CHAPTER -VI PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF CELL PHONE SERVICES

Transcription

1 CHAPTER -VI PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF CELL PHONE SERVICES 6.1 INTRODUCTION There are many problems faced by cell phone dealers as well as customers in handling the mobile phone. Similarly, the marketing channels involved in the cell phone business are many. The cell phone manufacturers sell products and services directly to the dealers, retailers take over from the dealers and sell them to the customers. In most of the cases, the distributors themselves directly sell the products to the customers. 6.2 MAJOR PROBLEMS FOUND IN MARKETING CELL PHONES Marketing is a wider concept and it involves so many processes. Getting to succeed in the marketing activities is a big task undertaken by the dealers. There will be a lot of problems faced by the dealers while marketing. This study shows the major problems the dealers face while marketing cell phones.

2 Table 6.1 Major Problems Found in Marketing Cell Phones Problems No. of respondents Per cent Competition from Chinese and Korean sets Sound Quality Price Brand Image Non availability of multifunction facility at lower rates Total Source: Primary Data From the table, it is inferred that competition is the major factor that affects the marketing process of the dealers. Day by day, new competitors emerge with so many models and multifunction facility. Most of the previous models do not possess multifunction facility. Audio and video quality also differs from one brand to another. Brand name is also another fact that affects 20 percent of customers as per dealers view. 6.3 MAJOR PROBLEMS MET WITH IN THE PURCHASE OF CELL PHONES/TOP UP CARDS While purchasing cell phones/ top up cards, the dealers are handling so much of problems. An attempt is made here to study the major problems faced by the dealers while purchasing the cell phones or top up cards.

3 Table 6.2 Major Problems met with in the Purchase of Cell phones/top up cards Problems No. of respondents Per cent Financial Problem Delay in transport Shortage in availability Lack of storage place Insurance risk Fluctuation in rates Total Source: Primary Data From the table, it is inferred that the major problem faced by the dealers while purchasing the cell phones or top up cards is the fluctuation in rates. Variation in rates occurs very frequently and the price of cell phones decrease irrationally within a short period of time. Financial problem is also another problem faced by most of the dealers in purchasing the cell phones or top up cards. 6.4 RANKING OF BATTERY PROBLEMS FOUND IN CELL PHONES Along with call quality, a cell phone's battery life is one of the most important considerations while choosing a handset. It is never fun to watch a cell phone die in the middle of an important call. And it is no fun either to have little power when nowhere

4 near a charger. While manufacturers make lots of promises about a phone's battery life, the rated times don't always hold true to real-world use. Battery problems found in various cell phones are analysed and interpreted below stating 3 as high and 1 as low. Table 6.3 Ranking of Battery Problems Found in Cell phones Battery Problems Brand High Medium Low Total Total Avg. Rank Nokia II Samsung VIII Siemens III LG IV Sony Ericson V Motorola I RIM VI Tata Indicom VII From the table, it is inferred that Motorola gets the maximum battery problems, Nokia is placed second following Siemens, LG gets the fourth rank in battery problem and Samsung is considered the one which gets minimum battery problems.

5 6.5 RANKING OF AUDIO PROBLEMS FOUND IN CELL PHONES Audio is one of the important factors in the mobile phones. When one speaks in an emergency and if the audio is not clear, one cannot convey the information which one wishes to convey. Most of the mobile phones suffer audio problems nowadays. An attempt is made here to know what mobile gives high audio problems within a short period stating 3 as high and 1as low. Table 6.4 Ranking of Audio Problems Found in Cell Phones Audio Problems Brand High Medium Low Total Total Avg. Rank Nokia III Samsung II RIM VII Motorola V Tata Indicom VI Sony Ericson I Siemens VIII LG IV From the table, it is inferred that Sony Ericson gets the maximum audio problems, Samsung is placed second following Nokia, LG gets the fourth rank in audio problems and Siemens is considered the one which gets minimum audio problems.

6 6.6 RANKING OF PICTURE CLARITY OF CELL PHONES Nowadays cell phones are used for taking photographs and downloading pictures from websites. Some of the cell phones do not have good picture quality or clarity. In the survey taken for the study, there are 72 customers who have camera phones and eight customers use video camera phones. An attempt is made here to identify the cell phones with high and low picture clarity. Table 6.5 explains this factor, stating 3 as high and 1 as low. Table 6.5 Ranking of Picture Clarity Found in Cell phones Picture Clarity Brand High Medium Low Total Total Avg. Rank Nokia III Samsung I Sony Ericson II Siemens V LG IV From the table, it is inferred that Samsung has maximum picture clarity, Sony Ericson is placed second following Nokia, LG gets the fourth rank and Siemens is considered the one which gives minimum picture clarity.

7 6.7 RANKING OF HANDSET BOARD PROBLEMS FOUND IN CELL PHONES Handset board is one of the important factors in the mobile phone. Without the board, the cell phone cannot function. The board consists of an antenna, integrated circuits and various other electronic attachments which make the cell phone function smoothly. All the mobile phones come across such board problems. A detailed study will enumerate the drawbacks found in various brands of cell phones related to board problems. An attempt is made here to know the mobile which comes across highest board problems within short period, stating 3 as high and 1 as low. Table 6.6 Ranking of Handset Board Problems Found in Cell Phones Handset Board Problems Brand High Medium Low Total Total Avg. Rank Nokia IV Samsung II RIM V Motorola III Tata Indicom VI Sony Ericson VIII Siemens VII LG I

8 From the table it is inferred that LG gets the maximum board problems, Samsung is placed second following Motorola, Nokia gets fourth rank and Sony Ericson is considered the one which gets minimum board problems. 6.8 RANKING OF DISPLAY PROBLEMS FOUND IN CELL PHONES Liquid crystal display is one of the important aspects that makes all the images, entries in the cell phone in a visible form. If the display is not clear, the users will not clearly identify the caller numbers and read the messages and access other multifunction facility of the mobile. Hence, an attempt is made here to know the mobile which comes across high display problems within a short period stating 3 as high and 1 as low. Table 6.7 Ranking of Display Problems Found in Cell Phones Display Problems Brand High Medium Low Total Total Avg. Rank Nokia V Samsung II RIM IV Motorola VII Tata Indicom VIII Sony Ericson VI Siemens I LG III

9 From the table, it is inferred that Siemens gets the maximum display problems, Samsung is placed second following LG, RIM gets the fourth rank and Tata Indicom is considered the one which gets minimum board problems. The circuits related with display inside the cell phones are the reasons for maximum problems. The companies should identify the reasons and avoid such problems occurring in mobile phones, so that they can retain their customers and also boost up sales. 6.9 PROBLEMS FACED BY DEALERS IN SALES PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES The dealers face problems in the sales promotional activities offered by the marketers which affect their sales levels and satisfaction levels. Table 6.8 Problems Faced by Dealers on Sales Promotion Activities Problems No. of respondents Per cent Some offers are made only by EASY CHARGE not by paper coupon Some times the LAPU server may go down No fixed offers for activation Total From the table, it is inferred that 44 per cent of dealers suffer from the problem that some offers are made only by easy charge and not by paper coupons; 52 per cent of dealers suffer from the problem that the shut down of LAPU server occurs

10 sometimes and 4 per cent from the problem of no fixed activation commission. Maximum number of 62 dealers faces problems due to the shut down of LAPU server. Easy charge is a facility provided by most of the dealers and retailers to the customers to facilitate immediate recharge. The customers can recharge their mobile wherever and whenever they like. When they make a call or send a message to the dealer or retailer, the requested amount will be added to their mobile account immediately. LAPU server plays a main role in the easy charge process. When more number of customers access easy charge at the same time, LAPU server will get hanged and shut down automatically and could be released only after few minutes. This should be rectified by the service providers AVERAGE NUMBER OF FAULTS OCCURING IN CELL CONNECTION PER MONTH Customers face so many problems in their cell connections nowadays; this study has been done to know the average number of faults occurring in their cell connections per month. Table 6.9 Average Number of Faults Occurring in Cell Connection Per Month Average faults No. of respondents Per cent Below More than Total

11 From the table, it is inferred that 46 per cent receive more than 10 faults in their mobile connection per month; 28 per cent of the customers reveal that they get 5 to 10 faults in their mobile connection per month; but none of the customers says that they never get any problem in the present functioning of mobile connection. This shows that all the customers face some sort of problems in the functioning of cell phone connections NATURE OF FAULTS OCCURRING IN THE CELL CONNECTIONS There are different types of faults occurring in the mobile connections. An enquiry is conducted to analyse the nature of faults occurring in the mobile connections of the customers. Table 6.10 Nature of Faults Occurring in Cell Connections Nature of faults No. of respondents Per cent Poor clarity of signals Signal interruption Disconnection Delayed connectivity Lack of coverage Billing system Total Source: Field survey

12 From the table, it is inferred that 25 percent of the customers feel that signal interruption is the major problem faced. Seventeen per cent of the customers feel that poor clarity of signals exists in their present mobile connection. Ten per cent of the customers have lack of coverage problem RANKING OF PROBLEMS IN THE CELL CONNECTIONS The customers face so many problems in their mobile phone connections in general. An attempt is made here to know the ranking of problem undergone by the customers. Table 6.11 depicts that stating 3 as high and 1 as low. Table 6.11 Ranking of Problems in the Cell Connections Problems low medium high Weighted Total Weighted Average Rank Network I Cross talk III Delayed connectivity V Poor clarity of signals II Disconnection IV From the table, it is inferred that network problems are considered high by 252 customers, cross talk problem is viewed as medium by 256 customers, delayed connectivity is considered low by 193 customers, poor clarity of signal is regarded

13 high by 143 customers, and disconnection while talking is considered medium by 122 customers RANKING OF SIM CONNECTIVITY PROBLEMS Getting connections from one sim to another sim is a big problem to the customers nowadays. There are so many players in the market providing sim connections. Getting connection within the same network is sometimes made easy, whereas getting connections across different networks is a tedious task of the cell companies. An attempt is made here to find which company has the highest connectivity problem, stating 3 as high and 1 as low. Table below depicts this aspect. Table 6.12 Ranking of Sim Connectivity Problems Found in Cell Phones Sim connectivity Problems Brand High Medium Low Total Total Avg. Rank BSNL V Airtel IV Aircel II Vodafone I RIM VI Tata Indicom III From the table, it is inferred that Vodafone has the highest connectivity problems following Aircel, the third place goes to Tata Indicom. BSNL is the one

14 which has less connectivity problem. BSNL has a wide connectivity and the module used for connecting is highly powerful and it saves their customers from connectivity problems. Easy connectivity to the entire network is made easy in BSNL RANKING OF TOWER COVERAGE PROBLEMS Poor tower coverage is a big problem faced by customers everywhere. There are many players in the market providing sim connections. Getting tower coverage in town areas is sometimes made easy, whereas tower coverage across rural areas or hilly regions is tedious for the cell phone companies. BSNL is a public sector company which can invest in launching towers to satisfy the customers, whereas the private players who are money minded have launched towers in town areas and the customers in rural areas having other private connections are highly affected. An attempt is made here to find which company has the highest tower coverage problem, stating 3 as high and 1 as low. Table below depicts this nature. Table 6.13 Ranking of Tower Coverage Problems Found in Cell Connections Tower Coverage Problems Brand High Medium Low Total Total Avg. Rank BSNL V Airtel II Aircel IV Vodafone III RIM VI Tata Indicom I

15 From the table, it is inferred that Tata Indicom has the highest tower coverage problems following Airtel, the third place goes to Vodafone. BSNL is the one which has less tower coverage problems. BSNL has wider tower coverage and the module used for launching tower is highly powerful and it saves customers from coverage problems RANKING OF PROBLEMS IN DISCONNECTIVITY WHILE TALKING Getting connection from one sim to another sim is a big problem to the customers nowadays. There are so many players in the market providing sim connections. While communicating important information with others, the disconnectivity of the cell phone makes the customers feel distressed. All the cell companies face such problems. An attempt is made here to find which company has the highest disconnectivity problem while talking stating 3 as high and 1 as low. Table below depicts this nature.

16 Table 6.14 Ranking of Disconnectivity Problems while Talking Disconnectivity Problems while talking Brand High Medium Low Total Total Avg. Rank BSNL VI Airtel IV Aircel II Vodafone I RIM V Tata Indicom III From the table, it is inferred that Vodafone has the highest disconnectivity problem while talking following Aircel, the third place goes to Tata Indicom. BSNL is the one which has less disconnectivity problems while talking. BSNL has a wide connectivity and the module used for connecting is highly powerful and it saves customers from disconnection while talking RANKING OF POOR CLARITY IN SIGNALS WHILE TRAVELLING The main advantage of the mobile phone is any time contact over any terrain. It is so handy so that it can be carried anywhere one goes. Most of the customers use it as a medium of communication to contact others while travelling. In all the travelling places, it is not possible to get a telephone booth and make contacts with the one whom people like to make. An attempt is made here to find which company has the poorest

17 clarity in signal while travelling, stating 3 as high and 1 as low. Table below depicts this nature. Table 6.15 Ranking of Poor Clarity in Signals while Travelling in Cell connection Poor clarity in signal while travelling Brand High Medium Low Total Total Avg. Rank BSNL V Airtel IV Aircel II Vodafone VI RIM III Tata Indicom I Source: Primary Data From the table, it is inferred that Tata Indicom ranks first in poor clarity in signal while talking following Aircel, the third place goes to RIM. BSNL is the one which has the highest clarity in signals while travelling. BSNL has a wide connectivity and the module used for connecting is highly powerful and it saves its customers from signal problems while travelling RESPONSE BY THE CUSTOMER CARE CENTRES TO THE COMPLAINTS MADE BY THE CUSTOMERS Most of the customers face so many problems in their cell connections. Various service providers have a lot of customer care centers to rectify the problems of

18 the customers. This is an attempt to know the responses for the complaints made by the customers. Table 6.16 Response to the Complaints Made by Customers Response No. of respondents Per cent Fault not rectified for a longer time Fault rectified immediately Fault rectified in a day Total From the table, it is inferred that nine per cent of the customers feel that the faults were not rectified for a longer time; 59 per cent of the customers feel that the faults were rectified immediately; and 32 percent of the customers feel that their complaints were accessed and rectified in a day REACTION TO OVER BILLING Nowadays the customers are forced to pay a heavy bill for their phone connections. They are over burdened with service taxes and along with them, they will be charged for some wrong calls and extra calls which they have not made. This survey has been done to know the opinions of the customers on over billing.

19 Table 6.17 Reaction to Over Billing Reaction No. of respondents Per cent Pay the money without clarification 0 0 Lodge a complaint with the customer care Pay the money as per rules and seek clarification Total From the table, it is known that majority of 84 per cent of the customers lodge a complaint with the customer care centres for the wrong billing; 16 per cent of customers says they will pay the amount within the due date as per rules and later they seek clarification related to that, and none of the customers are ready to pay the amount without any clarification FREQUENT CHANGES OF SALES MEN AFFECT THE SALES Sales men turnover is high in most of the show rooms. Sales men are those who make the business a success. The dealers could not be there in the showrooms on full time basis. The dealers appoint various sales men to boost up sales. Due to the poor salary paid by the dealers, the sales men do not stay there for a long time. In that case, it affects the business. An attempt is made here to enquire from the dealers whether such turnover affects the business or not.

20 Table 6.18 Frequent Changes of Sales Men Affects the Sales Sales No. of Dealers Per cent Get affected Not affected Total Source: Field survey From the table, it is inferred that the shops which have high investment and high number of sales persons and give reasonable pay do not undergo turnover of a bunch of sales men at the same time. If one sales man leaves the enterprise, the others will manage the situations without his presence. To safeguard the enterprise without getting affected in sales, the dealers should retain the sales men with high caliber to improve their business AWARENESS AMONG SALES PERSONS ABOUT THE VARIOUS FEATURES OF CELL PHONES Awareness about the features of the product to be sold is an important factor which every sales man should know. Without knowledge about the products and their components, sales will not be successful. The sales men should be given proper training before their appointment on full time basis. It is the duty of the dealer to train salesmen, taking support from companies by providing brochures and other materials revealing the product details and business tactics and the ways and means to attract the customers. Here, an attempt is made to find how many per cent of the cell

21 phone shops has appointed appropriate sales men with relevant knowledge. Table 6.19 depicts this nature. Table 6.19 Awareness about the Details of the Cell phones Awareness No. of Dealers Per cent Aware Not Aware Total From the table, it is inferred that the shops which have high investment and high number of sales persons alone send their sales men for training to gain more knowledge about the products. The companies are frequently conducting meetings and training camps to create awareness about the product among the sales persons. To safeguard the enterprises against drop in sales the dealers should send their salesmen to attend the training camps to make the sales effective. Travelling allowance and Dearness allowance should be paid to such personnel.