Revenue Generation from Telesales, Case Study on Grameen Phone Ltd.
PART ONE
THE ORGANIZATION
GRAMEENPHONE LIMITED
1. INTRODUCTION OF THE COMPANY
GrameenPhone Ltd. (GP) is the market leader in the mobile telecommunication industry of Bangladesh. GP is a joint venture between Bangladesh and Norway. Major shareholders were Telenor (68%) and Grameen Telecom (32%). In 2008 it went public. Presently the shareholder status of the company is Telenor (55.80%), Grameen Telecom (34.20%), Institute and Public (10.00%). Telenor is the state owned telecommunication company of Norway. It has operations in different countries of the world. On the other hand, Grameen Telecom is the sister concern of Grameen Bank, one of the biggest Non Government Organizations (NGO) of Bangladesh.
2. q.
November 28, 1996: GrameenPhone was offered a cellular license in Bangladesh by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.
March 26, 1997: GrameenPhone launched its service on the Independence Day of Bangladesh.
June 1998: GP started its services in the port city of Chittagong, the second largest city in the country. Cell to cell coverage in the Dhaka-Chittagong corridor also enabled GP to introduce its service in a number of other districts along the way.
September 1999: GP started its service in the industrial city of Khulna. Once again, a number of other districts came under coverage of GP because of the cell to cell coverage between Dhaka and Khulna. Earlier in September 1999, it introduced the EASY pre-paid service in the local market. It also introduced the Voice Mail Service (VMS) and the Short Message Service (SMS) and other Value Added Services (VAS).
June 2000: GrameenPhone started its services in Sylhet, Barisal and Rajshahi, bringing all six divisional headquarters under the coverage of its network. The service in Barisal region was started after the microwave link between Khulna and Chittagong was completed.
August 2003: After six years of operation, GrameenPhone has more than one million subscribers.
November 2005: GrameenPhone continues to being the largest mobile phone operator of Bangladesh with more than 5 million subscribers.
November 16, 2006: After almost 10 years of operation, GrameenPhone has over 10 million subscribers. GrameenPhone has built one of the most extensive infrastructures of Bangladesh and is a major contributor to the development of the national economy.
December 31, 2007: GrameenPhone is one of the largest private sector investments in the country with an accumulated investment of USD $1.7 billion up to December 2007. GrameenPhone is also one the largest taxpayers in the country, having contributed nearly BDT 5000 Crore in direct and indirect taxes to the Government Exchequer over the years of which is amount, BDT 1670 Crore was paid in 2005 alone.
January 20, 2008: Introduced Blackberry service: Commissioned Brand Positioning & launched stay Close & Customer Care Campaign Reached 20 Million Subscribers.
May 29, 2009 : Listed on Dhaka Stock Exchange Ltd. and Chittagong Stock Exchange Ltd.; Launched internet modem, Special Olympic Regional Talent hunt, Stay Green Campaign , internet Package P5 & P6, Grameenphone Branded Handset & Study line.; Reached 21 Million Subscribers.
June 02, 2010 : Launched New Tariff Plan , ‘MobiCash` Financial Service Brand, Ekota for SME, Baadhon Package, Mobile Application Development Contest & Network Campaign; Reached 29.97 Million Subscribers.
August 23, 2011 : Launched ‘My Zone`– Location based discount on usage, Micro SIM cards for iPhone, Spondon Package with 1-sec pulse; Grameenphone Branded Handset (C200,QWERTY handset and android Handset ) Reached 36.5 Million Subscribers.
GP was also the first operator to introduce the pre-paid service in September 1999. In addition to core voice services, GrameenPhone offers a number of value-added services, in each case on both a contract and prepaid basis. It established the first 24-hour Call Center, introduced value-added services such as VMS, SMS, Fax & Data Transmission Services, International Roaming Service, WAP, SMS – based Push-Pull Services, EDGE, personal ring back tone and many other products and services.
GrameenPhone nearly doubled its subscriber base during the initial years while the growth was much faster during the later years. It ended the inaugural year with 18,000 customers, 30,000 by the end of 1998, 60,000 in 1999, 193,000 in 2000, 471,000 in 2001, 775,000 in 2002, 1.16 million in 2003, 2.4 million in 2004 and 5.5 million in 2005 customers. Currently the customer base of GrameenPhone is over 20 million.
GrameenPhone offers the widest coverage in Bangladesh. The population coverage has increased from approximately 85% in 2005 to above 90% in 2006. Currently the population coverage is 98% (Including voice call and Edge/GPRS). In addition; GrameenPhone also offers GPRS in most of the country and EDGE in urban areas.
From the very beginning, GrameenPhone placed emphasis on providing good after-sales services. In recent years, the focus has been to provide after-sales within a short distance from where the customers live. There are now more than 400 GP Service Center, 20 GPC Franchise, recharge retailers: 1,05,000+, total retailers: 18000+, distributors: 96, Single hotline which operates 24/7; the country covering all 64 districts. In addition, there are 62 GP Customer Centers in all the divisional cities and they remain open from 8am-7pm every day including all holidays.
GrameenPhone has generated direct and indirect employment for a large number of people over the years. The company presently has more than 6,000 full-time, part-time and contractual employees. Another 70,000 people are directly dependent on GrameenPhone for their livelihood, working for the GP dealers, retailers, scratch card outlets, suppliers, vendors, contractors and others.
In addition, the Village Phone Program, also started in 1997, provides a good income-earning opportunity to more than 200,000 mostly women Village Phone operators living in rural areas. The Village Phone Program is a unique initiative to provide universal access to telecommunications service in remote, rural areas. Administered by Grameen Telecom Corporation, it enables rural people who normally cannot afford to own a telephone to avail the service while providing the Village Phone operators an opportunity to earn a living.
The Village Phone initiative was given the “GSM in the Community” award at the Global GSM Congress held in Cannes, France in February 2000. GrameenPhone was also adjudged the Best Joint Venture Enterprise of the Year at the Bangladesh Business Awards in 2002.
GrameenPhone considers its employees to be one of its most important assets. GP has an extensive employee benefit scheme in place including Gratuity, Provident Fund, Group Insurance, Family Health Insurance, Transportation Facility, Day Care Centre, Children’s Education Support, higher Education Support for employees, In-House Medical Support and other initiatives.
3. THE PEOPLE
The people of GrameenPhone are young, dedicated and energetic. All employees are well educated at home or abroad, with an even distribution of males and females and social groups in Bangladesh. They know in their hearts that Grameenphone is more than phones. This sense of purpose gives them the dedication and the drive, producing the biggest coverage and subscriber-base in the country. GrameenPhone provides equal employment opportunities and recognizes the talents and energy of its employees.
4. THE SERVICE
GrameenPhone believes in service that leads to good business development. Telephony helps people work together, raising their productivity. This gain in productivity is development, which in turn enables them to afford a telephone service, generating good business. Thus development and business go together.
5. THE TECHNOLOGY
GrameenPhone’s Global System for Mobile or GSM technology is the most widely accepted digital system in the world, currently used by over a billion people in 172 countries. GSM brings the most advanced developments in cellular technology at a reasonable cost by spurring severe competition among manufacturers and driving down the cost of equipment. Thus, consumers get the best for the least. GrameenPhone is now the leading telecommunications service provider in the country with more than 23 million subscribers as of March 2010.
Over the years, Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in the local market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997. The technological know-how and managerial expertise of Telenor AS has been instrumental in setting up such an international standard mobile phone operation in Bangladesh. Being one of the pioneers in developing the GSM service in Europe, Telenor AS has also helped to transfer this knowledge to the local employees over the years.
6. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
In the fast-paced world of telecommunications, vibrant and dynamic Corporate Governance practices are an essential ingredient to success. GrameenPhone believes in the continued improvement of Corporate Governance. This in turn has led the company to commit considerable resources and implement internationally accepted Corporate Standards in its day-to-day operations.
Being a public limited company (PLC), the Board of Directors of GrameenPhone have a pivotal role to play in meeting all stakeholders’ interests. The Board of Directors and the Management Team of GrameenPhone are committed to maintaining effective Corporate Governance through a culture of Accountability, Transparency, Well-Understood Policies and Procedures. The Board of Directors and the Management Team also persevere to maintain compliance of all laws of Bangladesh and all internally documented regulations, policies and procedures. GrameenPhone is a truly transparent company that operates at the highest levels of integrity and accountability on a global standard.
7. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
GrameenPhone started its journey 12 years back with the believe that- “Good development is Good business”. Since its inception, GrameenPhone has been driven to be inspiring and leading by example, when it comes to being involved in the community. GrameenPhone believe that, sustainable development can only be achieved through long term economic growth. Therefore, as a leading corporate house in Bangladesh GP intend to deliver the best to their customers, business partners, stakeholders, employees and society at large by being a partner in development.
GrameenPhone defines Corporate Social Responsibility as a complimentary combination of ethical and responsible corporate behavior as well as a commitment towards generating greater good in society as a whole by addressing the development needs of the country.
To interact effectively and responsibly with the society and to contribute to the socio-economic development of Bangladesh, GrameenPhone has adopted a holistic approach to Corporate Social Responsibility, i.e. Strategic & Tactical. Through this approach GP aims to, on the one hand involve itself with the larger section of the society and to address diverse segments of the stakeholder demography and on the other remain focused in its social investment to generate greater impact for the society.
GrameenPhone focuses its Corporate Social Responsibility involvement in three main areas – Health, Education and Empowerment. They aim to combine all their CSR initiatives under these three core areas to enhance the economic and social growth of Bangladesh.
8. SHAREHOLDER’S OF GRAMEENPHONE LTD.
The shareholders of GrameenPhone contribute their unique, in-depth experience in both telecommunications and development. The international shareholder brings technological and business management expertise while the local shareholder provides a presence throughout Bangladesh and a deep understanding of its economy.
8.1 About Telenor
Telenor AS is the leading Telecommunications Company of Norway listed in the Oslo and NASDAQ Stock Exchanges. It owns 61.2% shares of GrameenPhone Ltd. Telenor AS have played a pioneering role in development of cellular communications. It has substantial international operations in Mobile Telephony, Satellite Operations and Pay Television Services. In addition to Norway and Bangladesh, Telenor AS owns GSM companies in Denmark, Austria, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, Montenegro, Thailand, Malaysia and Pakistan.
8.2 About Grameen Telecom
Grameen Telecom Corporation, which owns 34.2% of the shares of GrameenPhone Ltd., is a non-profit company and works in close collaboration with Grameen Bank. The internationally reputed bank for the poor has the most extensive rural banking network and expertise in micro finance. Grameen Telecom, with the help of Grameen Bank, administers the Village Phone Program, through which GrameenPhone provides its services to the fast growing rural customers.
Grameen Telecom’s objectives are to provide easy access to GSM cellular services in rural Bangladesh, creating new opportunities for income generation through self- employment by providing villagers with access to modern information and communication based technologies.
10. DIVISIONS AT GRAMEENPHONE LTD.
GrameenPhone Ltd. has approximately 6000 employees working at different levels of organizational hierarchy. There are 9 functional departments engaged in managing these employees- with the aim to meet organizational objectives. GrameenPhone follows a mix of centralized and decentralized decision making process-where the top management mainly takes all the strategic decisions while the functional managers have flexibility to take decisions by themselves on a day to day basis. At GrameenPhone the Managing Director is assisted by 9 Senior Executives who are heading different departments in the strategic decision making process. The departmental names of GrameenPhone are given below:
Corporate Affairs Division
Customer Service Division
Finance Division
Human Resource Division
Information Technology Division
Internal Audit Division
Internal Control Office Division
Marketing Division
Network Division
Public Relation Division
Sales Division
GrameenPhone follows a 3-layer management philosophy in Bangladesh. These are Directors, Managers and Officers. The CEO is the top most authority of all the levels. Directors are the departmental heads that are responsible for the activities of their departments. Managers have the authority next to directors. These two layers represent the management level of GrameenPhone. Officers are the next persons to stand in the hierarchy list. They are the typical mid-level employees of GrameenPhone’s organizational hierarchy. These officers are responsible for managing the operational activities and operating level employees.
10.1 CORPORATE AFFAIRS DIVISION
10.1.1 Main Objective
Within the direction from the CEO of GrameenPhone, the Head of Corporate Affairs shall ensure that the Regulatory & Corporate Affairs function within the company at all times is aligned with and supports the business objectives.
10.1.2 Main Responsibilities
Develop, maintain and implement company strategies, policies and procedures for the functional area which includes:
- Regulatory & Corporate Affairs
- External Relations
Monitor and control Regulatory & Corporate Affairs activities;
Provide support and consulting to other functions within scope, in order to ensure coordination, business alignment and adaptation of best-practices;
Develop and maintain descriptions of departments reporting to the Head of Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, defining their responsibilities and how work is organized between these departments;
Ensure awareness of, and ability to comply with, legal requirements applicable for the company and its governance documents, including SOA-required internal controls and Codes of Conduct;
Ensure necessary capabilities within function to ensure that the organization is able to meet its current and future business objectives;
10.2 CUSTOMER SERVICE DIVISION
Customer service division is all about serving the subscriber over the phone. Maintain the performance level (KPI). Meet the sales target. Fulfill the subscriber query, request, complain and other supportive information they need.
10.2.1 Main Objective
The main objective of the Customer Service division is to be the best in class customer service in Asia to gain competitive advantage for GrameenPhone in the market place.
10.2.2 Main Responsibilities
Position as the most reliable, friendly and quality service provider in the industry to be perceived as the operator that provides segment based services beyond expectations
Manage business environment with superior efficiency and operational excellence for profitable growth
Establish Customer Service to gain sustainable competitive advantage for GrameenPhone
Foster a competent team in a culture with empowerment and involvement
Recruit the best, develop every employee and retain the best
Convert each customer contact to an opportunity for retention and new sales with a focus on competitor’s profitable customers
Build effective alliance with other customer services, within the Telenor group and in Asia
10.3 FINANCE DIVISION
10.3.1 Main Objective
Within the direction from the CEO of GrameenPhone, the CFO shall ensure that the Finance & Supply Chain Management function within Grameenphone at all times is aligned with and supports the realization of GrameenPhone’s business objectives. The CFO must prepare financial statements with reasonable assurance that statements are not materially misstated at the consolidated group level and for local statutory accounts.
10.3.2 Main Responsibilities
Develop, maintain and implement company strategies, policies and procedures for the functional area, which includes:
P Treasury P Financial Reporting & Controlling P Tax
P Risk Management PSupply Chain Management PInvestor Relations
Monitor and control company-wide Finance & Supply Chain Management activities;
Provide support and consulting within scope, to all other divisions in the company, in order to ensure coordination, business alignment and adaptation of best-practices;
Develop and maintain descriptions of departments reporting to the CFO, defining their responsibilities and how work is organized between these departments;
Ensure awareness of, and ability to comply with, legal requirements applicable for the functional area and its governance documents, including SOA-required internal controls and Codes of Conduct;
Ensure necessary capabilities within the function to ensure that the organization is able to meet its current and future business objectives.
10.4 HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION
10.4.1 Main Objective
Within the direction from the CEO of GrameenPhone, the Head of HR shall ensure that the HR function within GrameenPhone at all times is aligned with and supports the realization of GrameenPhone’s business objectives. The Head of HR shall optimize the human resources in GrameenPhone, through individual performance management and organizational development, as well as nurturing a culture supporting the realization of the vision and values. In order to achieve this, leadership excellence is a key focus area for HR.
The units in HR Division include:
· HR Operations;
· Recruitment & Selection;
· HR Development;
· Health, Safety & Environment
· Expatriate and Travel Support.
10.4.2 Main Responsibilities
Develop, maintain and implement company HR strategies, policies and procedures in order to establish organizational capabilities company-wide to meet current and emerging business needs, which include:
· Leadership
· Employee Capabilities
· Organizational Design
· Collaboration
· Recruitment
· Compensation & Benefits
· Employee relations and Health, Safety & Working Environment
Monitor and control company-wide HR activities;
Provide support and consulting within scope, to all divisions in the company, in order to ensure coordination, business alignment and adaptation of best-practices;
Develop and maintain descriptions of departments reporting to the Head of HR, defining their responsibilities and how work is organized between these departments;
Ensure awareness of, and ability to comply with, legal requirements applicable for the function and its governance documents, including SOA-required internal controls and Codes of Conduct;
Ensure necessary capabilities companywide to ensure that the organization is able to meet its current and future business objectives.
10.5 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIVISION
10.5.1 Main Objective
Within the direction from the CEO of GrameenPhone, the Head of IS/IT shall ensure that the Information Security/Information Technology function within Grameenphone at all times is aligned with and supports the realization of GrameenPhone’s business objectives. The Head of IS/IT shall ensure the realization of the business objectives through delivering services and information with sufficient quality.
10.5.2 Main Responsibilities
Develop, maintain and implement company strategies, policies and procedures for the functional area, which includes:
· Strategy and Architecture
· IS/IT Governance
· IT Quality and Risk Management
· IT Sourcing (In compliance with Company Procurement Policy)
Monitor and control company-wide IS/IT activities to create transparency and facilitate best practice within IT.
Provide support and consulting to all divisions in the company, in order to ensure coordination, business alignment and adaptation of best-practices.
Develop and maintain descriptions of departments reporting to the Head of IS/IT, defining their responsibilities and how work is organized between these departments.
Ensure awareness of, and ability to comply with, legal requirements applicable for the functional area and its governance documents, including SOA-required internal controls and Codes of Conduct.
Ensure necessary capabilities within the function to ensure that the organization is able to meet its current and future business objectives.
10.6 INTERNAL AUDIT DIVISION
10.6.1 Main Objective
“Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations.
It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes.”
10.6.1 Main Responsibilities
The Department is responsible for:
· Develop Risk Based Audit Plan
· Coordinate with External Auditors / others to provide optimal audit coverage
· Implement approved audit plan
· Review and revise Audit Plan as required
· Follow-up and report on the implementation of audit action plans.
· Report significant deficiencies in internal control.
· Assist in the investigation of suspected fraudulent activities
· Provide consulting and advisory services to management as appropriate
10.7 INTERNAL CONTROL OFFICE DIVISION
10.7.1 Main Objective
Under the COSO Framework, a widely-used framework in the United States,
Internal control is broadly defined as follows:
A process, affected by an entity’s board of directors, management, and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives in the following categories:
Effectiveness and efficiency of operations
Reliability of financial reporting and
Compliance with laws and regulations.
10.7.2 Main Responsibilities
The Department is responsible for:
Control Environment:
Sets the tone for the organization, influencing the control consciousness of it’s people. It is the foundation for all other components of internal control.
Risk Assessment:
The identification and analysis of relevant risks to the achievement of objectives, forming a basis to find out how the risks can be managed.
Control Activities:
The policies & procedures that help ensure mgt. directives carried out.
Information and Communication:
Systems or processes that support the identification, capture, and exchange of information in a form and time frame that enables people to carry out their responsibilities.
Monitoring:
Processes used to assess the quality of internal control performance over time.
10.8 MARKETING DIVISION
10.8.1 Main Objective
The main objective of marketing department of GrameenPhone is to promote the brand name of the company and increase brand awareness among the customers.
10.8.2 Main Responsibilities
The Department is responsible for:
· “New non-core” product portfolio.
· Acts as a portfolio area for strategically important revenue earners (CIC, Health line, cell bazaar etc.) P&L;
· To support the core business for strengthening retention and social efforts in core Telco
· To generate ROI through creation of new asset base and revenue source.
· Development and management of non-core products roadmap.
· Strategic analysis, development of strategic alternatives, and evaluation & control of feedback
· Division-wide roadmap for strategic deliverables
· Monitor and manage segment activities in terms of alignment
· Administration of KPIs; IVC
· Program Office for Marketing Division
10.9 NETWORK DIVISION
10.9.1 Main Objective
The main objective of Network department of GrameenPhone is to manage and control the network of GrameenPhone throughout the country.
10.9.2 Main Responsibilities
The Department is responsible for:
- Effort to maintain LOW CAPEX and OPEX per sub
- Maintain competitive qualities through whole process of work
- Maintain service KPI for Network quality and availability focusing customers perspective
- Maximum Resource utilization by network optimization & efficient management
- Maintain living values of organization in the activities
10.10 PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION
10.10.1 Main Objective
The main objectives of Public Relations department of GrameenPhone are to Promote and protect GrameenPhone reputation as a compliant, transparent and socially responsible company among both internal and external stakeholders.
10.10.2 Main Responsibilities
The Department is responsible for:
- Project GP as a responsible and transparent company to both internal and external stakeholders
- Assist in gaining business results through effective media exposures of company events and initiatives
- Manage a portfolio of social investment initiatives in line with key stakeholders’ expectations of being a socially responsible business
10.11 SALES DIVISION
10.11.1 Main Objective
The main objective of Sales department of GrameenPhone is to Deliver excellent Compliant Sales Channel Management practice (Logistic, Distribution and Retail) to ensure the Best Customer Experience for GP customers at maximum number of POS to support the ‘2 out of 3’ objective.
10.11.2 Main Responsibilities
The Department is responsible for:
- Execute Retail Channel strategy
- Select best POS candidates for channels
- Develop them according to strategy
- Support Retail Channel partners
- Regular visits and consultancy
- ‘Get Close to Stay close’
- Manage product ‘In-Flow and ‘Out-Flow’
- POS Portfolio and stock optimization
- Control customer influencing activities
- Best Customer Experience through specific BTL and conscious selling
- Report field information
- Monitor progress of GP
- Observe competitors activities
As my discussion shows, GP is doing great in its business. Their market share is significantly high. The mobile telecommunication industry is also growing at a significant pace.
But, if we assess the external environment, we find, the path for GrameenPhone is not that smooth. The service of GP is extensively dependent on BTTB (Bangladesh Telephone & Telegraph Board). In many cases, GP did not get full support of the government owned department.
E.g. Initially, GP provided connections that were accessible to BTTB land phones. But at one point of time, BTTB stopped to provide anymore support in this regard. At that time GP had to innovate the ‘mobile to mobile’ concept to continue the business growth.
So, it has the scope to enhance and strengthen its market position. To do so, they need to put more stress on their policies like efficiency, quality, innovation, and customer responsiveness.
If everything goes right, with least risk I can say, GP is headed towards a bright future.
PART TWO
INTRODUCTION OF THE REPORT
1. INTRODUCTION OF THE REPORT
1.1Background
As a member of GP’s Customer Service Division, my job is to provide different Value Added Services (VAS) to our valued subscribers over telephone.
In the cellular telecommunication industry of Bangladesh, Grameenphone Ltd. is a force to be reckoned with. In a little over 13 years, Grameenphone Ltd. has established itself as the dominant player of in the telecommunications sector, even surpassing the state-run Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) in terms of subscriber base. The company today commands more subscribers than all its competitors’ in the mobile telephone industry combined. Over the past few years the use of cell phone brought about tangible changes in the lifestyle of the people of Bangladesh. Today, a cellular phone is a mere necessity. From a small retail trader at Kawran Bazaar to a remote villager uses cell phone.
Six companies are operating in the mobile phone sector in Bangladesh which are Grameenphone, Citycell, Robi, Banglalink, Airtel and Teletalk. Among them the services of Grameenphone appear to be comparatively better in terms of nationwide networking, customer handling, trouble shooting, billing system etc. Grameenphone (GP) has been established to provide high quality GSM cellular service at affordable prices. To take the company to its current position, the distribution network of the company has to be an efficient and an organized one. Therefore, it is imperative that the channel partners of the company must be satisfied to deliver their best service so that they can win over its competitors to attract new customers and at the same time keep the existing customers happy as well.
1.2 Objectives
The main objective of the study will be to find out the Revenue comes from Telesales and how customer manager’s can play their role in here. Another objective included determining the problems that these outlets faced and also to find out what kind of amendments could be made to increase the revenue by Telesales.
1.3 Scope
The scope of the study is limited within telecommunication business in Bangladesh. It is also limited within the organization of Grameenphone Ltd. This study also shows an overview of Grameenphone Ltd. and its Customer Service Division. This study specifically deals with outbound and inbound call management system, customer satisfaction and problems associated with its functions. It also identifies the problems associated with the CS process too. It does not cover descriptions of the other departments of the company.
Grameenphone is the market leader in the mobile telecommunication industry of Bangladesh. Their growth rate is very high. But in this age of competition, it is very difficult to keep the leading edge intact. Companies need to come up with new ideas to remain competitive. They need to keep their customers satisfied. Here I discuss with the topics related to the service of Grameenphone and also how GP can use customer manager’s to imply their possibilities to generate more revenue.
1.4 Limitation
· Validity of the Information: Grameenphone uses the mass marketing strategy. As a result of this strategy, the subscribers are from different segments or from different income levels. Moreover, GP is providing their service all over Bangladesh. This implies that, GP subscribers are scattered all over the country. But the study will only include a small proportion of the population those who uses mobile phone services and called @ 121 HL regular basis. So, it will not be possible to make my sample a perfectly representative one and there is a chance that the process results might not ascertain the accurate facts.
· Time Constraint: The time line to prepare and submit this type of study work is very short.
2.1 About Telesales
The practice of selling goods or services to customers by means of the telephone or of surveying consumer preferences in telephone conversations. Telemarketing firms use trained staff and automatic, rapid-dial equipment to make the telephone calls; when conducting surveys, telesales generally use a script that is designed to elicit only a small range of responses inbound and outbound sales.
2.2 Current State of the Telesales and Call Centers Industry
2.2.1 Market Size – Telesales and Call Centers
The total U.S. market size for the Telesales and Call Centers industry includes all companies, both public and private. In addition to total revenue, the table contains details on employees, companies, and average firm size.
2.2.2 Market Forecast – Telesales and Call Centers
Market forecasts show the long term outlook for the Telesales and Call Centers industry. The following five-year forecast utilizes advanced econometric techniques that take into account both short-term and long-term industry trends.
2.3 Recent News about Telesales and Call Centers
2.3.1 Remarkable Growth of Telesales in the Dallas Business Journal
Dallas-based Vender Partners, one of the world’s foremost lead generation and telesales outsourcing companies, achieves significant growth, and is recognized as one of the top 25 in their industry by the Dallas Business Journal in the annual publication.
3. METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
Keeping in view the objectives of case study- “Revenue Generation from Telesales” All the source of date is primary and a little portion of data is secondary that is in the literature review part. The source of primary data is all about my service at Grameenphone and internal information through internal website.
PART THREE
THE PROJECT
1. OPERATIONAL AREA
1.1 TELESALES
In commercial Division, Telesales is a unit within Customer Services Department Telesales. The strength of Telesales is selling, customer acquisition & the emphasis is on customer retention. To establishing the customer service department as a major sales channel Telesales is mandatory. The objective of Telesales is to build the framework in Customer Service regarding Inbound and Outbound selling.
1.2 WHAT IS SALES?
Selling or it is defined as Money Making option. Selling is how a business makes money or earns revenue. A business makes money by selling its products or services.
· Understand customer NEED.
· To create demand for products or services selling is required.
· Improvement of customer satisfaction.
· To encourage the product & services & also to promote new ideas of sales.
1.3 ORGANOGRAM
Mr. Germend Lia the Head of Telesales, who came from Telenor (Norway), with an experience of Inbound and outbound selling. Along With him Sakila Mahmood and Jannatul Ferdous, both have experience of working in the Contact center. Sakila Mahmood is mainly working with Outbound and Jannatul Ferdous for Inbound sales.
1.4 ACTIONS
Try to make it as easy as possible for the Contact Center to achieve the overall sales targets set by the management team of Customer Service. And Planning, facilitate and follow up the sales, both from Inbound and outbound selling.
1.5 INBOUND SALES
Customer Service gives huge opportunities to talk with the customer about valued services. Apart from giving good service, scope also prevails to give the customer more than what he/she expected before they made the call, which is what Inbound selling is.
1.5.1 Inbound Sales Campaign
· EDGE [ P2,P3,P4,P5,P6,P7]
· MCA
· Welcome tune
· Proactive selling of other VAS
1.6 OUTBOUND
Proactive calls to ensure the service level and give GP an opportunity to call their customers for selling and at the same time providing good service.
· To make them feel that “customer is their top priority” -In tennis if u serve better u can win.
· A Proactive call is like a magnet for positive results.
1.6.1 Outbound Sales Campaigns
· EDGE P1/P5/P6 up selling
· Transformer
1.7 SALES TIPS
1.7.1 Learn What we Need & Share What we Know
· Initial Impression: Our careful preparation for the call can increase our chances of having a conversation with a prospect rather than hearing that familiar dial tone
· Focus on Interactions: Ask questions, People will never hang up on themselves.
· Greeting respectfully: Use the person’s name at least 3 times in every phone call.
· Respectful Greetings: Require to greet the subscriber with respect.
· Dialogue with product presentation: Use visually descriptive words to help paint a picture of what we’re saying. A phone conversation doesn’t have to be boring and stale.
· Facial Expression: Watch the facial expressions by placing a mirror in front of me when we talk. It’s amazing how they come through over the phone.
· Energy in interactions: Add energy to our phone calls by standing up. Nobody likes talking to a “blah” person. People who have good posture tend to come across more enthusiastic than those who don’t.
· Wrap up conversation: When we end a conversation, always summarize it in the same way we would end a live meeting. By doing so, we can prevent misinterpretation of our discussion.
· Using a benefit Summary: A good presentation should be ended with smart benefit summary. By not adding the price, comparisons to the competition, answering questions and wrap up by saying
“There are 3 critical reasons to move forward today…
· Fish hook Technique Need to learn the art of control of the conversation. If we allow the customer to ask us question and given them answers, eventually they will determine the reason of not going to let you through. It is good process in the while having question answer session, we are having the ultimate control about making him to choose the service and make it accept.
· Interactive session over phone: Always allow the other person to have the final comment or question. Just because we’ve asked all our questions doesn’t mean the other person has asked all of his.
1.8 RESULT
| INBOUND SALES | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total Monthly Sell(2011) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Month | January | February | March | April | ||||||||||||||
| EDGE P2 to P6 | 30411 | 35361 | 45939 | 44283 | ||||||||||||||
| MCA | 34561 | 33776 | 51,158 | 41931 | ||||||||||||||
| Welcome Tune [Activation] | 46448 | 52355 | 69426 | 58801 | ||||||||||||||
1.9 CAMPAIGN
1.9.1 Outbound Bonus Model 2011
1.9.1.1 Background
Selling product/Services plays a vital role in Customer Service. As a Outbound team we have huge scope for proactive sells to our valued Customer which directly or indirectly gives revenue. It could be product, services or information that changes customer behavior/usage/Life Style.
Based on the Current Up selling EDGE and VAS Campaigns, Product wise Points are given below:
See appendix 3.
1.9.1.2 Rules & Regulation
- Outbound calls: There has to be a Outbound call to the customer from 121 where the customer agrees to buy the service.
- For any activation keep the information in CRM.
1.9.2 Grameenphone Ambassador Campaign
Connect our Friend and Family members by following mentioned guidelines:
1.9.2.1 Objectives
Grameenphone started a program in Customer Service called “Grameenphone Ambassador”
The objective with this program is to make all of us good ambassadors for Grameenphone among your friends and family, in order to increase our sale there are a lot of you that are already showing many good initiatives to increase selling, besides to sell to the customers calling 121. There is a need to recognize all of you and at the same time ensure that everyone participate and utilize this great opportunity to promote Grameenphone. GP want us to promote GP’s products to our friends and family and activate the product ourself in a compliant way.\
· When we activate a service in the system we have to talk directly with the customer and get a verbal confirmation that he/she wants to activate(Directly means face to face or through a phone call)
· To activate a product for your FnF without having an Outbound call is require with a proper tickler in CRM including: Customers name and contact number.
Quality Assurance will check the quality of the Sales activation. Any wrong manipulation/unusual incident/activations, agent will get no payout and the incident will be reported to Cods of Conducts officer.
1.9.2.2 Conclusion
They hope by starting this program not only increase their sales, but also to give our family and friends an even more positive relationship with Grameenphone. With our deep customer knowledge from Inbound we are having the best potential to becoming great ambassadors of our Grameenphone.
(Connect our friends and family in GP network)
1.10 NEW INCENTIVES MODEL FOR SEPTEMBER 2010
1.10.1 Incentives Model
- Focus product: EDGE P5/P3/P6 [1 P5=2 P6]
- Target Group: All Inbound agents in Contact Center
- Duration: 1 month
- Base : Volume/number of Sales
1.11 INCENTIVES MODEL FOR OCTOBOR 2010
- Focus product: EDGE P2/P5/P3/P6
- Target Group: All Inbound agents in Contact Center whose first skill is 121.
- Duration: 1 month
- Base : Volume/number of Sales
1.11.1 Incentives Calculation
For P2 & P5 we are considering the first interval 1-10. Agents will get 20 taka per activation if she/he activates 10 P2/P5. Below 10 will not be eligible to get incentives.
1.12 SALES TARGET (INBOUND)
1.12.1 New Monthly Target for January 2012
| Product | Consumer /Youth /456-LS | Consumer /Youth /456-SS | Business LS | Business SS |
| EDGE P5 | 8 | 6.4 | ||
| EDGE P3/P6 | 90 | 72 | ||
| MCA | 80 | 64 | 48 | 38.4 |
| WT | 110 | 88 | 66 | 52.8 |
· WT Target is based on New Activation [no song Purchase]
2. RVENUE GENARATION THROUGH INTERNET PACKAGES
2.1 Grameenphone Internet:
Internet is the most convenient medium of information, through which people can enhance their knowledge, spread the same from one corner of the globe to whichever place they wish with a single click. Communication solutions developed by Grameenphone across all the media have always focused one single thing to help people stay close to their dear ones and to enlighten their lives through free and flawless access to information. Grameenphone internet is another step towards fulfilling this goal. With this step, Grameenphone promises to enlighten the lives of 20 million people by providing easier and faster access to information than ever before.
Grameenphone so far brought Internet to people in the following ways:
1) Desktop and Laptop browsing: by using the mobile as modem or by internet modem
2) Mobile screen browsing: WAP/internet browsing on the mobile
3) CIC: More than 550 CICs all over the country for those who do not have access to PC or other facilities.
Grameenphone is looking to expand further into the digital world by expanding its internet platforms and developing more internet related products, thus becoming the biggest Internet Service Provider of Bangladesh.
2.2 Internet Services/ EDGE package Service: