SERVICE DELIVERY AS AN INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN MARKETING
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
SERVICE DELIVERY AS AN INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN MARKETING
ABSTRACT
This project investigated the impact of service delivery in achieving a competitive advantage in marketing, specifically employing Airtel Nigeria Plc. Thus, the project had the following objectives:
(i) to determine what constitutes effective customer service for a typical service-oriented telecoms company like Airtel Nigeria,
(ii) to examine the roles that marketing strategies could play in influencing consumer buying behaviour in the modern telecoms industry,
(iii) to determine the contributions of marketing research to the growth of Airtel Nigeria, and
(iv) to find out the role of effective customer relationship management. The study used the survey research method to highlight the aforementioned aims. Information was gathered using both primary and secondary data sources.
The primary sources are questionnaires and oral interviews, whereas the secondary sources are existing literature on the study’s topic. The data analysis was presented in a tabular format, with the effect and relationship of one data set to another defined using simple percentile presentations.
The study hypotheses were verified for validity using the chi-square technique. According to the survey, Airtel Nigeria Plc should learn about customer purchasing behaviour in the telecoms business and strive for customer delight in terms of customer service delivery.
Furthermore, the study revealed that service quality was a critical success factor for consumer patronage in the telecoms industry, and that the goal of product and service launches by telecoms organisations should be to satisfy customer needs, and as a result, telecoms products and services should be designed to satisfy a diverse range of customer types.
Thus, Airtel Nigeria Plc should implement marketing strategies backed up by marketing research that will positively influence consumer purchasing behaviour. Airtel’s product launch and development should be in line with the latest telecoms technology to ensure market competitiveness and effectiveness.
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1: Background of the Study
Telecommunications companies exist primarily to provide efficient and effective communications services to the public in order to generate income, expand operations, and remain profitable. To effectively fulfil these commercial objectives, telecoms organisations must re-strategize, re-engineer, and refocus, particularly in terms of service delivery.
The customer expects the best – in the quickest feasible time and at a reasonable price. In short, telecoms companies must deliver on promises made, imbibe the highest level of professionalism and competence in service delivery, show integrity,
honesty, and transparency in all their activities, and treat each and every customer with utmost respect, courtesy, and compassion in service delivery (Kanter, 2003; 23, 58).
Thus, Woherem (2007) argued that in the highly competitive telecommunications industry, service providers must develop strong and appealing telecommunications products in order to become more visible and increase their income base, which would normally lead to increased profits.
After developing such items, efficient marketing strategies based on service delivery must be established and implemented to secure the company’s best results (Onyemenam, 2006).
This project aims to critically investigate and analyse service delivery in the telecoms business, as well as provide answers for how Airtel Nigeria may successfully use it to ensure and guarantee customer loyalty, retention, and satisfaction at all times.
The Nigerian market has a significant “thirst” for digital mobile telecommunications products. There was great excitement in the country when, in February 2001,
the Obasanjo civilian regime decided to fulfil its vision of bringing Nigeria into the mainstream of modern and mobile telecommunications by granting Digital Mobile Licences (DMLs)
to three successful telecommunications companies to provide Global Satellite Mobile Telecommunications (GSM) services to the nation. Moses=Nwangwu (2007) identified the three businesses as MTN, Globacom Nigeria Plc, and Econet Wireless Nigeria (now Airtel Nigeria).
While MTN Nigeria Plc was a GSM operator based in South Africa, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe was founded in conjunction with three (3) Nigerian state governments. These were Lagos, Delta, and Cross River states.
However, Globacom Nigeria Plc was entirely Nigerian, being the brainchild of Chief Mike Adenuga, Chairman of Equitorial Bank Plc and ConOil Plc (Moses-Nwagwu, 2007).
However, Globacom Nigeria Plc did not meet all of the NCC’s requirements. Thus, according to Moses-Nwagwu (2007), Globacom’s licence was eventually cancelled, leaving only two foreign-based GSM providers (MTN and Econet) to compete in the Nigerian market.
According to Akabueze (2007), Econet Wireless Nigeria was the first GSM operator in Nigeria, having been formed in 2000. On August 5, 2001, the business made history as Nigeria’s first telecom provider to start commercial GSM services.
It immediately deployed its services and telecoms technology in several Nigerian towns, urban centres, and rural settings—in all the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria (specifically, South-South,
(Southwest, South East, North Central, North East, and North West).
Econet Wireless Nigeria strived to be the first telecoms firm to introduce:
• Free voicemail retrieval.
• Toll-free, 24-hour customer service line (111)
• Free account balance check.
• Begin emergency service (199)
• Monthly airtime bonus.
• Free Sunday calls, etc. (Akabueze, 2007).
Despite all of these accomplishments and growth, MTN quickly surpassed Econet Wireless late in 2001 and has long been regarded as Nigerians’ preferred telecoms firm. Regardless of what Econet accomplished, MTN maintained the pressure and continued to give true business leadership in the Nigerian market.
Econet, in particular, was and continues to be viewed by the majority of Nigerians as a substandard telecoms giant. Econet Wireless Nigeria was second to MTN, and when Globacom re-emerged in 2003, it quickly surpassed Econet Wireless,
placing Econet Wireless in third place. Indeed, as Akabueze (2007) correctly stated, Globacom grew so rapidly in the Nigerian telecoms industry that it was quickly regarded by many as Nigeria’s number one telecoms provider.
Thus, while pundits disagree on which telecoms business came first, Globacom or MTN, there appeared to be no doubt that Econet, the original telecoms company, came in third.
This viewpoint has not altered, even though Econet Wireless Nigeria has changed ownership four times (from Econet Wireless to (1) Vodacom of South Africa’s Telekom in 2003 to
(2) Celtel, a pan-African telecoms behemoth extended over many African countries, in 2006; (4) Zain Communications of Mobile Telecommunications Company, a telecoms major based in Kuwait, in 2008; and currently (5) Airtel Nigeria in 2010.
This is the essence of the project: Airtel Nigeria’s failure to provide quality and effective telecoms services to its consumers while still maintaining market leadership.
Thus, whereas MTN and Globacom, which entered the game late (in 2003), quickly hit the 20 million subscriber level, Airtel Nigeria, the first, took significantly longer to reach that milestone.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Despite being a telecoms behemoth, users still consider Airtel’s services as poor. This is because, as Moses-Nwagwu (2007) stated, telecom customers believe they are being shortchanged in a variety of ways since calls on its network are frequently disrupted and cut off while the conversation is still in progress.
Furthermore, subscribers frequently do not hear each other, and the company still charges the client. Furthermore, SMS messages frequently fail to be delivered, but clients are still charged. Finally, the Airtel Customer Service Unit is not easily available to customers.
Unlike Glo and MTN, Airtel Nigeria lacks an efficient marketing plan on the ground to compete in deploying its products and services from itself to distributors and marketers to the end user of telecom products.
Thus, MTN and Glo have effectively taken and dominated the market. In reality, Etisalat, the new entry in the telecoms industry, is outperforming Airtel Nigeria in terms of marketing and advertising.
Airtel Nigeria’s marketing research team has minimal awareness about its competitors. They do not conduct considerable competitive analysis or intelligence collection (also known as industrial espionage).
Airtel’s management does not give the resources required by its marketing research team to conduct a competitor survey on their (competitors’) strengths and opportunities in the external environment that these competitors use to gain a competitive advantage.
For example, according to Woherem (2007), Glo capitalises on its status as a Nigerian telecoms company to present itself “as a truly Nigerian telecoms industry with the interests of fellow Nigerians at its heart.”
Airtel’s Sales and Marketing Team simply lacks an effective sales management strategy and knowledge to provide effective after-sales services to their customers, as well as to actively seek out new product opportunities for Airtel through effective customer surveys and needs analysis.
Furthermore, the telecommunications industry is currently highly competitive. Because the NCC is awarding more GSM licences to other telecom businesses. NCC has granted licences to two additional telecom firms, Etisalat Communication and Visafone Telecoms.
Each of these competitors is working hard to win the hearts and minds of customers in order to gain their patronage. The current difficulty for Airtel Nigeria is that these two new entrants (Etisalat and Visafone) are vying for a 25-million subscriber base ahead of Airtel Nigeria.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The aims of this investigation are as follows:
1. Determine what defines effective customer service for a typical service-oriented telecoms company, such as Airtel Nigeria.
2. Investigate the functions that marketing tactics may play in influencing customer purchasing behaviour in the modern telecoms business.
3. Determine the impact of marketing research on the expansion of Airtel Nigeria.
4. Determine the importance of excellent customer relationship management as a competitive tool in the telecom business.
1.4 Research Questions.
As a result, this research study will address the following research questions:
1. What qualifies as effective customer service for a typical service-oriented telecoms firm like Airtel Nigeria?
2. How do marketing methods influence customer purchasing behaviour in the current telecoms industry?
3. How does marketing research contribute to the expansion of Airtel Nigeria?
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic