00 116.00 58.00 232.00

Total Observed 300 600 300 1200

Expected 300.00 600.00 300.00 1200.00

1. Hypothesis:

Null Hypothesis (H0) : The preference level of quality of month bill

sources of the respondent and various BSNL


Airtel are independent
Alternate Hypothesis (H1) . : The preference level of quality of month bill

sources of the respondent and various BSNL


Airtel no independent

2. Statistical Test : Chi-Square Test of Independence

3. Level of Significance : 0.05

4. Degrees of Freedom :8

5. Calculated Value χ 2 : 829.16

6. Critical-value : 15.5

INTERPRETATION:

Since the calculated value is greater than the tabulated value, the null hypothesis is
rejected. Therefore the preference level of various BSNLof the respondent and various Reliance
are not independent

INFERENCE

44.67% of total respondents surveyed felt that the quality of monthly bill generated
by the various service providers were satisfactory.
However the satisfactory level was more pronounced by the users of Reliance than
BSNL & Airtel.

The dissatisfaction is felt more by the users of BSNL facility.


TABLE NO. 4.1.23

SATISFACTION LEVEL VIS-À-VIS COMPETITORS WITH REGARD TO CUSTOMER


SERVICE

Other service providers

BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total

1. Highly Satisfied 55 6 0 3 9
2. Satisfied 193 54 25 43 122
3. Neutral 28 79 25 48 152
4. Dissatisfied 24 4 3 10 17
5. Highly Dissatisfied 0 0 0 0 0
Total 300 143 53 104 300

Chi-square Contingency Table Test for Independence

BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total


Row
Observed 238 10 26 274
1
Expected 68.50 137.00 68.50 274.00
Row
Observed 38 102 100 240
2
Expected 60.00 120.00 60.00 240.00
Row
Observed 6 132 84 222
3
Expected 55.50 111.00 55.50 222.00
Row
Observed 12 190 30 232
4
Expected 58.00 116.00 58.00 232.00
Row
Observed 6 166 60 232
5
Expected 58.00 116.00 58.00 232.00

Total Observed 300 600 300 1200

Expected 300.00 600.00 300.00 1200.00

1. Hypothesis:

Null Hypothesis (H0) : The preference level of various tax saving

sources of the respondent and various tax


savings are independent.

Alternate Hypothesis (H1) : The preference level of various tax saving

sources of the respondent and various tax


savings are not independent.

2. Statistical Test : Chi-Square Test of Independence

3. Level of Significance : 0.05

4. Degrees of Freedom :8

5. Calculated Value χ 2 : 829.16


6. Critical-value : 15.5

INTERPRETATION:

Since the calculated value is greater than the tabulated value, the null hypothesis is
rejected. Therefore the preference level of various tax saving sources of the respondent and
various tax savings are not independent

INFERENCE

50.7% of total respondents surveyed felt that the customer service provided by the
various service providers were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

However the satisfactory level was more pronounce by the users of Reliance than
BSNL & Airtel.

The dissatisfaction is felt more by the users of Airtel facility.


TABLE NO. 4.1.24
SATISFACTION LEVEL VIS-À-VIS COMPETITORS WITH REGARD TO FEATURES OF
THE PHONE

Other service providers

BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total


1. Highly Satisfied 108 7 2 0 9
2. Satisfied 122 26 12 43 81
3. Neutral 43 81 32 53 166
4. Dissatisfied 27 29 5 8 42
5. Highly Dissatisfied 0 0 2 0 2
Total 300 143 53 104 300

Chi-square Contingency Table Test for Independence

BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total


Row
Observed 238 10 26 274
1
Expected 68.50 137.00 68.50 274.00
Row
Observed 38 102 100 240
2
Expected 60.00 120.00 60.00 240.00
Row
Observed 6 132 84 222
3
Expected 55.50 111.00 55.50 222.00
Row
Observed 12 190 30 232
4
Expected 58.00 116.00 58.00 232.00
Row
Observed 6 166 60 232
5
Expected 58.00 116.00 58.00 232.00

Total Observed 300 600 300 1200

Expected 300.00 600.00 300.00 1200.00

1. Hypothesis:

Null Hypothesis (H0) : The preference level of various tax saving

sources of the respondent and various tax


savings are independent.

Alternate Hypothesis (H1) : The preference level of various tax saving

sources of the respondent and various tax


savings are not independent.

2. Statistical Test : Chi-Square Test of Independence

3. Level of Significance : 0.05

4. Degrees of Freedom :8

5. Calculated Value χ 2 : 829.16

6. Critical-value : 15.5

INTERPRETATION:
Since the calculated value is greater than the tabulated value, the null hypothesis is
rejected. Therefore the preference level of various tax saving sources of the respondent and
various tax savings are not independent

INFERENCE

55.33% of total respondents surveyed felt that the features of the phone provider were
neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

However the satisfactory level was more pronounced by the users of Reliance than
BSNL and Airtel.

The dissatisfaction is felt more by the users of BSNL facility.


TABLE NO. 4.1.25
SATISFACTION LEVEL VIS-À-VIS COMPETITORS WITH REGARD FREE CALLS AND
PULSE DURATION

Other service provider

BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total


1. Highly Satisfied 148 9 7 7 23
2. Satisfied 115 59 20 29 108
3. Neutral 30 40 9 49 98
4. Dissatisfied 7 34 15 19 68
5. Highly Dissatisfied 0 1 2 0 3
Total 300 143 53 104 300

Chi-square Contingency Table Test for Independence

BSNL Rliance&Airtel Total

Row 1 Observed 18 48 66

Expected 27.80 38.20 66.00

O-E -9.80 9.80 0.00

(O - E)² / E 3.46 2.51 5.97

Row 2 Observed 44 33 77

Expected 32.43 44.57 77.00

O-E 11.57 -11.57 0.00

(O - E)² / E 4.12 3.00 7.13

Row 3 Observed 49 56 105

Expected 44.23 60.77 105.00

O-E 4.77 -4.77 0.00


(O - E)² /E 0.51 0.37 0.89

Row 4 Observed 18 34 52

Expected 21.90 30.10 52.00

O-E -3.90 3.90 0.00

(O - E)² / E 0.70 0.51 1.20

Row 5 Observed 2 9 11

Expected 4.63 6.37 11.00

O-E -2.63 2.63 0.00

(O - E)² / E 1.50 1.09 2.59

Total Observed 131 180 311

Expected 131.00 180.00 311.00

O-E 0.00 0.00 0.00

(O - E)² / E 10.29 7.49 17.77

1. Hypothesis:
Null Hypothesis (H0) : The preference level of various tax

saving sources of the respondent and


various tax savings are independent

Alternate Hypothesis (H1) : The preference level of various tax


saving
sources of the respondent and various
tax
savings are not independent

2. Statistical Test : Chi-Square Test of Independence

3. Level of Significance : 0.05

4. Degrees of Freedom :4

5. Calculated Value χ 2 : 17.77

6. Critical-value : 9.49

INTERPRETATION:

Since the calculated value is greater than the tabulated value, the null
hypothesis is rejected. Therefore the preference level of various tax saving sources of
the respondent and various tax savings are not independent
INFERENCE

36% of total respondents surveyed felt that the free calls provided by the various
service providers were satisfied.

However the satisfactory was pronounced by the user of BSNL than Reliance and
Airtel.

The dissatisfaction is felt more by the users of Reliance facility.


TABLE NO. 4.1.26
SATISFACTION LEVEL VIS-À-VIS COMPETITORS WITH REGARD TO COVERAGE

Other service providers

BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total


1. Highly Satisfied 100 17 8 1 26
2. Satisfied 141 55 22 53 130
3. Neutral 55 51 4 47 102
4. Dissatisfied 4 18 18 3 39
5. Highly Dissatisfied 0 2 1 0 3
Total 300 143 53 104 300
Chi-square Contingency Table Test for Independence

BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total


Row
Observed 238 10 26 274
1
Expected 68.50 137.00 68.50 274.00
Row
Observed 38 102 100 240
2
Expected 60.00 120.00 60.00 240.00
Row
Observed 6 132 84 222
3
Expected 55.50 111.00 55.50 222.00
Row
Observed 12 190 30 232
4
Expected 58.00 116.00 58.00 232.00
Row
Observed 6 166 60 232
5
Expected 58.00 116.00 58.00 232.00
Total Observed 300 600 300 1200

Expected 300.00 600.00 300.00 1200.00

1. Hypothesis:

Null Hypothesis (H0) : The preference level of various tax saving

sources of the respondent and various tax


savings are independent.

Alternate Hypothesis (H1) : The preference level of various tax saving

sources of the respondent and various tax


savings are not independent.

2. Statistical Test : Chi-Square Test of Independence

3. Level of Significance : 0.05

4. Degrees of Freedom :8

5. Calculated Value χ 2 : 829.16

6. Critical-value : 15.5

INTERPRETATION:

Since the calculated value is greater than the tabulated value, the null hypothesis is
rejected. Therefore the preference level of various tax saving sources of the respondent and
various tax savings are not independent

INFERENCE

43.3% of total respondents surveyed felt that the coverage provided by the various
service providers were satisfied.

However the satisfactory was pronounced by the user of Airtel than BSNL &
Reliance.

The dissatisfaction is felt more by the users of Reliance facility.


TABLE NO. 4.1.27
SATISFACTION LEVEL VIS-À-VIS COMPETITORS WITH REGARD TO OVERALL
SERVICE

Other service provider

BSNL RELIANCE AIRTEL Total


1. Highly Satisfied 60 4 4 3 11
2. Satisfied 123 59 21 47 127
3. Neutral 80 57 9 53 119
4. Dissatisfied 37 21 17 1 39
5. Highly Dissatisfied 0 2 2 0 4
Total 300 143 53 104 300
Chi-square Contingency Table Test for Independence

Chi-square Contingency Table Test for Independence

Reliance&Airte
BSNL Total
l
Row 1 Observed 18 48 66

Expected 27.80 38.20 66.00

O-E -9.80 9.80 0.00

(O - E)² / E 3.46 2.51 5.97

Row 2 Observed 44 33 77

Expected 32.43 44.57 77.00

O-E 11.57 -11.57 0.00

(O - E)² / E 4.12 3.00 7.13

Row 3 Observed 49 56 105

Expected 44.23 60.77 105.00


O-E 4.77 -4.77 0.00

(O - E)² /E 0.51 0.37 0.89

Row 4 Observed 18 34 52

Expected 21.90 30.10 52.00

O-E -3.90 3.90 0.00

(O - E)² / E 0.70 0.51 1.20

Row 5 Observed 2 9 11

Expected 4.63 6.37 11.00

O-E -2.63 2.63 0.00

(O - E)² / E 1.50 1.09 2.59

Total Observed 131 180 311

Expected 131.00 180.00 311.00

O-E 0.00 0.00 0.00

(O - E)² / E 10.29 7.49 17.77


1. Hypothesis:

Null Hypothesis (H0) : The preference level of various tax

saving sources of the respondent and


various tax savings are independent

Alternate Hypothesis (H1) : The preference level of various tax


saving
sources of the respondent and various
tax
savings are not independent

2. Statistical Test : Chi-Square Test of Independence

3. Level of Significance : 0.05

4. Degrees of Freedom :4

5. Calculated Value χ 2 : 17.77

6. Critical-value : 9.49

INTERPRETATION:

Since the calculated value is greater than the tabulated value, the null
hypothesis is rejected. Therefore the preference level of various tax saving sources of
the respondent and various tax savings are not independent
INTERPRETATION:

Since the calculated value is greater than the tabulated value, the null hypothesis is
rejected. Therefore the preference level of various tax saving sources of the respondent and
various tax savings are not independent

INFERENCE

42.33% of total respondents surveyed felt that the overall service provided by the
various service providers were satisfied.

However the satisfactory was pronounced by the users of Airtel than BSNL &
Reliance.

The dissatisfaction is felt more by the users of Reliance facility.


4.2 HYPOTHESIS TESTING
TABLE 4.2.1
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE
--TATA INDICOM

Null Hypothesis (H0) : There is no significant relationship between educational


qualification and customer service.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1) : There is a significant relationship between educational


qualification and customer service.

Customer Service
Highly
Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied
Satisfied
UG Level 42 88 11 8 149
PG Level 6 52 10 6 74
Professional 7 53 7 10 77
Total 55 193 28 24 300

CHI - SQUARE TEST

Level of Significance = 5%
Degree of Freedom = 6
Calculated 2 value = 22.674
Table value = 12.592

INFERENCE
It is found from the above table that calculated value is greater than the table value at
5% level of significance with 6 degree of freedom. So, Null hypothesis (H0) is rejected. Hence,
it is concluded that, there is a significant relationship between educational qualification and
customer service.
TABLE 4.2.2
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONDENTS AND
SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH REGARD TO THE
FEATURES OF TATA INDICOM

Null Hypothesis (H0) : There is no significant relationship between educational


qualification and satisfaction level with regard to the
features of Tata Indicom.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1) : There is a significant relationship between educational


qualification and satisfaction level with regard to the
features of Tata Indicom.

Features of Tata Indicom


Highly
Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied
Satisfied
UG Level 46 75 10 9 140
PG Level 43 18 13 8 82
Professional 19 29 20 10 78
Total
108 122 43 27 300

CHI - SQUARE TEST


Level of significance = 5%
Degree of Freedom = 6
Calculated 2 value = 36.991
Table value = 12.592
INFERENCE
It is found from the above table that calculated value is greater than the table value at
5% level of significance with 6 degree of freedom. So, Null hypothesis (H0) is rejected. Hence,
it is concluded that, there is a significant relationship between educational qualification and
satisfaction level with regard to the features of Tata Indicom.
TABLE 4.2.3
OCCUPATIONAL STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS AND
SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH REGARD TO THE FEATURES OF TATA INDICOM
Null Hypothesis (H0) : There is no significant relationship between occupation of
the respondents and satisfaction level with regard to the
features of Tata Indicom.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1) : There is a significant relationship between occupation of


the respondents and satisfaction level with regard to the
features of Tata Indicom.

Features of Tata Indicom


Highly
Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Salaried 73 77 14 6 170
Professional 13 10 13 6 42
Business 6 15 10 7 38
Retired 16 20 6 8 50
Total 108 122 43 27 300

CHI - SQUARE TEST


Level of significance = 5%
Degree of Freedom = 9
Calculated 2 value = 40.881
Table value = 16.919
INFERENCE
It is found from the above table that calculated value is greater than the table value at
5% level of significance with 9 degree of freedom. So, Null hypothesis (H0) is rejected. Hence,
it is concluded that, there is a significant relationship between occupational status and
satisfaction level with regard to the features of Tata Indicom.

TABLE 4.2.4

OCCUPATIONAL STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS AND


PERIOD OF USAGE OF THE TATA INDICOM
Null Hypothesis (H0) : There is no significant relationship between occupation of
the respondents and period of usage of the Tata Indicom.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1) : There is a significant relationship between occupation of


the respondents and period of usage of the Tata Indicom.

Using Period of Tata Indicom


< 6 months 6-12 months > 1 years
Salaried 85 65 20 170
Professional 9 23 10 42
Business 8 7 23 38
Retired 13 24 13 50
Total 115 119 66 300

CHI - SQUARE TEST


Level of significance = 5%
Degree of Freedom = 6
Calculated 2 value = 55.970
Table value = 12.592

INFERENCE
It is found from the above table that calculated value is greater than the table value at
5% level of significance with 6 degree of freedom. So, Null hypothesis (H0) is rejected. Hence,
it is concluded that, there is a significant relationship between occupational status and period of
usage of Tata Indicom.
TABLE 4.2.5

OCCUPATIONAL STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS AND


USE OF DIFFERENT PLAN OF TATA INDICOM

Null Hypothesis (H0) : There is no significant relationship between occupation of


the respondents and use of different plan of Tata Indicom.
Alternative Hypothesis (H1) : There is a significant relationship between occupation of
the respondents and use of different plan of Tata Indicom.

Using Plan of Tata Indicom


Plan 224 Plan 450
Salaried 80 90 170
Professional 19 23 42
Business 9 29 38
Retired 17 33 50
Total 125 175 300

CHI - SQUARE TEST

Level of significance = 5%
Degree of Freedom = 3
Calculated 2 value = 8.519
Table value = 7.815

INFERENCE
It is found from the above table that calculated value is greater than the table value at
5% level of significance with 3 degree of freedom. So, Null hypothesis (H 0) is rejected. Hence,
it is concluded that, there is a significant relationship between occupational status and use of
different plan of Tata Indicom.

TABLE 4.2.6
AVERAGE PHONE BILL AND
SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH THEIR BILL AMOUNT OF TATA INDICOM

Null Hypothesis (H0) : There is no significant relationship between average phone


bill and satisfaction level with their Bill amount of Tata
Indicom.
Alternative Hypothesis (H1) : There is a significant relationship between average phone
bill and satisfaction level with their Bill amount of Tata
Indicom.
Satisfaction level
Highly
Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied
Satisfied
< Rs. 500 6 54 12 12 84
Rs.500-1000 10 85 12 6 113
Rs.1000-2000 6 33 15 11 65
>2000 7 19 6 6 38
Total 29 191 45 35 300

CHI - SQUARE TEST


Level of significance = 5%
Degree of Freedom = 9
Calculated 2 value = 19.663
Table value = 16.919
INFERENCE
It is found from the above table that calculated value is greater than the table value at
5% level of significance with 12 degree of freedom. So, Null hypothesis (H0) is rejected. Hence,
it is concluded that, there is a significant relationship between average phone bill and satisfaction
level with their Bill amount of Tata Indicom.
TABLE 4.2.7

USING PLAN AND SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH REGARD TO


FREE CALLS AND PULSE DURATION

Null Hypothesis (H0) : There is no significant relationship between using plan and
satisfaction level with regard to free calls and pulse
duration of Tata Indicom.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1) : There is a significant relationship between using plan and
satisfaction level with regard to free calls and pulse
duration of Tata Indicom.

Plan
Plan 224 Plan 450
Highly Satisfied 78 70 148
Satisfied 26 89 115
Neutral 16 21 37
Total 120 180 300

CHI - SQUARE TEST


Level of significance = 5%
Degree of Freedom = 2
Calculated 2 value = 24.605
Table value = 5.991

INFERENCE
It is found from the above table that calculated value is greater than the table value at
5% level of significance with 2 degree of freedom. So, Null hypothesis (H0) is rejected. Hence,
it is concluded that, there is a significant relationship between using plan and satisfaction level
with regard to free calls and pulse duration of Tata Indicom.

CHAPTER – 5

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

5.1 FINDINGS

1Most (67%) of the respondents are male category.

2Maximum (48.7%) of the respondents belong to above 35 years category.

3Majority (49.7%) of the respondents are qualified with undergraduates.

4Most (59.3%) of the respondents are salaried class; while only 14% of them are professional..

5Most (42.7%) of the respondents possess TATA indicom phone for the past 6-12 months.
6Most (60%) of the respondents are using plan 450.

7Most (40.3%) of the respondents run a bill amount of Rs.500-Rs.1000.

8Most (64.3%) of the respondents say that their bills are delivered in time.

9Most (68%) of the respondents are satisfied some what with the quality of monthly bill.

10Most (73.7%) of the respondents pay their bill at customer care.

11Majority (66%) of the respondents are satisfied some what with the level of customer service.

12Most (49.3%) of the respondents are highly satisfied with the level of free calls and pulse
duration.

13Most (47%) of the respondents are satisfied some what with the level of coverage.

14Most (45%) of the respondents are satisfied some what with the various features of phone line.

15Most (47.7%) of the respondents are using the BSNL connections.

1626% of the respondents are using the Airtel phone line during the last 1-3 years.

1726% of the respondents are using the BSNL phone line above 3 years.

1810.3% of the respondents are using the Reliance phone line below 1 year.

19Most (71%) of the respondents opined that payment of the dues of Tata Indicom is more
flexible and easy.

20Most (55.7%) of the respondents say that the product and plan change are informed first by
Tata Indicom.

21There is a significant relationship between educational qualification and customer service.

22There is a significant relationship between educational qualification and satisfaction level with
regard to the features of Tata Indicom.

23There is a significant relationship between occupational status and satisfaction level with
regard to the features of Tata Indicom.

24There is a significant relationship between occupational status and period of usage of Tata
Indicom.

25There is a significant relationship between occupational status and use of different plan of
Tata Indicom.

26There is a significant relationship between average phone bill and satisfaction level with their
Bill amount of Tata Indicom.

27There is a significant relationship between using plan and satisfaction level with regard to free
calls and pulse duration of Tata Indicom.

To sum it,

Parameters TATA Indicom Other service

providers
Overall Satisfaction 61% 48% (Airtel)
Coverage 80% 57% (Reliance)
Free calls & pulse duration 89% 60% (Reliance)
Features 76% 41.3% (Airtel)
Customer service 82.7% 47.2% (Reliance)
Monthly Bill 68.3% 67.3% (Reliance)

The above given table shows that the satisfaction level for the various parameters for
TATA Indicom vis-à-vis its competitors.

The table above shows that TATA Indicom is an edge above the other operators in
the Chennai Zone.
5.2 SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The study has reveled that TATA indicom has scored high on every parameter of
satisfaction.

Hence a few proactive suggestions may be given to sustain the franchisees


competitive position.

The telecom service providers today are facing a ‘customer charm’ namely customer
defection. Customer defection is like adding water to a leaking bucket because, today, many
customers switch operators. Often the smallest amount of dissatisfaction leads to defection
because there is plenty of choice at the market lace. Hence the loyalty of customer should be
enhanced and sustained. Some of the ways in which this loyalty can be enhanced are to build a
strong relationship with customers :

a)The sales person can phone to the customer to check whether the product is meeting
expectations and can ask the customer for any product (or) service improvement
suggestions and any specific disappointments (Accountable marketing).

b)The sales person can contact the customer from time to time with suggestions about
improved product uses / new product features. (Proactive marketing).
5.3 CONCLUSION

TATA Indicom customer base is increasing rapidly in the Chennai Zone, and the
customer satisfaction survey has also yielded positive results on every parameter ranging from
coverage, billing to overall satisfaction. Hence the study can be concluded by saying that the
franchisee has to build a strong customer relationship cell and maintain its pride.
A STUDY ON SATISFACTION LEVEL OF SERVICE PROVIDED
BY
TATA INDICOM VIS-A-VIS ITS COMPETITORS

1. Name :

2. Address :

3. Phone Number :

4. Age :

5. Educational Qualification

a) Under Graduate b) Post Graduate


c) Professional d) Others

6. Employment Details

a) Salaried b) Professional
c) Business d) Retired
e) Others

7. Do you own a Tata Indicom Phone line?

a) Yes b) No
8. How long have you been owning Tata Indicom?

a) < 6 months b) 6-12 months


c) 1-2 years d) > 2 years

9. Which plan do you use in your Tata Indiocm?

a) Plan 224 b) Plan 450

10. What is your average bill in Tata Indicom?

a) , 500 b) 500-1000 c) 1000-2000 d) >2000

11. Are the bills delivered to you in time?

a) Yes b) No

12. What is your satisfaction level regarding monthly bill?

a) Highly satisfied b) Satisfied


c) Neutral d) Dissatisfied
e) Highly dissatisfied

13. Does Tata Indicom customer care remind you about your payments?

a) Yes b) No
14. What is your satisfaction level regarding customer service?

a) Highly satisfied b) Satisfied


c) Neutral d) Dissatisfied e) Highly dissatisfied

15. What is your satisfaction level regarding the free calls and pulse duration?

a) Highly satisfied b) Satisfied


c) Neutral d) Dissatisfied
e) Highly dissatisfied

16. What is your satisfaction level regarding the coverage of Tata Indicom?

a) Highly satisfied b) Satisfied


c) Neutral d) Dissatisfied
e) Highly dissatisfied

17. What is your satisfaction level regarding the features of the phone?

a) Highly satisfied b) Satisfied


c) Neutral d) Dissatisfied
e) Highly dissatisfied

18. What are the connections you use other than Tata Indicom?

a) BSNL b) Reliance c) Airtel


19. How long have you been using that phone line?

<1year 1-3years >3years


Airtel
BSNL
Reliance

20. Which service provider’s mode of payment do you think is more flexible and easy to pay

a) BSNL b) Reliance c) Airtel d) Tata indicom


Why do you feel so? _______________________________________

21. Which service provider gives the most information about the product and plan change in
time

a) BSNL b) Reliance c) Airtel d) Tata indicom


Why do you feel so? _______________________________________

22. What is your satisfaction level regarding monthly bill among the four service providers?
(Tick where ever applicable)
Highly Satified Neutral Dissatified Highly
satisfied dissatisfied
Airtel
BSNL
Reliance
Tata
indicom

23. What is you satisfaction level regarding customer service among the four service
providers? (Tick where ever applicable)
Highly Satified Neutral Dissatified Highly
satisfied dissatisfied
Airtel
BSNL
Reliance
Tata
indicom

24. What is your satisfaction level regarding features of the phone among the four service
providers? (Tick where ever applicable)
Highly Satified Neutral Dissatified Highly
satisfied dissatisfied
Airtel
BSNL
Reliance
Tata
indicom

25. What is your satisfaction level regarding free calls and pulse duration among the four
service providers? (Tick where ever applicable)
Highly Satified Neutral Dissatified Highly
satisfied dissatisfied
Airtel
BSNL
Reliance
Tata
indicom

26. What is your satisfaction level regarding the coverage among the four service providers?
(Tick where ever applicable)
Highly Satified Neutral Dissatified Highly
satisfied dissatisfied
Airtel
BSNL
Reliance
Tata
indicom
27. What is your overall satisfaction level among the four service providers? (Tick where
ever applicable)

Highly Satified Neutral Dissatified Highly


satisfied dissatisfied
Airtel
BSNL
Reliance
Tata
indicom

28. Any suggestions you would like to say ____________________________

___________________________________________________________

Thanking you

REFERENCES
BIBILIOGRAPHY

1. Dr Kothari C R (2008) Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques Wishwa

Prakashan Publishers ,Delhi

2. Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller (2005), Marketing Management Twelfth Edition,

Prentice Hall, Delhi.

3. Liu, Vol 4, (2002) Factors affecting the brand decision in the mobile phone industry

in Asia, Journals of Marketing


4. Richard I. Levin and David S. Rubin “Statistics for Management”, 7th Edition, 2002.

5. The ICFAI Journals of Service Marketing (March 2008) Vol. 6,No.1, pp. 40 – 50,

India.

6. Singh J,(2002), Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty judgement, Journals of Academy

od Marketing Management, pp.18-35

7. Payne Adrian (1998) Marketing Plans For Service Business

8. Sharma N, Sharp A,(1999), the impact of communication effectivenss and service

quality on relationship commitment in consumer, professional services, The Journal

of Marketing Management.

WEBSITES

www.tataindicom.com
wwwr.trai.com
www.coai.com
www.telecomindustries.com

You might also like