Customer Services and the Consumer Behavior Regarding Mobile Phone Operators in Pakistan

8/4/2019 Customer Services and the Consumer Behavior Regarding Mobile Phone Operators in Pakistan

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2011

SubmittedbyAbdul Rehman

Student ID: 10000739, Group 1.

MBA ADVANCE ENTRY 2010 (Cam

Based)

6/30/2011

Customer services and the consumer behavior regarding mobile

phone operators in Pakistan


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DECLARATION

This work is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MBA and

has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrentlysubmitted in candidature for any degree.

Signed ..Abdul Rehman...

Date ...27-Jun-2011.

STATEME

NT 1This dissertation is the result of my own work and investigations, except where otherwise stated.

Where correction services have been used, the extent and nature of the correction is clearly

marked in a footnote(s).

Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is

appended.


Date ...27-Jun-2011

STATEMENT 2

I hereby give consent for my dissertation, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for

inter-library loan, for deposit in UWICs e-Repository, and that the title and summary may be

available to outside organisations.


Date ...27-Jun-2011


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Abstract:

In the market where competition is very high some times to gain customers companies tend to

forget about their after sales services and put all their focus on intense marketing. This research

work is based upon the market where competition and market itself is growing really fast but

quality of the services is being ignored. This research is about mobile operators in Pakistan where

telecom industry has grown very significantly. It describes the consumer behavior related to the

mobile operators of Pakistan. This research aims to highlight major issues faced by customers. It

also intends to reveal customers services failure by the industry. The research has used

triangulation methodology to collect the data. Data was then analysed to find results. Towards the

end it was concluded and some recommendations were made by the researcher to improve

customer satisfaction level.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1:Page .Introduction 5Background 5

Problemstatement . 6

Aim 6Objectives . 6

Hypothesis 7

Chapter 2:.The Literature Review 7

Introduction 7

Telecommunicationsector in Pakistan ... 8

Mobilink. 8

U-Fone 9

Telenor ... 9

Warid . 9Zong ... 9

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority(PTA) . 10

Annual Cellular Subscribers .. 11

Consumer Behavior 11

Critical Review... 13

Customer Services .. 13

Critical Review... 15

Chapter 3:.Methodology.. 16

Introduction 16ResearchStrategy... 17

Data Collection Methods 17

Sampling 18

Research Limitation Factors .. 19


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Chapter 4:.Introduction .. 19

Results of Customer Survey.. 20

MarketShare .. 20

Age Group .. 21

SamplecharacteristicbyAge . 21Reason for choosingcurrentserviceprovider 22

Duration ofusage ... 23

Servicesthat Customer expects.. 24

Averagemonthlyusageinterms ofcost 25

Participationincustomer satisfactionsurveys ... 27

After saleservices .. 28

Commonlyfacedissuewithcurrentserviceprovider 30

Contactingcustomer supportcenters for issue resolution .. 32

Customer services representative response 33

Process ofgettingproblemsolved . 34

Satisfactionwithcurrentmobile operator services 35Analysisandconclusions ofcustomer survey... 37

SecondaryData from Callcentersand Analysis 38

MobilinkCall Center Record . 38

Telenor Call Center Record ... 39

U-Fone Call Center Record 40

Warid Call Center Record . 41

Zong Call Center Record ... 42

Results of Customer Service EmployeesSurvey... 43

Major issuesand findingshighlightedbycustomer servicesemployees...

44

Major Findingsand Analysis . 45

Chapter 5:.Conclusion & Recommendation 46

Recommendation 47

References .. 48

Questionnaire for Customers . 49

Questionnaire for CustomersService Employees .. 53


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1.INTRODUCTION

IT IS ALWAYS FUN TO FOLLOW AND THEN WRITE ABOUT TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

INDUSTRY, BUT IT IS ALSO A CHALLENGE TO WRITE ABOUT AN INDUSTRY WHEN YOU KNOW THAT IT

WILL CHANGE DRAMATICALLY AS SOON AS YOU HAVE DONE YOUR ANALYSIS.

(KAREN G.STROUSE,2004).

1.1Background:

Regardless of the fast market growth of cellular phone communication the research in customer

satisfaction is still in its initial stages (Aydin & zer, 2006). This fact inspired the researcher to

carry out this constructive research based on Pakistans cellular industry. Geo Business, (2008)

reported that there are over 90 million Mobile phone users currently of a population of 1.8 billion

and yet industry is growing really fast in Pakistan. Majorly five big operators Mobilink, Telenor,

U-Fone, Al-Warid and Zong are working across the country. Mobilink, Telenor and U-Fone

currently hold major share in the market. (Asian-women-magazine, 2009).Whilst other companies

are using aggressive marketing techniques to gain their market share. Aggressive marketing is

being carried out by the existing mobile phone service providers to attract more and

more customers. One of the basic problems that the mobile phone industry faces is high levels of

competition. The arrival of new companies on the scene means that they really now need to

urgently re-evaluate their strategies in order to remain competitive and maintain their market

shares. Mobilink had work very hard in maintaining its customer base and increasing its customer

base due to the serious threat posed by U Fone. Mobilink found that its market share was reduced

by the fact that U Fone had many more competitive packages. U Fone was able to increase its

customer base in a short period of time. The main problem with mobile phone companies is how

to increase their customer base and market share and in continuing to be competitive. But in this

race one thing has totally been forgotten by all these companies after sale services, or customerservices. Apparently all mobile operators promise too much to their customers with their

promotion advertisement and also their slogans but deliver less in the end. Few companies,

researcher personally have worked with tend to forget that selling is not difficult but maintaining a

customer is more difficult and thats where customer services come in handy.


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In Pakistan some minimum standards have been set for all mobile phone operators to follow and

there is a regulatory authority called Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to keep checks

on them. Even then in the race of selling these rules have been forgotten and none of the company

even meets the minimum level of the service. It is also worth mentioning here that every company

individually performs their own customer services surveys and make their own reports to see their

performance.

1.2 Problem statement:

Due to intense marketing and aggressive sales strategies by different mobile operators in Pakistan

it has been noticed that it is a difficult decision for consumers to choose their operator. And also ithas been noticed Operators lack to provide after sale services (Customer services) after winning a

customer. A high number of complaints have been noticed in all major companies, which will be

observed and analyzed in this research.

1.3 Aim:

The scope of the Research is to study consumer behavior regarding the mobile phone operators of

Pakistan and problem faced by them after choosing operator and customer services provided by

service provider to solve customers problem. This research will also help telecommunication

operators to improve their after sale strategies. Researcher also intends to set a minimum standard

and some rules of the customer satisfaction surveys which may help the PTA and companies later

on.

1.4 Objectives:

The following are the main objectives of the research.

y To identify the consumers basic requirements and problems.


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y To find out the drawbacks of intense marketing and not providing proper customer

services.

y To set certain level and standards of customer satisfaction survey performed by

companies.

y To ascertain ways to improve customer services for mobile phone operators.

Secondary Objectives are as follows:

y To identify new areas for telecom sector like Broadband and etc.

y To find solutions for consumers problems from the perspective of existing customers.

y To discover how better after sale services can attract more customers.

1.5 Hypothesis:

According to the researcher point of view, even though the industry is growing at 5% to 10%

annually as mentioned in survey of pual budde pty Ltd, (2010). But still 40% to 50% customers

are not happy with their existing mobile operator. And the key issues are networking Complaints,

bad customer services, Adjustment Charging and low internet speed related issue.

2.The Literature Review

2.1 Introduction:

The measuring of service quality through customer satisfaction was introduced by Parasuraman et

al., (1988). He differentiated between product quality and service quality which resulted in five

model service quality model known as SERVQUAL (Cronin & Taylor, 1992; Parasuraman et al.,

1991). Since then there were many debates and ideas, however many researcher agrees now that

services is a key factor in calculated customer satisfaction. Regardless of the fast market growth


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of cellular phone communication the research in customer satisfaction is still in its initial stages

(Aydin & zer, 2006). According to Brown & Gulycz, (2001) customer satisfaction is a key

factor in retaining customer and stop possible customer churn from any organization. In a

competitive environment with minimum or ignorable switching cost, such as in the

telecommunications sector in Pakistan, the issue of satisfying customer thus becomes vital. (M.

Butt, 2009). The appropriate literature for this research is divided into three parts. First part will

review the current infrastructure of industry and its operations and working in Pakistan, which

will provide a good insight into the industry and its regulatory authority. Furthermore, the

literature is searched about consumer buying behavior, which is reviewed that how different

things impact on it and about its ethical issues. The final part of the literature review would look at

customer services standards and surveys.

2.2 Telecommunication sector in Pakistan:

The following data has been gathered from (PTA, 2000-2011). Telecom sector has grown

appreciably in the last eight to nine years and offers a great prospective for further growth. The

government has open new paths for the private sector to actively engage itself in the provision of

telecom services to the general public both nationally and internationally. To this ends the

government is very much encouraging foreign investors and for this matter they have formulatedan investor-friendly investment policy. This has successfully encouraged the investors to come

and offer services in telecoms sector. In result of which currently five major mobile operators

(Mobilink, U-Fone, Telenor, Al-Warid, and Zong) are working in Pakistan. And PTA is a

governing body which control and regulate them.

2.2.1 Mobilink:

According to PTA (2011), with 32.9 million customers Mobilink is the largest market share

holder in Pakistans mobile industry. It holds approximately 31% of the total market share in

terms if subscribers. It has the largest network coverage. It was founded in 1993 and started its

operation in 1994 (Mobilink, 2011). It was the only GSM service provider till 2001. Mobilink was

trend setter in the industry and had played a vital role in shaping Pakistans telecom industry as it


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ruled the market for 7 years without any competition. Mobilink has more than 15,000 employees

and considered as one of the best networks in Pakistan.

2.2.2 U-Fone:

U-Fone came in existence in January 2001. (U-Fone, 2011) It was Mobilinks first competitor.

According to PTA U-Fone has more than 20.4 million subscribers and hold approximately 19% of

the total market of cellular subscriber (PTA, 2011). It is best known for its VAS (Value added

services) and famous for its economical rates. U-Fone changed the marketing techniques and

created a rivalry in the industry. U-Fone introduced low-priced call charges and better sms

packages to win the market.

2.2.3 Telenor:

Telenor started its commercial operations in March 2005, hence becoming third GSM cellular

service provider in Pakistan. With its vast experience of telecommunication in over 14 countries it

captured Pakistans market very quickly (Telenor, 2011). Telenor started trend of intense

marketing to win the maximum market share. Today due to its aggressive marketing technique

Telenor is 2nd largest mobile operator in Pakistan in terms of its subscriber based. Telenor has

over 26 million cellular subscribers hence approximately holds 24% of the total market. Telenor

provides one of the fastest mobile internet services and is really famous in youth for its TV

commercials.

2.2.4 Warid:

Abu Dhabi Group and SingTel Group started a joint venture in July 2007 in Pakistan with the

name of Warid Telecom (Warid, 2011). Since then it has captured approximately 16% of the

Pakistan market in terms of cellular subscribers with the total of more than 18 million subscribers

(PTA, 2011). Warid Telecom has vast range of packages and is famous for its postpaid Packages

and economical rates. Unlike other companies Warid does not believe in aggressive marketing

and media campaign.


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2.2.5 Zong:

The world largest telecom operator, China Mobile took over a GSM company Paktel in end of

2008 and started their operations in Pakistan with the name of Zong (Zong, 2010). So far they

have captured around 10% of the market share with just over 10 million cellular subscribers(PTA, 2011). Zong also followed the technique of aggressive marketing and launch its strong

media campaign right since beginning of their operations in Pakistan. It is best known for its very

low priced call rates.

2.2.1 PAKISTAN TELECOMMUNICATION AUTHORITY (PTA):

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was formed under the Pakistan Telecommunication

- (Reorganization) Act, 1996. It is a regulatory body, which regulates the establishment, operation

and maintenance of telecommunication services. It also handles complaints against services

provider and ensure that customers gets best for what they pay with a range of choice. Thus with

the establishment of PTA, there is some institution that promotes and protects the interests of

users of telecommunication services in Pakistan. PTA also promotes rapid modernization of

telecommunication systems and telecommunication services (PTA, 2000-2011).

Please find table below for annual cellular subscribers report since 2003,


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Table 2.1: Annual Cellular Subscribers

Mobilink Ufone Zong Telenor Warid Total

2003-04 3,215,989 801,160 470,021 5,022,908

2004-05 7,469,085 2,579,103 924,486 835,727 508,655 12,771,203

2005-06 17,205,555 7,487,005 1,040,503 3,573,660 4,863,138 34,506,557

2006-07 26,466,451 14,014,044 1,024,563 10,701,332 10,620,386 63,159,857

2007-08 32,032,363 18,100,440 3,950,758 18,125,189 15,489,858 88,019,812

2008-09 29,136,839 20,004,707 6,386,571 20,893,129 17,886,736 94,342,030

2009-10 32,202,548 19,549,100 6,704,288 23,798,221 16,931,687 99,185,844

Jul-10 32,264,625 20,087,449 7,018,055 23,786,402 17,039,238 100,195,769

Aug-10 31,777,445 20,182,449 7,249,813 23,743,680 17,085,379 100,038,766

Sep-10 31,444,099 20,236,451 7,453,034 23,836,209 17,164,955 100,134,748

Oct-10 31,453,954 20,187,309 7,785,713 24,121,009 17,167,065 100,715,049

Nov-10 31,544,480 20,192,949 8,028,087 24,401,083 17,474,523 101,641,122

Dec-10 31,794,292 20,275,002 8,497,799 24,692,818 17,517,476 102,777,387

Jan-11 32,106,671 20,374,352 8,881,402 25,056,416 17,587,927 104,006,768

Feb-11 32,499,495 20,368,752 9,201,121 25,388,878 17,693,626 105,151,871

Mar-11 32,706,945 20,415,951 9,757,634 25,753,300 17,806,222 106,440,052Apr-11 32,964,307 20,434,159 10,338,010 26,062,892 18,087,072 107,886,440SCO Cellular Subscribersare 346,762

Source: PTA.gov.pk (2011)


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2.3 Consumer Behavior:

According to (Wayne D. Hoyer and Deborah J. Macinnis, 2008), at just every moment of our

lives we engage in some form of consumer behavior. Buying, using, watching, talking to friend

about any particular product or service or getting rid of used thing or service, everything comes

under consumer behavior. Thus this effects every moment and every aspect of our lives. And it is

influenced by out surroundings and our personality.

ABOVE MENTIONED DIAGRAM IS TAKEN FROM (CONSUMERBEHAVIORBY WAYNE D.

HOYER,DEBORAH J.MACINNIS(2008).PG1)


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According to (Philip Kotler, Gary Armstrong, 2010), Consumer buyer behavior is influenced by

four key sets of buyer characteristics: cultural, social, personal and psychological. These factors

can be useful in identifying fascinated buyers and in shaping products and appeals to serve

consumer needs better. Culture includes the fundamental values, perceptions, preferences, and

behaviors that a person learns from ancestors and other important institutions. Social factors

include a persons reference groups, such as family, friends and other people that strongly affect a

persons decision process. Personal characteristics include buyers age, occupation, life-cycle

stage, economic circumstances and other personal characteristics that influence a persons buying

decision process. Psychological characteristics are motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and

attitudes. Each of these factors provides a different perspective for understanding the buying

decision process.

Philip Kotler, Gary Armstrong (2010) also further adds When making a purchase, the buyer goes

through a decision process consisting of need recognition, information search, and evaluation of

alternatives, purchase decision and post purchase behavior. Buying decision process is used by

marketers to understand the buyers behavior at each stage and the influences that are operating.

2.3.1 Critical Review:

It is mentioned above that consumers decision can be influenced by marketers. Well I do agree

with this statement but it is worth mentioning here that it was an old technique used by marketers.

It was used when consumers were ignorant and used to believe what they see. In this global

village era, it is really hard to change or make up someones mind. That is why even good

marketers have turned towards the pull marketing, now they win customers by the quality and the

value of the product. Push marketing has its back draws in this advance world. If you really push

hard on someone it gets the consumer into suspicion. Therefore as mentioned in introduction as-

well that in this research, researcher will also discuss the aspects of aggressive push marketing by

media advertisement, this is one of the major hit backs of the marketing plan used by Pakistanstelecommunication industry. Though there are some other aspects which will be discussed in

details in result part of the research.


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2.4 Customer Services:

Picture taken from Palma,M, 2006. Greeting YourCustomerRevisited.

According to Karen G. Strouse (2004), Even though telecommunication industry is necessity than

a luxury in ones life but still customers are in charge of this industry. No matter whether you

invest millions or whether you put in your best resources, at the end its consumers who decided

which service provider is better than other and which should grow or remain in the market. In

simple words in this industry its not the engineers of the company who decides about the service

quality its customers.

Even with such an advance technology and very economical services it depends upon customersat the end that which Brand is the leader. Rather with advancement of technology even customers

have become more advanced and educated and ever more demanding. They want everything to be

customized according to their needs now. And the service provider who reckons the need of

masses first will lead the telecommunication industry. Even youre happy and satisfied customer

will churn at a big rate if any of the competitors comes more close to their personal needs. So


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more or less in this competition its more important to know about customers need than to know

how happy he is with service provider.

This can be notified from a small example that in U.S in 1984 AT&T had 90% market share for

long distance and it dropped dramatically to 38% in 2001 due to other competitors entering andfulfilling customers needs. (Karen G. Strouse, 2004). Therefore the provider has to be perfect in

customer services to gain or survive in this industry by saying customer services here does not

only mean answering their calls or providing them quality services it means to even know when

and what customers needs are, and if you remain want a leader in this industry you should know

that when and what will interest consumers in near future. One cannot win by just keeping a

motto that If you are unhappy, we will really feel bad.

Customer satisfaction is another tool to measure your business success. It is important for a business to have customer satisfaction surveys regularly to check where their product/services

stands and to improve them and again to check the reaction or to see if the result is desirable or

not compare surveys and check customer satisfaction level. As illustrated in figure below.

From: Customercentered Telecommunications Services by Strouse,Karen G. (2004)

2.4.1 Critical review:

Though it is really true what is written above but still in real world the scenarios are little

different, in real world we still see a company gaining more customers than other because that


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company is a cost leader. Especially in this recession time when not only companies but

individuals are even trying to cut off all their extra spending and reduce their budgets to the

minimum, the biggest attraction would be cost not facilities. I do agree that there are customers

who go for quality rather than quantity but still they are less in ratio than the customers who will

change their services if they can even save five rupee. Therefore the company with the best

customer services and competitive rates and should not forget, good marketing techniques, can be

a leader in any market.

3.Methodology

3.1 Introduction:

The aim of the research was to find out the behavior and problems faced by mobile consumer and

customer services provided by different service provider in Pakistan, hypothesis already suggest

that the consumers are mostly not happy and to figure out their issues and to check weather

hypothesis are correct or not? A survey was conducted to find out the actual results. Differentpeople who are using different services by different providers were contacted trough emails and

questionnaires and blogs and finally it was analyzed and compared with the data provided by

service providers by using different keys. Due to the time limitation researcher has to be restrict to

smaller number of questionnaire which will be discussed in detail in research limitation section.

Since aim of the research was to not only to identify customers problem but also to find solutions

and set minimum customer services standards for the surveys conducted by companies themselves

and also to suggest ways to improve customer satisfaction level and marketing techniques

therefore another questionnaire was specially design for the employees of all mobile operators

customer services department which were randomly distributed and data were gathered from

them, which will be analyzed in later section. The final resource used to gather data was customer

service call centers. All of the above mentioned methodology is discussed below in more details.


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This research makes use of both primary data and secondary data. Primary data was collected

through questionnaire from customers and employees of cellular operators. Secondary data was

gathered from companies call centers.

3.2 Research Strategy:

Since the research work is based on consumer behavior and customer services provided by the

telecommunication industry in Pakistan therefore the methodology used is the triangulation

method which is a process of combining two or more methodologies at the same time so data

obtain is more accurate and up to the mark, and draw backs of one strategy is covered by other. As

data collected from the different way is more dependable and precise as compared to gather

through one approach. The research therefore uses both types of research approaches, i.e.

qualitative and quantitative methods. James Neil (2007) describes that the quantitative research

has its own advantage of dealing with calculable quantities that means the data is in the form of

figures and statistics. It is also called a deductive approach which helps researchers to draw

specific statement from the wide-ranging theory. For that reason, this research work makes use of

the benefits of this approach by also including the quantitative data about companies. Qualitative

data was collected through semi structured questionnaire which was distributed among employees

of the companies and their customer services managers. At the end all this data was analyzed.

3.3Data Collection Methods:

Without a doubt everyone in their life have filled out the survey, It may be in form off review or

critics on food or an interview at public place, or online comments for a service or product,

surveys are one of the main method to collect primary data. (Jan Wiid, Colin Diggines , 2009, Pg

106)

The researcher makes use of primary data method to collect the data for this research. As by

conducting surveys you can collect both types of data i.e. qualitative data and quantitative data.(Jan Wiid, Colin Diggines, 2009, Pg 106) The survey was conducted by sending a questionnaire

to current mobile users, asking them problem related questions, like their age to see age group,

their mobile operators name, reason for choosing their operator, services they use, their monthly

usage to see how frequent user they are and the major issues they face with their operators and


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type of customer services they get from their operator, etc.. These questionnaires were sent

through emails and researcher did not only rely on this as its really hard to get response on emails

so these questionnaires were also spread on top-up shops where most of the mobile users come to

top up their mobiles. A survey was also conducted on face book to see the popularity of the

companies among customers which will also be included in this research.

Since this research is not only for identifying customers issues but also to set some standards for

customer services surveys conducted by operators themselves and to improve customer

satisfaction level as well, therefore a survey with employees of service providers and customer

services managers were conducted by using semi structured questionnaire to record their point of

view and problem they face on day to day basis.

Questionnaire designed for consumers were all close ended questions which was used to get goodresponse also a lucky prize of Rs 1000 was announced due to which a quick response were shown

by customers. Questionnaire was comprised of 15 questions altogether which were all close ended

because its common observation that people are hesitant to take part in long surveys. . Where as to

get more qualitative data researcher designed semi structured questionnaire for mobile operator

companies employees which included both close and open ended questions.

As it is mentioned in introduction of this chapter that data will be collected from more than one

resource to get the best result also to compare the originality, therefore data was gathered from

call centers as well. This data is based on customers top ten complaints in the month of April

2011. This data will give a good insight on most commonly faced issues by the customers and

their solutions given by the customer services representatives.

3.4 Sampling:

The necessary data require to carry out the research was gathered thorough Three major sources.

One from the consumers directly through a survey in capital city of Pakistan i.e. Islamabad and itssuburbs, 500 questionnaires were distributed in different areas including villages nearby the city

on top up shops. A lucky prize draw of Rs 1000 was announced to get a quick response. All 500

questionnaires were filled and were gathered in one week only and prize money was delivered to

lucky winner. Email survey was send to 500 users to gather data from all other parts of the

country, but just got 11 responses out of 500. Just to see the popularity of the mobile companies a


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poll was set on face book and got 3000 responses on that poll where different users voted for their

favorite service provider. It is mentioned above that research will use more than one source to

gather data so questionnaires designed for customer services employees were equally distributed

among all five companies i.e. 20 questionnaires to each company and employees were picked

randomly in no particular order or post. And all 100 questionnaires were filled and gathered one

by one from different companies again in no particular order. Apart from this data of top ten

complaints for the month of April was gathered from all five companies which will be analyzed

and discussed below in data and analysis section.

3.5 Research Limitation Factors:

Initial plan for the research was to distribute more than 3000 questionnaire in 6 major cities of

Pakistan, to existing mobile users. But due to time limitation it was then brought down to 500

questionnaires which were only distributed in Capital city i.e. Islamabad and its suburbs. These

questionnaires were also sent to different part of the country via emails but the response rate was

very poor. Only 11 people filled and replied out of 500. Due to which researcher decided to have

lucky prize draw for questionnaire sent to top up shops which was success and produced 100%

response.

4.Results and Data Analysis

4.1 Introduction:

In this section quantitative and qualitative data gathered through different sources will be analyzed

in order to find the companies trends and consumer behavior regarding cellular industry. Two

different surveys were conducted to obtain primary data. 500 Questionnaires were distributed

among existing consumers to know their views and 100 questionnaires were distributed among

cellular service provider employees to analyze each companys training and customer services

standards. Secondary data obtained from customer services call centers will also be reviewed and

discussed. Discussion on different results would be made and compared to find results. At the end


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of the analyses proper recommendations would be given to the companies to improve their

customer services experiences and each companys weakness and strengths will be discussed.

4.2 Results ofCustomer Survey:

Having conducted the surveys on different platforms finally 500 questionnaire were collected and

selected to form results. Below are the results found through customer survey:

Market Share:

Figure 4 shows market share of each company found out by customer survey. Out of 500

customers who filled the questionnaire 135 were Telenor users, 111 were Mobilink users, 116

were U-Fone users, 96 were Warid users and 42 were using Zong services.

Figure 4: Sample percentage by company names

Figure 4 does not depict whole Pakistans market as the survey was conducted only in its capital

city.

22.2%

27%23.2%

19.2%

8.4%

Mobilink

TelenorU-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Age Group:

Table 4.1: Sample characteristic by Age

Mobilink Telenor U-Fone Warid Zong

Grand

TotalAge 11 - 20 8 34 24 6 9 81

Age 21 - 30 12 63 48 14 24 161

Age 31 - 40 23 18 23 39 9 112

Age 41 - 50 39 11 16 26 92

Age 51 - 60 29 9 5 11 54

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

Table 4.1 shows results by age group. These results can also be seen in graphical form in figure

4.1 below. It is clear from the graph that Mobilink and Warid are more famous in age 31 and

above where as other services target young audience below the age of 30. The reason for this will

be discussed later in final analysis.

Figure 4.1: Graphical representation of table 4.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Reason for choosing current service provider:

Table 4.2: Reason for choosing current service provider

Topic Mobilink Telenor U-Fone Warid ZongGrandTotal

Best Customer services 23 4 5 32

Good TV commercial 61 30 2 93

Economical call rates 6 10 17 18 6 57

Free offers 8 30 10 18 66

Good internet speed 8 16 7 3 34

Better network quality 46 36 6 88

More Package options 16 37 9 62

Better SMS services 8 18 16 6 48

Any Other 20 20

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

Table 4.2 shows the results that why the customer has chosen their current service provider.

Figure 4.2 is the graphical representation of the data shown in table 4.2

Figure 4.2 Graphical representation oftable 4.2

It is quite clear in figure 4.2 that apart from Mobilink very less number of people chose better

customer services option as the reason to choose their current service provider. And large number

of customer chose Good TV commercial as their reason to choose service provider which is a

clear picture of intense marketing technique.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

bili

Tele or

U-Fo

e

Warid

Zo

g


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Duration ofusage:

Table 4.3: Duration ofusage


Grand

TotalLess than 6 months 4 12 3 8 27

Between 6 months and 1 year 7 16 7 5 15 50

Between 1 year and 2 year 26 20 17 10 7 80

Between 2 year and 3 year 5 22 45 27 12 111

More than 3 years 69 65 44 54 232

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

Table 4.3 shows the duration customers has been with their current service provider. Data in table

4.3 clearly shows that Mobilinks users are more brand loyal than all other services. Figure 4.3

below is graphical representation of the data.


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Services that Customer expects:

Table 4.4: Services that Customer expects

Mobilink Telenor U-Fone Warid ZongGrandTotal

Free SMS 19 11 9 9 48

Free Minutes 14 62 20 10 4 110

Fast Internet 12 4 16 16 7 55

FnF Option 15 7 18 6 46

Low call charges 49 4 8 14 5 80

Better network coverage 4 26 23 31 11 95

Good Customer services 17 9 20 10 6 62

Others 4 4

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

Figure 4.4 is graphical representation of data in table 4.4. It is clear from the graph below that

different service provider is lacking different service like Telenors current user is demanding for

more free minutes and Mobilinks user is asking for lower prices. And 12.4% of the total

responded is demanding for better customer services. 22% of participants were between 11 to 20

years old who always want to save money so maximum response was for free services. It is also

clear from figure 4.4 that people using Telenor and Mobilink are mostly demanding for low calls

rates or free minutes. Therefore we can conclude that these companies have better services but

high call rates.


0

1020

30

40

50

60

70

FreeSMS FreeMinutes

FastInternet

FnFOption

Lowcallcharges

Betternetworkcoverage

GoodCustomerservices

Others

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Average monthly usage in terms ofcost:

Table 4.5: Average monthly usage in terms ofcost


Grand

Total

Between Rs 100 to Rs 199 25 21 12 58

Between Rs 200 to Rs 299 12 24 32 11 14 93

Between Rs 300 to Rs 499 11 38 20 11 16 96

Between Rs 500 to Rs 999 43 19 12 24 98

More than Rs 1000 45 29 31 50 155

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

Table 4.5 shows monthly usage in terms of cost it is seen that Mobilink and Warid users are

spending more than other companies. Also it is noticeable that 31% customers are spending more

than Rs 1000 monthly but still most of them dont get what they pay for.


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Customer satisfaction Survey:

Table 4.6: Participation in customer satisfaction surveys


Grand

TotalNever 44 67 73 42 24 250

Once 28 33 39 40 18 158

More than Once 32 20 4 8 64

Often 7 15 6 28

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

Customers were asked that have they ever been contacted by their mobile service provider to take

part in any customer satisfaction surveys and table 4.6 shows that 50% of the customers were

never been contacted and 31.6% were just contacted once. Whereas in Pakistan it is mandatory forservice provider to conduct customer satisfaction survey every year and present to PTA. Figure

4.6 clearly shows that only very few customer has been contacted more than once for their

feedback on services. We have seen in Figure 4.3 that 46.4% of the customers are with their

current service provider for more than 3 years but yet some have not taken part in any customer

satisfaction survey conducted by their mobile service provider.


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Wa

rid

Zong


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After sale services:

Table 4.7: Customers rating ofafter sales services


Grand

Total

Excellent 20 3 4 27

Good 21 22 30 18 3 94

Average 45 41 48 44 13 191

Poor 14 33 32 20 16 115

Very Poor 11 39 3 10 10 73

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

As it is illustrated in Figure 4.7 that customers are not happy with after sales services, it can be

seen in table 4.7 that 38.2% customers has rated after sales service on average and only 5.4%

customers rated excellent after sales services out of which 74% customers are using Mobilink

services. 23% voted for poor and 14.6% voted for very poor after sales services.


It is easy to predict by looking at figure 4.7 that Mobilink is providing best after sales services

among all the companies. Telenor is rated poor in there after sale services.

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20

30

40

50

60

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Commonly faced issue with current service provider:

Table 4.8: Commonly faced issues


Grand

Total

None 3 5 8

Poor network coverage 8 10 37 41 9 105

Bad voice quality 5 4 9

Delay SMS 8 27 6 10 9 60

Bad internet services 24 22 8 15 4 73

Overcharging 43 27 11 10 15 106

Bad Value added Services

Quality 10 7 5 5 27

Call connectivity issue 18 13 15 4 50

Call drop issue 10 14 25 6 55

Any other 7 7

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

Table 4.8 shows that poor network coverage and overcharging is the most commonly faced issue

among customers. But it is clear from figure 4.8 below that Mobilink and Telenor customers are

satisfied with their network coverage. On the other hand Mobilink and Telenor customers are

facing overcharging issues. Bad internet service call drop and connectivity issues are also amongstmost common faced issues.


05101520253035404550

Mobilink

TelenorU-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Contacting customer support centers for issue resolution:

Table 4.9: Customers support centers connectivity


Grand

Total

Strongly Agreed 21 9 5 10 45

Agreed 44 4 14 17 8 87

Dont know 28 27 35 34 14 138

Disagree 14 53 48 27 14 156

Strongly Disagree 4 42 14 8 6 74

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

It was asked that is it easy to contact customer support centers for issues. 14.8% strongly

disagreed with the statement among them most customers were using Telenor services.31.2%

disagreed and 27.6 % neither agreed nor disagreed again it was noticed that most of Mobilink

users agreed with the statement. Please see graph 4.9 for complete data.


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Customer services representative response:

Customers were asked to rate the response they get from customer services representative and

table 4.10 shows the rating of the customers for all 5 companies.

Table 4.10: Customer service representative response


Grand

Total

Excellent 7 7

Good 23 9 13 14 9 68

Average 52 38 62 34 21 207

Poor 19 40 34 27 6 126

Very Poor 10 48 7 21 6 92

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

41.4% customers rated CSRs response as average and 25.2% rated poor. 18.4 said very poor and

only 13.6% rated CSRs response as good. Mobilink, Zong and Warid were rated average;

Telenor and U-Fone were rated poor.


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Process ofgetting problem solved:

Table 4.11 shows the data of question when customers were asked the experience of getting their

problem through customer support.

Table 4.11: Process ofgetting problem resolved


Grand

Total

Very satisfactory 7 16 13 6 42

Satisfactory 33 19 15 21 88

Average 20 28 36 29 12 125

Poor 37 39 40 25 18 159

Very poor 14 33 12 21 6 86

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

It is clear from the figure 4.11 that most of the customers rated the process of getting their

problem solved as poor or very poor. Only 8.4% customers rated the process very satisfactory,

17.6 rated it satisfactory and 25% rated it on average.31.8% rated it poor 17.2% rated very poor.

Company wise rating is illustrated below in figure 4.11


0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Warid

Zong


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Satisfaction with current mobile operator services:

It was asked that are you satisfied with your decision to use your current operator and table 4.12

shows the response of the customers.

Table 4.12: Satisfaction with selected mobile operator services


Grand

Total

Strongly Agreed 18 27 10 55

Agreed 23 27 33 26 11 120

Dont know 29 55 30 35 19 168

Disagree 29 22 35 35 12 133

Strongly Disagree 12 4 8 24

Grand Total 111 135 116 96 42 500

It was observed that 11% customers strongly agreed to the statement, 24% rated agreed, 33.6%

neither agreed nor disagreed, 26.6% disagreed and only4.8% strongly disagreed. Figure 4.12

below shows the company wise rating of customer response to above asked question.


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Mobilink

Telenor

U-Fone

Warid

Zong


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4.2.13: Analysis and conclusions ofcustomer survey:

Results of customer survey highlight some interesting facts. Every company has its own strengths

and weaknesses at the same time. There are few common problem faced by users of all the

companies in Pakistan. Some of the major findings of the survey are as below

By studying figure 4.2.1 and figure 4.2.2 researcher found out that U-Fone and Telenor are most

popular among young people. And the reason they mention to choose their service provider is

good TV commercial. It clearly indicates the effect of marketing on young minds and at the same

time if you look into further graphs it is clear that customers of both the companies are not

satisfied with their coverage and after sales services. Customers are facing many issues specially it

is worth mentioning here that in figure 4.2.9 it is clear that customers are not happy with their

customer services call centers and representatives performances as well. Common perception isthat they just do not resolve or handle the issues properly and their staff is not even properly

trained.

Unlike U-Fone and Telenor, Mobilink and Warid are more famous in age of 30 and above. Most

Mobilink users choose their operator because of better network coverage and better customer

services. Warid users stated their reason to choose Warid services as more package options and

better SMS services. Still many Warid customers did complaint about its network coverage.

Looking at figure 4.2.5 it is clear that maximum of Warid and Mobilink users are paying

comparatively high bills. And latter in the survey it was discovered that a very high number of

Mobilink users complaint about overcharging and Warid users are not satisfied with the way call

center handles and process their complaints.

Zong is not still really popular in Pakistan as it is clear from results above and also PTA record

shows that it still hasnt captured 10% of total market but it was noticed in this research that

young people of age less than 30 years are buying Zong services. The reason given by most Zong

user for their selection was free offers and low call rates. It also has been noticed in survey that

Zong users are all new and their usage are really low in terms of money. Also it has been noticed

that customers are not very happy with Zong services and number of complaints are really high.


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4.3 Secondary Data from Call centers and Analysis:

Since research methodology is triangulation so data was not only gathered from one source.

Primary data were gathered from customers through questionnaires and secondary data were

gathered through customer services call centers. Their data for Top ten complaints for the first 10

days of May 2011 were taken and analysed to compare the results and to make recommendation

for customer services improvement. Please find below the record from all five cellular providers

in Pakistan and it will be discussed one by one.

4.3.1 Mobilink Call Center Record:

Figure 4.3.1: Mobilink Top Ten Complaints

Figure 4.3.1 shows graphical representation of Mobilinks top ten complaints for first 10 days of

May 2011. On X-axis its name of the complaint and on Y-axis its their number in total for 10

0

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400

600

800

1000

1200

Complaints for first 10 days of May'11


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days. Mobilink is the oldest and considered to be one of the best companies for its services but

still as graph shows that numbers of complaints are still considerably high. Top complaint is here

is overcharging complaint. In our customer survey it was found out that most of the Mobilink

users did complaint about overcharging, therefore it verifies that Mobilink users are facing

overcharging issue. Its reasons and resolution will be discussed later in findings and

recommendation part.

4.3.2: Telenor Call Center Record:

Figure 4.3.2: Telenor Top Ten Complaints

Figure 4.3.2 is a graphical representation of the data gathered from Telenor call center. Telenor isthe fasts growing network in Pakistan and have their own network in over 13 countries in the

world. Even Telenor with its vast experience could not provide best services in Pakistan it is clear

from the graph that number of complaints are really high. Again it is noticeable in figure 4.3.2 that

the top complaint is overcharging. Internet related, SMS delay and call connectivity complaints

are also considerably high. If we compare these stats with our customer survey it is clear that

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200



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Telenor customers did mention these issues as commonly faced issues it can be seen in figure 4.8

aswell.

4.3.3U-Fone Call Center Record:

Figure 4.3.3: U-Fone Top Ten Complaints

Figure 4.3.3 shows top ten complaints for the first 10 day of May 2011 taken from U-Fone call

center. Graph shows Complaints on X-axis and Their number in total for ten day on Y-axis.

Overcharging and call connectivity issues are the top complaints and their numbers are really

high. U-Fone was established in 2001 and its been ten years they are into the business but through

these survey it was found out that they still have some major issues with their network as there

call connectivity complaints are very high which is also clear from our customer survey in figure

4.8. Reason and recommendation on this will be discussed later is findings and recommendations

section.

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500

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700



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4.3.4: Warid Call Center Record:

Figure

4.3.4: Warid Top Ten Complaints

Unlike other companies figure 4.3.4 shows that Warid does not face overcharging issue and their

number of complaints are also considerably low. But yet its not ignorable as we can see in graph

that call connectivity, Internet related and coverage complaints are high. Figure 4.8 shows

customer survey response and it can be seen that customers also complaint about network and

internet. Warid customers are comparatively satisfied with their customer services and it is

because it has a low subscriber base in comparison with its competitors and also their users are

high revenue customers it can be seen in figure 4.4 above where customers were asked about their

monthly usage.

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200

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400

500

600



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4.3.5: Zong Call Center Record:

Figure

4.3.5: Zong Top Ten Complaints

Figure 4.3.5 shows the complaint record from Zong call center. It is clear from the graph that

number of complaints are very high considering the fact that Zong has lowest subscriber based in

Pakistan. There are approximately 6000 complaints of amount reversal complaints (wrongly

charged and reversed on complaint) in 10 days. This is way too high in comparison to any other

company. Customer survey report and graphs also shows that Zong users are not very pleased

from their services. Zong users are also not high revenue generator which can be seen in figure

4.4. To compete and capture the market Zong has to take some serious steps.

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Complaints for first 10 days ofMay'11


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4.4: Results ofCustomer Service Employees Survey:

Researcher used a mixture of open and close ended questions to perform a qualitative research for

customer services employees of cellular companies. Questionnaire was distributed randomly to 10

employees of each company. Since it has both Close and open ended questions so Table 4.4.1

shows the response of all close ended questions (Please see Annex 1 for questionnaire)

Table 4.4.1: Data for employee survey

Mobilink Telenor U-Fone Warid Zon

How many customers do you serve daily? 20 to 39 10% 0% 0% 0% 0

40 to 59 0% 0% 0% 10% 0

60 to 79 10% 0% 20% 50% 0

80 to 99 30% 30% 0% 10% 20

100 or more 50% 70% 80% 30% 80

Do you receive customer services training on

regular basis? Yes 60% 70% 70% 40% 10

No 40% 30% 30% 60% 90

Do you have any kind of spot checks on you

by the company? Yes 80% 60% 20% 60% 50

No 20% 40% 80% 40% 50

Do you receive your feedback from yourmanagers on regular basis? Yes 40% 20% 30% 40% 30

No 10% 10% 30% 20% 10

Sometimes 50% 70% 40% 40% 60

Are you satisfied with the processes used by

your company to handle customer

complaints? Yes 40% 30% 50% 70% 20

No 60% 70% 50% 30% 80

How many problems do you solve on average,

each day faced by your customers? 20 to 39 0% 10% 10% 0% 1040 to 59 20% 0% 10% 20% 40

60 to 79 10% 10% 30% 40% 0

80 to 99 40% 30% 20% 30% 30

100 or more 30% 50% 30% 10% 20

The data shown in Table 4.4.1 is percentage of people selected given option.


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From in depth study of open ended questions and discussions with customer services employees,

few major points were identified which are listed in Table 4.4.2.

Table 4.4.2: Major issues and findings highlighted by customer services employees

Targets &

Work Load

y Targets given to customer services employees are very high.

y On average one customer service representative almost deals more than

100 customers on shift of 8 hours.

y Performance is measured by quantity of the calls not on quality.

y Work load on customer service representative are very high.

y On average customer service representative just get 6 minutes to deal with

one complaint which is not sufficient.

Training &

Feed backs

y Trainings are not given on regular basis.

y Product knowledge is more focused in trainings than customer handling.

y There are no proper spot checks on Customer service representatives

y Managers are also busy in handling customers due to extra work load so no

proper feed backs are given to CSR by their managers.

Complaint handling

process

y Processes are very lengthy and involve too many departments.

y They are defined on general scenarios and every customer has different

issues, therefore does not accommodate every customer in right manner.

y Unnecessary Criterias has been defined by the companies to launch

complaints which annoy customers.

y CSR has to follow company laws and cannot make business decision to

accommodate customers.

General complaints

&

Their solution

y Overcharging is one of the major issued faces by customers and it happens

because of system bug, which can easily be fixed.

y New promotions must be tested before launch to avoid instant increase incustomer complaints.

y Connections should be sold according to network capacity to avoid

network related complaints.


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4.5Major Findings and Analysis:

From all the data gathered and analysed research found some key issues and their solutions which

are as follows:

y Number of complaints is very high.

y Main complaints are overcharging, Network issues, bad internet services and poor

customer services.

y High number of customers is not satisfied with their current service provider.

y Customers are demanding more value for their money.

y Customers face great difficulty to get their problem solved.

y Companies need to re define the process of solving customers major complaints.

y After making their sale, companies did not bother to ask customers if they were satisfied.

y Customer services employees do not get proper customer handling training.

y Customer services employees do not have strict check on them in terms of their behavior

towards customers.

y Call rates of some companies are high.

y Companies are over selling their connections, which create network congestion and call

connectivity issue.

y Marketing department should coordinate with customer services department before

launching any new product or promotions.

y To avoid high number of complaints marketing department should perform proper soft

launch and should check the promotion or product quality.

y All the major complaints should be resolved and companies must find root causes for the

complaints and they must be fixed on priority bases.

y Work load on customer services department is very high, which have great impact on

satisfaction level.

y Managers should be trained to groom and motivate their teams.


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5.Conclusion & Recommendation

The results revealed that customers are not satisfied and this research shows that companies do notfulfill their basic requirement. The findings support the hypothesis of this research. Consumers

basic problems are call connectivity, network related issues, bad internet services and

overcharging. The solutions to these problems are simple but still overlooked by the companies as

they are busy racing to win new customers with aggressive marketing campaigns.

The need of the time is to focus more on customer satisfaction. American Express global customer

service barometer, a survey conducted by in nine countries revealed that better customer services

is vital for both business survival and growth (American express, 2011). To retains existingcustomers for long term and to attract new customers it is important that cellular companies

should start focusing equally on customer services as they do on marketing. With the latest PTA

facility of mobile number portability (MNP) customers can easily change their service provider

without losing their number. Unsatisfied customer will never stay with the company for long now.

Therefore company with better customer satisfaction and best customer services will win more

customer than a company with aggressive marketing technique but poor after sale services.

This research has considerable suggestions for the cellular service provider. This industry inPakistan must start their own unprejudiced customer satisfaction surveys to improve their service

quality and to attract supplementary customers. The customer satisfaction surveys conducted to

perform this research can be used to formulate a model survey. Last but not the least customer

service staff should have professional training to help the customer and to improve the complaint

resolving process.

This research also reveals that there is a huge market need to provide new packages to attract new

and existing customers. It has been noticed that none of the company provide any kind of bundleoffers like cellular providers to in other countries. By introducing pay monthly packages and

handset offers a big market can be captured in Pakistan.


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Recommendation:

Research has its own limitations; the sample size was not true representative of the total market as

research was only conducting in capital city. Therefore a bigger sample size which covers all the

areas of Pakistan will better authenticate the results shown in this research. Moreover it is better to

cover individual company than whole as a market because all the companies have their own

positive and negative point. A replica of this research can be produced with focus on one company

at a time.

References

Strouse, Karen G. (2004) Customercentered Telecommunications Services Marketing

Norwood:Artech House, INC.

Aydin, S., & zer, G. (2006). How switching costs affect subscriber loyalty in the Turkish

Mobile phone market: An exploratory study. Journal of Targeting, Measurement and

Analysis for Marketing, 14(2): 141 - 155.

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). Servqual: A multiple-item scale

formeasuring consumerperceptions of service quality. 64(spring), 12-40.

Parasuraman, A., Ziethaml, V., & Berry, L. L. (1991). Understanding customer

expectations of service. Sloan Management Review, Spring, 39-48.

Brown, S. A., & Gulycz, M. (2001). Customer relationship management: A strategic

imperative in the world of e-business: New York: Wiley.

Mohsin Butt, M. (2009).Modeling customer satisfaction in cellularphone services.Jurnal

Kemanusiaan. 13 (1), p79-93.


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PTA.(2011). Telecom. Available:

http://www.pta.gov.pk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=51.

Last accessed 21st Jun 2011.

Mobilink.(2011).About Orascom Telecom. Available:

Http://www.mobilinkgsm.com/about/orascom.php. Last accessed 20th Jun 2011.

U-Fone. (2011). Company profile. Available: http://www.ufone.com/about.aspx. Last

accessed 22nd Jun 2011.

Telenor. (2011). History. Available: http://www.telenor.com.pk/about/history.php.

Last accessed 20th Jun 2011.

Warid. (2011).About Warid. Available: http://www.waridtel.com/about/index.php.

Last accessed 20th Jun 2011.

Zong. (2010). China Mobile Pakistan. Available:

http://www.zong.com.pk/aboutus_cmpak.html. Last accessed 20th Jun 2011.

PTA.(2011). Telecom indicators. Available:

http://www.pta.gov.pk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=269:telecom-

indicators&catid=124:industry-report&Itemid=599. Last accessed 21st Jun 2011.

American Express, 2011.Global CustomerService Barometer, Press release, 27th June

2011.

Geo Business, (2008) Numberof mobile users in Pakistan reaches 90 million[Online].Available at: http://www.geo.tv/7-23-2008/21286.htm [Accessed: 24 FEB 2011].


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Asian Women Magazine, 2009. Mobile Phone Companies in Pakistan Asian-Women-

Magazine,[Online] Available at: http://www.asian-women-

magazine.com/pakistan/mobile-phone/companies.php [Accessed: 24 FEB 2011].

Paul Budde Communication pty Ltd, 2010.Pakistan - Key Statistics, Telecom Market and

Regulatory Overviews, and FixedNetworkOperators, Research and Market [Online].

Available at: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110130005050/en/Research-

Markets-Pakistan---Key-Statistics-Telecom [Accessed 24 FEB 2011]

http://www.pta.gov.pk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=51,(2000-2011) [Accessed: 25 FEB 2011]

Wayne D. Hoyer and Deborah J. Macinnis. (2008) ConsumerBehaviour5th Ed. Mason:

South-Western.

Kotler.P, Armstrong.G. (2010)Principles of MarketingGlobal Ed. New Jersey: Pearson

Prentice Hall.

Palma,M, 2006. Greeting YourCustomerRevisited. [Electronic Print] Available at:

http://www.customersarealways.com/2006/03/greeting_your_customer_revisit.html

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2nd Mar 2011].


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Wiid.j, Diggines.C. (2009)Marketing Research Cape Town: Juta and Company Ltd.

General Ideas are also taken from Different mobiles websites.


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ANNEX 1

Questionnaire for Customers

y Fill in and return this questionnaire to the Shopkeeper and be entered into a lucky prize draw to win a

cash prize of Rs 5000.

y Please circle the appropriate option/options.

Age: _______

Gender: Male / Female

1. Which mobile service provider do you prefer/use?

1. Mobilink

2. U-Fone

3. Warid

4. Telenor

5. Zong

2. What is the reason for choosing your current service provider? (Choose all that apply)

1. Best Customer services

2. Good TV commercial

3. Economical call rates

4. Free offers

5. Good internet speed

6. Better network quality

7. More Package options

8. Better SMS services

9. Any Other (Please specify) __________________________

3. How long have you been with your current mobile service provider?

1. Less than 6 months

2. Between 6 months and 1 year

3. Between 1 year and 2 year

4. Between 2 year and 3 year

5. More than 3 years


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4. What specific services do you expect, or need from your current service provider?

1. Free SMS

2. Free Minutes

3. Fast Internet

4. FnF Option

5. Low call charges

6. Better network coverage

7. Good Customer services

8. Others (Please specify)...................

5. Please choose your average monthly usage in cost?

1. Between Rs 100 to Rs 199




5. Rs 1000 or more

6. Have you ever taken part in any customer satisfaction surveys conducted by your mobile service provider?

1. Never

2. Once

3. More than Once

4. Often

5. Very Often

7. How will you rate after sales services provided by your mobile service provider?

1. Excellent

2. Good

3. Average

4. Poor

5. Very Poor


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8. Are there any commonly faced issues with your current mobile operator services? Ifso please choose from

the list below:

1. None

2. Poor network coverage

3. Bad voice quality

4. Delay SMS

5. Bad internet services

6. Overcharging

7. Bad Value added Services Quality

8. Call connectivity issue

9. Call drop issue

10. Any other (Please specify) _____________

9. It is always easy to contact customer support centers ofyour current mobile operator regarding your issues?

1. Strongly Agreed

2. Agreed

3. Dont know

4. Disagree

5. Strongly Disagree

10. What kind ofresponse you receive from customer services representative?

1. Excellent2. Good

3. Average

4. Poor

5. Very Poor

11. The process ofgetting your problem solved through customer support was?

1.

Very satisfactory2. Satisfactory

3. Average

4. Poor

5. Very poor


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12. You are satisfied with your decision to use your selected mobile operator services?

1. Strongly Agreed

2. Agreed

3. Dont know

4. Disagree

5. Strongly Disagree


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Questionnaire for Customers Service Employees

Company Name: _____________

Department: _________________

Designation: _________________

Service Duration: _____________

1. How many customers do you serve on daily basis?

y 20 to 39

y 40 to 59

y 60 to 79

y 80 to 99

y 100 or more

2. Is there any target given by company in terms of time to handle one customer?

y _______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

3.Do you receive any kind ofcustomer services training on regular basis?

y Yes

y No

(If the answer is NO please go to question 6)

4. Ifanswer is Yes to above question than can you state the kind and benefits of the training?

y _______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________


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5. Ifyou answered YES to question 3 please state, do you think training given on customer handling is e fficient

enough and help in real life scenarios?

y Yes

y No

6.Do you have any kind ofspot checks on you by the company?

y Yes

y No

y Sometimes

7.Do you receive your feedbackfrom your managers on regular basis?

y Yes

y No

y Sometimes

8. How do you respond to a customer who is trying to launch a false complaint?

y _______________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

9. Are you satisfied with the processes used by your company to handle customer complaints?

y Yes

y No

10. Ifanswer is No in above question then please mention what changes would you like in complaint handling

process?

y _______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________


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11. How many problems do you resolve on average each day faced by your customers?

y 20 to 39

y 40 to 59

y 60 to 79

y 80 to 99

y 100 or more

12. What are the common problems mentioned by your customers?

None

Bad customer services

Poor network coverage

Bad voice quality

Delay SMS Bad internet services

Overcharging

Bad Value added Services Quality

Call connectivity issue

Call drop issue

Any other (Please specify) _____________

13.For question 12 how ifat all does the company try to minimize those problems?

y_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

14.Do you get detailed information about the new offers and packages launched by the company?

y _____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

Documents

Customer Services and the Consumer Behavior Regarding Mobile Phone Operators in Pakistan