C.S.ARTICLE NO.1

7/29/2019 C.S.ARTICLE NO.1

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A STUDY ON CUSTOMERS SATISFACTION TOWARDS

BSNL LANDLINE SERVICES IN HYDERABAD CITY,ANDHRAPRADESH

ABSTRACT

The customer satisfaction is the main goal of every business organization. In this competitive

business scenario each and every activity starts and ends with the customer. In the present scenario,the telecommunication is lifeblood for every business activities. Even in this industry there prevailsa stiff competition between the service providers. The objectives of the study are to study thecustomer satisfaction level towards BSNL landline services; the influence of demographic variablesof the respondents; usage level of various BSNL schemes; the operational performance; The majorpurpose of descriptive research is description of state of affairs, as it exists at present. Simplerandom sampling method is used to collect data. The size of the sample is 200. The respondents ofthe study are part of population of Hyderabad city. Both primary and secondary data is used. Thedata has been mainly analyzed by using the Weighted Average Method, Ranking Method and Chi Square Test. most of the respondents are not much satisfied with the features of the phone providedby BSNL when compare to other private landline providers, significant weight age should be givenby the BSNL. Most of the respondents are not aware of various schemes. It is identified that the

service provided by BSNL is at satisfactory level to the respondents. But most of the respondentsare not satisfied with the features of the phone. BSNL should focus on the promotional measures asequal to the private service providers to enhance their service activity to satisfy their customers.

KEYWORDS: Telecommunication, Demographic variables, Landline services, Promotionalmeasures and Customer satisfaction.______________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION

Telecommunication is recognized, world over, as a key factor in the development of social,

economic, commercial and cultural activities. The development of telecommunicationinfrastructure is likely to play a greater role in meeting the diverse needs of people and improvingtheir quality of life through inter-linked development of many other sectors. The termTelecommunication in ITU parlance covers a very wide variety of services such as sound &television broadcasting, space communications, aeronautical and maritime mobile communications,radio-location and radio-navigation systems, radio astronomy, meteorological aids and services,radio amateurs, etc, besides the public telecommunications services. There are largetelecommunication networks belonging to railways, defence and para-military organizations, lawand order services (police etc), public utility organizations like electricity grids, transportorganizations, municipal services, national and international telecommunications service providers both government and private, civil aviation department and airlines, shipping & port authorities,sound and TV broadcasting organizations, meteorological department, oil exploration, processing

and distribution companies, large private companies, etc.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Customer Satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products and services suppliedby a company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key performance indicatorwithin business and is part of the four perspectives of a Balanced Scorecard.In a competitivemarketplace where businesses compete for customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a keydifferentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy.There is a substantialbody of empirical literature that establishes the benefits of customer satisfaction for firms.


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MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION:

Customer Satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products and services suppliedby a company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key performance indicatorwithin business and is part of the four perspectives of a Balanced Scorecard.In a competitivemarketplace where businesses compete for customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a keydifferentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy.

CUSTOMER SERVICE PLAN

Maintaining an effective customer service program is one of the biggest challenges faced bymanagers in the current environment. Today, managers are faced with cutbacks in personnel,workforce reshaping, and lack of funds for adequate training. These constraints, although serious,must not be allowed to compromise customer service. Developing an effective customer serviceplan and instilling a commitment to it within the organization are key to the management process.

Once developed and implemented, the plan helps to overcome other obstacles. Successbreeds success, and in the service business there is no greater success than a satisfied customer.Therefore, managers should always consider the impact of how an effective customer service plan

can help them to meet their goals.

Enlightened managers fully recognize the relationship between a sense of ownership andpositive results. Organizations may vary greatly in their methods to establish and maintain acustomer service plan, but individual loyalty to the concept and personal effort ensure its success.This requires the enthusiastic involvement and support of top management, as well as the activesolicitation and input of ideas from all members of the organization.

Once in place, the plan becomes a framework to evaluate the effectiveness of theorganization to meet customer needs and provides a standard for recognizing individualperformance. It should be tailored to meet the goals and objectives of the organization and shouldidentify a way to measure and evaluate results.

Clearly defined objectives provide the parameters and are essential for evaluatingperformance. For example, measuring planned against actual accomplishments indicates whetherobjectives are met and provides information on the validity of the process.

Feedback from customers provides a valuable tool for measuring customer satisfactionrelative to the professionalism of the provider and the relevance and timeliness of the service.

As with any plan, be realistic, periodically review, and make adjustments when necessary.Think of the plan as being cyclical: define, schedule, allocate, oversee, measure, and modify orchange. Define objectives, schedule times, allocate resources, oversee the process, define a meansto measure and evaluate, and finally, modify or change. The objective is not to achieve perfection

at the outset, but to provide a framework for building and improving as you progress toward arealistic and workable plan.

Starting out with a simple plan is easier to implement and allows for more flexibility; detailscan be added later. The validity of the plan to reach the objectives should be reviewed duringvarious stages. Consider lessons learned, and don't hesitate to incorporate changes based onfindings from milestone reviews.

As a customer service plan develops, there will be to encounter challenges. We plan tosucceed when outlining a strategy to implement our goals, and we must include within that strategya plan to overcome obstacles. Lack of funds for training is a significant challenge for managerstoday, but most will agree that training is an integral part of performance. So a strategy to


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overcome this obstacle might include looking within our own organizations for answers.

There are individuals within most organizations who have a depth of institutionalknowledge as well as organizational expertise. These individuals will no doubt be very familiarwith the organization's goals and objectives and will be instrumental in developing the customerservice plan. As these experienced individuals train and mentor less experienced members, many ofthe organizational training objectives are accomplished in-house. As with other objectives, theresults of measuring and evaluating the training plan provide a basis to recognize and reward

motivation and promote success.

Implemented correctly, an effective customer service plan leads to a more effective andefficient workforce. Invaluable knowledge and skills are gained by search--problem solving is anatural result. Likewise, we gain a greater understanding of what we do and how it impacts others.Inherent in the process, we learn what others need from us and how we can support them in theirefforts to improve customer service.

The ultimate reward for management is customer satisfaction provided by a skilledand committed workforce able to solve problems and understand the importance of

effective customer service.

NEED FOR THE STUDY

The customer satisfaction is the main goal of every business organization. In this

competitive business scenario each and every activity starts and ends with the customer. In thepresent scenario, the telecommunication is lifeblood for every business activities. Even in this

industry there prevails a stiff competition between the service providers. In spite of a well-established network and infrastructure supporting, certain service providers werent able to root

their footsteps in the market due to lack in customer service and satisfaction. Due to this theirpromotional initiatives havent yielded fruitful results. Since there is a marginal difference

between the services rendered, there is more possibility for the subscriber to switch from one

service provider to another based on their satisfaction. So it is very essential for the serviceprovider to understand the influence of various demographic variables that influence thesatisfaction level to win the hearts of the customers. This study could aid the BSNL with respect

to their enhancement.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To study the customer satisfaction level towards landline service provided by BSNL.

To study the influence of demographic variables of the respondents.

To find out usage level of various schemes provided by BSNL.

To identify the operational performance of BSNL.

To identify the satisfaction level of customer services provided by BSNL.

To identify the customers opinion about BSNL

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY


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The area of study is limited to Hyderabad city only; hence the results may not be true for

othergeographical areas.

Validity & Reliability of the data are obtained depends on the responses from the

customer.

Structured questionnaire are base for collecting the data, it may have disadvantages of notbeing to probe deep into the respondents thoughts.

The time at the disposal of the researcher is limited.

The size of the sample comparing to the population is very less and hence it will not

represent the whole population.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problems. It explains the varioussteps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying the research problem with logic behindthem.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The research design is the basic framework or a plan for a study that guides the collection ofdata and analysis of data. In this market survey the design used is useddescriptive research design.It includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptiveresearch is description of state of affairs, as it exists at present.The information are collected fromthe individuals and analyzed with the help of different statistical tools, to find the satisfaction levelof customer.Moreover cross table analysis has been done for processing the data and information is

derived to attain the objectives of the study.

POPULATION

Since the population of Hyderabad city is large in number, researcher was unable to collectinformation from all individuals due to limitation of time. So part of the population is taken foranalyzing and generating the findings, which is applicable for total population.

SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

Simple random sampling method is used to collect data. Data has been collected from thesample chosen from the directory randomly.

SAMPLE SIZE

The size of the sample is 200, and factors to be considered are time, cost and effectivenessetc. The study was conducted during the period of May 2011 to July 2011.

SAMPLE UNIT

The respondents of the study are part of population of Hyderabad city. Each individual isconsidered to be the sampling unit

DATA COLLECTION


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The collection of data is considered to be one of the most important aspects in the researchmethodology. Both primary and secondary data is used in this study in order to meet therequirements of the purpose.

PRIMARY DATA

Under this study primary data was collected by using structured questionnaire. The structuredquestionnaire consists of both open-ended and closed-ended questions. The primary data has beencollected through the questionnaire by means of personal interview. Thequestionnaire consists of number of questions printed in a definite order on a form. The primarydata was collected from individuals residing in Hyderabad city, with the help of questionnaire.

SECONDARY DATA

The secondary data are sourced from various telecommunication websites, Magazines,Books, Pamphlets, and Periodical Surveys etc.

STATISTICAL TOOLS USED FOR THE STUDY

The data has been mainly analyzed by using the following methods and tests.

Weighted Average Method

Ranking Method

Chi Square Test

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

TABLE NO.1: SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO THE BASIC SERVICES

PROVIDED BY BSNL

Particulars Weightage score Rank

Getting a new phone connection after submitting our application 846 II

Call connectivity (Local, STD/ISD) 831 III

Voice clarity while communicating 897 I

Features of the phone 792 IV

Rent/free various tariff package 766 V

It is inferred from the above table that the factor voice clarity while communicating, getsfirst rank, second and third rank goes to the factor Getting a new phone connection aftersubmitting the application and Call connectivity (Local, STD/ISD) respectively. Fourth andlast rank goes to the factor Features of the phone and Rent/free various tariff packagerespectively.It is concluded from the analysis that maximum of the respondents opinion thatBSNL provides best voice clarity while communicating.

TABLE NO.2: SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO THE BILLING

SERVICES PROVIDED BY BSNL


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Billing Services factors Weightage score Rank

Local call tariff rates 769 V

STD/ISD call tariff rates 747 VI

Mode of payment 803 II

Issuing duplicate bills 771 IV

Issuing itemized bills 797 III

Delivery of bills 841 I

It is identified from the above table that the factor Delivery of bills gets the firstrank, the second and third rank goes to the factors mode of payment and issuingitemized bills respectively. Fourth and fifth rank goes to the factor Issuing duplicatebills and Local call tariff rates respectively. Last rank goes to the factor STD/ISD call

tariff rates.It is concluded from the analysis that maximum numbers of the respondentsare satisfied with Delivery of bills.

TABLE NO.3: SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO THE CUSTOMER



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TABLE NO.2: SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO THE BILLING


Billing Services factors Weightage score Rank

Local call tariff rates 769 V

STD/ISD call tariff rates 747 VI

Mode of payment 803 II

Issuing duplicate bills 771 IV

Issuing itemized bills 797 III

Delivery of bills 841 I

It is identified from the above table that the factor Delivery of bills gets the firstrank, the second and third rank goes to the factors mode of payment and issuingitemized bills respectively. Fourth and fifth rank goes to the factor Issuing duplicatebills and Local call tariff rates respectively. Last rank goes to the factor STD/ISD calltariff rates. It is concluded from the analysis that maximum numbers of the respondentsare satisfied with Delivery of bills.

TABLE NO.3: SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO THE CUSTOMER


Customer Service Factors Weightage score Rank

Attitude of staff and response to their queries 902 I

Providing information about the new schemes / services 778 III

Transfer of phone connection 748 VI

Call waiting facility 707 VII

Call divert option 654 IX

Caller ID facility 632 X

Dynamic locking facility 691 VIII

Bill collection centers 837 II

Fault complaint redressal 759 IV

Other general complaint redressal 752 V


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It is understood from the above table that the factor Attitude of staff and response to theirqueries is the best service and it ranked first by the respondents with score of 902 points. Secondand third rank goes to the factor Bill collection centers and Providing information about thenew schemes / services with score of 837 and 778 points. Fourth and fifth rank goes to thefactor Fault complaint redressal and other general complaint redressal with score of 759 and752 points. Sixth and seventh rank goes to the factor Transfer of phone connection and Callwaiting facility with score of 748 and 707 points. Eighth and ninth rank goes to the factorDynamic locking facility and Call divert option with score of 691 and 654 points. Last rankgoes to the factor Caller ID facility with score of 632 points. It is concluded from the analysisthat maximum numbers of the respondents are satisfied with Attitude of the staff and responseto the queries.

TABLE NO.4: AGE AND OVERALL SATISFACTION LEVEL TOWARDSBSNL

LANDLINE SERVICES

Level of Satisfaction of BSNL Landline ServicesAge Total

Highly satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied

Below 27 years 1 47 10 1 59

27 to 35 years 9 51 8 2 70

Above 35 years 4 50 17 0 71

Total 14 148 35 3 200

Null Hypothesis (H0)-There is no significant relationship between age and overall level ofsatisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1)-There is close relationship between age and overall level ofsatisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Calculated2

value: 11.491; Table value: 12.592

From the above analysis, we find that the calculated2value of is lesser than the table value and

hence, the null hypothesis accepted. Hence, there is a no significant relationship between age andoverall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

TABLE NO.5: GENDER AND OVERALL SATISFACTION LEVEL TOWARDSBSNL

LANDLINE SERVICES

Level of Satisfaction of BSNL Landline ServicesGender Total


Male 14 102 25 2 143

Female 0 46 10 1 57

Total 14 148 35 3 200


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Null Hypothesis (H0)-There is no significant relationship between gender and overall level ofsatisfaction t towards BSNL landline service.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1) - There is close relationship between gender and overall level ofsatisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Calculated

2


From the above analysis, we find that the calculated value of2is lesser than the table value and

hence, the null hypothesis accepted. So, there is a no significant relationship between gender andoverall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

TABLE NO.6: EDUCATIONAL STATUS AND OVERALL SATISFACTION

LEVELTOWARDS BSNL LANDLINE SERVICES

Level of Satisfaction of BSNL Landline ServicesEducational Status Total


Primary Education 1 3 2 0 6

SSLC/+2 5 60 12 0 77

Collegiate Education 8 85 21 3 117

Total 14 148 35 3 200

Null Hypothesis (H0)-There is no significant relationship between educational status and overalllevel of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1)-There is close relationship between educational status and overall levelof satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Calculated2value: 4.652; Table value: 12.592

From the above analysis, we find that the calculated value of2is lesser than the table value and

hence, the null hypothesis accepted. So, there is a no significant relationship between educationalstatus and overall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

TABLE NO.7: OCCUPATION STATUS AND OVERALL SATISFACTIONLEVELTOWARDS BSNL LANDLINE SERVICE

Level of Satisfaction of BSNL Landline ServicesOccupation status Total


Government Employee 0 5 0 2 7

Private Employee 7 87 23 0 117


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Professionals 2 12 4 0 18

Self employed 5 44 8 1 58

Total 14 148 35 3 200

Null Hypothesis (H0) - There is no significant relationship between occupational status and overalllevel of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Alternative Hypothesis(H1)-There is close relationship between occupational status and overalllevel of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Calculated2


From the above analysis, we find that the calculated value of2is greater than the table value

and hence, the null hypothesis rejected. So, there is a close significant relationship between

occupational status and overall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

TABLE NO.8: MONTHLY INCOME AND OVERALL SATISFACTION

LEVELTOWARDS BSNL LANDLINE SERVICES

Level of Satisfaction of BSNL Landline ServicesMonthly Income Total


Less than Rs.5000 1 14 3 1 19

Rs.5001 10000 2 49 20 2 73

Rs.10001-15000 4 66 11 0 81

Above Rs.15000 7 19 1 0 27

Total 14 148 35 3 200

Null Hypothesis (H0)-There is no significant relationship between Monthly income leveland overall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1)-There is close relationship between Monthly income leveland overall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Calculated2value: 29.337; Table value: 16.919


and hence, the null hypothesis rejected. So, there is a close significant relationshipbetween Monthly income level and overall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landlineservice.

TABLE NO.9: NAME OF THE SCHEMES AND OVERALL SATISFACTION


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LEVELTOWARDS

BSNL LANDLINE SERVICES

Level of Satisfaction of BSNL Landline ServicesName of the scheme Total


General 4 80 28 2 114

Special 8 52 7 0 67

Super 2 16 0 1 19

Total 14 148 35 3 200

Null Hypothesis (H0) -There is no significant relationship between using the type of scheme and

overall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1)-There is close relationship between using the type of scheme andoverall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Calculated2

values: 16.595; Table value: 12.592


and hence, the null hypothesis rejected. So, there is a close significant relationship between usingthe type of scheme and overall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

TABLE NO.10: PERIOD OF USING THE LANDLINE AND OVERALLSATISFACTION LEVEL TOWARDS BSNL LANDLINE SERVICES

Level of Satisfaction of BSNL Landline ServicesPeriod of Using Total


Less than 1 year 0 3 0 1 4

1 to 3 years 3 30 16 0 49

3 to 5 years 5 70 10 2 87

More than 5 years 6 45 9 0 60

Total 14 148 35 3 200


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Null Hypothesis (H0)-There is no significant relationship between period of using and overall levelof satisfaction towards BSNL landline service

Alternative Hypothesis (H1) - There is close relationship between period of using and overall levelof satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Calculated

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and hence, the null hypothesis rejected. So, there is a close significant relationship between periodof using and overall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

TABLE NO.11: PURPOSE OF USING THE LANDLINE AND SATISFACTION LEVEL

TOWARDS BSNL LANDLINE SERVICES

Level of Satisfaction of BSNL Landline ServicesPurpose of Using Total


Residential 3 57 18 3 81

Official 11 91 17 0 119

Total 14 148 35 3 200

Null Hypothesis (H0)-There is no significant relationship between purpose of using and overalllevel of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1)-There is close relationship between purpose of using and overall levelof satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.

Calculated2



and hence, the null hypothesis rejected. So, there is a close significant relationship between purposeof using and overall level of satisfaction towards BSNL landline service.FINDINGS

Most of the respondents belong to the age groups 27-35 years and above 35 years and mostof the respondents belong to male category.

Most of the respondents are educated till the level of collegiate education and most of therespondents are working as private employee.

Most of the respondents are earning Rs.10001- Rs.15000 per month.

It is stated that 57.0% of the respondents are using general scheme.

Most of the respondents are using the BSNL landline for more than 3 years.


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Most of the respondents are using for the official purpose and all are availed of STDfacility.

It is inferred that maximum respondents are making more than 150 calls per month andpaying their bill amount from 1001-1500.It is finding that most of the respondents are satisfied by getting their newconnections immediately after submitting their applications.

It is found that most of the respondents are satisfied with basic services provided

by BSNL.

It is found that most of the respondents are satisfied with billing services providedby BSNL.

It is found that most of the respondents are satisfied with customer services andvalue added facility provided by BSNL.

It is inferred that most of the respondents are not much satisfied with the featuresof the phone provided by BSNL.

It is noted that among the various billing service provided by BSNL delivery ofbills and mode of payment makes the respondents very much satisfied.

It is noted that there is no distraction while communicating.

It is noted that most of the respondents are not aware of call divert option.

It is noted that the demographic variables age, gender, and educational status has norelationship with the overall satisfaction level.

It is noted that the demographic variables occupational status, monthly income levelhas

relationship with the overall satisfaction level.It is inferred that other variables like usage of schemes, period of using, and purpose

ofusage also has relationship with the overall satisfaction level.


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SUGGESTIONS

Most of the respondents are satisfied with the services provided by BSNL landline,

steps

to be taken to make the customers more satisfied.

Most of the customers are not aware of the phone plus facility, steps to be taken tocreate

awareness about these facilities.

It is inferred that most of the respondents are not much satisfied with the features of

thephone provided by BSNL when compare to other private landline providers,significant

weight age should be given by the BSNL.

Few of the respondents are satisfied with call connectivity. It is suggested to the

company

to give importance to that and make the entire customer to be satisfied.

It is noted that the demographic variables occupational status, monthly incomelevel has relationship with the overall satisfaction level. So it is suggested whilemaking changes in service/tariff these factors to be considered.

The service providers could focus the crew around the existing subscriber for adding newclients to their basket.

It is noted from the above study that most of the respondents are not aware ofvarious schemes. So it is suggested to the service provider to give more weightage to know about various schemes.

CONCLUSION

From the study the influence of demographic variables in the level ofsatisfaction yielded by the user as well as the behavioral pattern of the user isanalyzed in this study.It is identified that the service provided by BSNL is atsatisfactory level to the respondents.But most of the respondents are notsatisfied with the features of the phone. BSNL should focus on the promotionalmeasures as equal to the private service providers to enhance their serviceactivity to satisfy their customers.

BILIOGRAPHY

1. Kothari. C.R (2004): Research Methodology Methods & Techniques, New

Age International Publishers, New Delhi, 2nd Edition.

2. Richard I. Levin, David S. Rubin (2004): Statistics for Management, PrenticeHall of

India Private Limited, New Delhi, 7th Edition.


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3. www.trai.com

4. www.bsnl.co.in

5. www.indianinfoline.com

C.S.ARTICLE NO.1

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