"FINAL report ON CAPSTONE PROJECT" submitted to Lovely Professional University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of degree of Master of Business Administration. This project represents thier original work and is worthy of consideration.
"FINAL report ON CAPSTONE PROJECT" submitted to Lovely Professional University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of degree of Master of Business Administration. This project represents thier original work and is worthy of consideration.
"FINAL report ON CAPSTONE PROJECT" submitted to Lovely Professional University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of degree of Master of Business Administration. This project represents thier original work and is worthy of consideration.
TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF CRM TECHNIQUES ADOPTED BY SMALL CAR SEGMENT DEALERS IN THE REGION OF PUNJAB OF THE DISTRICTS OF JALANDHAR, NAWASHER AND LUDHIANA
Submitted to Lovely Professional University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of degree of
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Submitted By: Submitted To:
Group No : R152 Mr. Manish Kumar
Ashwani Kumar(10807616) Mr. Pushpinder Singh
Mithun Saxena(10810750) Dr. Girish Taneja
Munish vardhan (10810337) 2
TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN
This is to certify that the project report titled to study the impact of crm techniques adopted by small car segment dealers in the region of punjab of the districts jalandhar ludhiana and nawasher carried out by Ashwani Kumar , Mithun Saxena , Munish Vardhan has been accomplished under my guidance & supervision as a duly registered MBA student of the Lovely Professional University, Phagwara. This project is being submitted by them in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Master of Business Administration from Lovely Professional University.
Thier dissertation represents thier original work and is worthy of consideration for the award of the degree of Master of Business Administration.
___________________________________
(Name & Signature of the Faculty Advisor)
Date: 3
DECLARATION
I, "Ashwani Kumar , hereby declare that the work presented herein is genuine work done originally by me and has not been published or submitted elsewhere for the requirement of a degree programme. Any literature, data or works done by others and cited within this dissertation has been given due acknowledgement and listed in the reference section.
Ashwani Kumar
10807616
Date: May 3, 2010 4
DECLARATION
I, Mithun Saxena, hereby declare that the work presented herein is genuine work done originally by me and has not been published or submitted elsewhere for the requirement of a degree programme. Any literature, data or works done by others and cited within this dissertation has been given due acknowledgement and listed in the reference section.
Mithun Saxena
10810750
Date:-3 May 2010 5
DECLARATION
I, Munish Vardhan,, hereby declare that the work presented herein is genuine work done originally by me and has not been published or submitted elsewhere for the requirement of a degree programme. Any literature, data or works done by others and cited within this dissertation has been given due acknowledgement and listed in the reference section.
Munish Vardhan
10810337
Date:-3 May 2010 6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We place on record our sincere thanks to one and all who at different occasions given valuable suggestions for the development of the project. Our sincere thanks to our honorable professor Mr. Manish Kumar who as our Faculty Guide has always motivated us to put our best foot forward by setting high standards for us.
We specially extend our grateful thanks to Mr. Girish Taneja and Mr. Pushpinder Singh for providing us the valuable suggestions and precious recommendation at different phases during our research project which help us in making it a success. We want to extend our sincere gratitude to both Panel heads who has been the guiding force throughout this research project.
We also thank our peers for being so supportive as well as being so cooperative in sharing their valuable views and discussing about relevant points while preparing this report.
5. LIST OF DEALERS IN JALANDHAR, LUDHIANA AND NAWANSHER 25-29
6. TOOLS OF CRM 30
7. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 31-33
8. LITERATURE REVIEW AND REFRENCES 33-36
9. QUESTIONNAIRE 37-40
10. ANALYSIS AND DATA-INTERPRETATION 41-90
11. FINDINGS 91
12. LIMITATIONS 92
13. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION 93-94
14. REFERENCES 95
8
What is Customer Relationship management?
Customer relationship management is creating a team relationship among sales, marketing, and customer support activities within an organization. Another narrow, yet relevant, viewpoint is to consider CRM only as customer retention in which a variety of after marketing tactics is used for customer bonding or staying in touch after the sale is made.
Shani and Chalasani define relationship marketing as an integrated effort to identify, maintain, and build up a network with individual consumers and to continuously strengthen the network for mutual benefit of both sides, through interactive, individualized and value-added contacts over a period of time.
The core theme of all CRM and relationship marketing perspectives is its focus on co- operative and collaborative relationships between the firm and its customers, and/or other marketing actors. CRM is based on the premise that, by having a better understanding of the customers needs and desires we can keep them longer and sell more to them.
There are three parts of application architecture of CRM:
operational - automation to the basic business processes (marketing, sales, service)
analytical - support to analyze customer behavior, implements business intelligence alike technology co operational - ensures the contact with customers (phone, email, fax, web...)
Improving customer service
CRMs are claimed to improve customer service. Proponents say they can improve customer
service by facilitating communication in several ways:
Provide product information, product use information, and technical assistance on web sites that are accessible 24 / 7
Help to identify potential problems quickly, before they occur
Provide a user-friendly mechanism for registering customer complaints (complaints that are not registered with the company cannot be resolved, and are a major source of customer dissatisfaction) 9
Provide a fast mechanism for handling problems and complaints (complaints that are resolved quickly can increase customer satisfaction)
Provide a fast mechanism for correcting service deficiencies (correct the problem before other customers experience the same dissatisfaction)
Identify how each individual customer defines quality, and then design a service strategy for each customer based on these individual requirements and expectations
use internet cookies to track customer interests and personalize product offerings accordingly
use the internet to engage in collaborative customization or real-time customization
There are a number of reasons why CRM has become so important in the last 10 years. The competition in the global market has become highly competitive, and it has become easier for customers to switch companies if they are not happy with the service they receive. One of the primary goals of CRM is to maintain clients. When it is used effectively, a company will be able to build a relationship with their customers that can last a lifetime. Customer relationship management tools will generally come in the form of software. Each software program may vary in the way it approaches CRM. It is important to realize that
CRM is more than just a technology.
Customer support is directly connected to CRM. If a company fails to provide quality customer support, they have also failed with their CRM system. When a customer makes complaints, they must be handled quickly and efficiently. The company should also seek to make sure those mistakes are not repeated. When sales are made, they should be tracked so that the company can analyze them from various aspects. It is also important to understand the architecture of Customer relationship management. The architecture of CRM can be broken down into three categories, and these are collaborative, operational, and analytical. The collaborative aspect of CRM deals with communication between companies and their clients 10
Privacy and ethical concerns
CRMs are not however considered universally good - some feel it invades customer privacy and enable coercive sales techniques due to the information companies now have on customers - see persuasion technology. However, CRM does not necessarily imply gathering new data, it can be used merely to make "better use" of data the corporation already has. But in most cases they are used to collect new data.
Key CRM principles
Differentiate Customers: All customers are not equal; recognize and reward best customers disproportionately. Understanding each customer becomes particularly important. And the same customers reaction to a cellular company operator may be quite different as compared to a car dealer. Besides for the same product or the service not all customers can be treated alike and CRM needs to differentiate between a high value customer and a low value customer.
11
What CRM needs to understand while differentiating customers is?
- Sensitivities, Tastes, Preferences and Personalities
- Lifestyle and age
- Culture Background and education
- Physical and psychological characteristics
Differentiating Offerings Low value customer requiring high value customer offerings
Low value customer with potential to become high value in near future
High value customer requiring high value service
High value customer requiring low value service
S e r v i c e
R e q u i r e m e n t
High Low value customers who Require high levels of service Must either purchase the higher level of service or become our
High value customers who require a high level of service are maintained without expanding the costly offering to the entire customer population
Low
Low High
12
Keeping Existing Customers
Grading customers from very satisfied to very disappoint should help the organization in improving its customer satisfaction levels and scores. As the satisfaction level for each customer improve so shall the customer retention with the organization.
Maximizing Life time value
Exploit up-selling and cross-selling potential. By identifying life stage and life event trigger points by customer, marketers can maximize share of purchase potential. Thus the single adults shall require a new car stereo and as he grows into a married couple his needs grow into appliances.
Increase Loyalty
Loyal customers are more profitable. Any company will like its mind share status to improve from being a suspect to being an advocate.
Company has to invest in terms of its product and service offerings to its customers. It has to innovate and meet the very needs of its clients/ customers so that they remain as advocates on the loyalty curve. Referral sales invariably are low cost high margin sales.
Summarizing CRM activities:
The CRM cycle can be briefly described as follows:
1. Learning from customers and prospects, (having in depth knowledge of customer)
2. Creating value for customers and prospects
3. Creating loyalty
4. Acquiring new customers
5. Creating profits 13
Learning from customers &
Creating
Profits
Acquiring new
Fig.3 customers 1
5
3 Creating value
CRM Activities 4 for customers & prospects
Creating loyal
2 customers
Customer Relationship Life Cycle
CRM facilitates closed- loop customer interactions through all phases of the customer relation life cycle including:
1. Customer Engagement 2. Business Transaction
Marketing Planning and
Campaign Management Order Acquisition
Telemarketing and Lead Internet Pricing and
Generation Configuration
Opportunity Management E-Selling
Sales Activity and Contact Telesales
Management Field Sales
Customer Segmentation, Profitability Analysis
Product, and Service Profiling
Collaborative
Content One Step Buying and Selling
Management
3. Order Fulfillment
Complete Order Life Cycle Process
Real-Time Availability Checks
Contract, Billing, and Financials Management
Fulfillment Visibility and Order Tracking
Customer Engagement 14
4. Customer Service
Interaction Center
Internet Customer Self-Service
Service Management
Claims Management
Field Service -- Mobile Service
Field Service -- Dispatch
Integration of Marketplace Services
Marketing Planning and Campaign Management -- Enables complete marketing campaigns, including content development, audience definition, market segmentation, and communications
Telemarketing and Lead Generation -- Facilitates customer segmentation, lead qualification, call list management, and monitoring of campaign progress by using integrated analytical CRM functionality
Opportunity Management -- Provides sales tracking and sales forecasting; helps plan sales approaches, identify key decision makers, and estimate potential-to-buy and potential closing dates 15
Sales Activity and Contact Management -- Organizes daily workloads and customer contact information for display in calendar application; provides links to Business Intelligence reporting capabilities
Business Transaction
In the business transaction phase of the relationship life cycle Customer Relationship
Management supports the following key functional areas:
Order Acquisition -- Enables planning, organizing, and implementation of sales strategy; monitors sales pipeline, sales portfolio, and sales budget; facilitates coordination of budgets, forecasts, and reports on product and pricing trends
Internet Pricing and Configuration -- Delivers online systems that allow users to configure products online and compare prices across different catalogs and marketplaces; includes shopping basket functions
E-Selling -- Provides solution for selling products and services via the Internet; covers all phases of sales cycle, including one-to-one marketing, catalog browsing, search, order placement, payment, contract completion, and customer support
Telesales -- Manages inbound and outbound calls; handles high call volumes; provides efficient user interface; integrates sales information from back-office systems and product information from online catalogs
Field Sales -- Delivers key customer and prospect information to sales personnel at any place, at any time; facilitates planning and maintenance of sales activities, such as appointments, visits, and calls, and provides activity reports; creates quotations and takes orders; includes support for mobile and wireless devices
Order Fulfillment
In the order fulfillment phase of the relationship life cycle Customer Relationship
Management supports the following key functional areas:
Complete Order Life Cycle Process -- Provides the ability to track and trace orders at all points along order management, manufacturing, distribution, and service processes; proactively notifies customers of changes that affect delivery 16
Real-time Availability Checks -- Enables allocation of resources in real-time at the front-end; includes real-time access to inventory levels, production capacity, and lead- time requirements across the entire supply chain; enables visibility into product and service delivery dates
Contract, Billing, and Financials Management -- Provides information about customer contracts, billing status, and accounts; integrates back-office functions
Fulfillment Visibility and Order Tracking -- Enables real-time tracking of order fulfillment; provides unique, customized and "guided" content for customers; allows sharing of information with customers via the Internet
Customer Service
In the customer service phase of the relationship life cycle Customer Relationship
Management supports the following key functional areas:
Interaction Center -- Provides inbound and outbound call processing, e-mail management, and activity management to track, monitor, and enhance all customer contact; supports multiple channels for customer communication, including telephony and Web; integrates industry-leading eFrontOffice call center applications from Nortel Networks Clarify; provides certified interfaces to leading computer telephony integration (CTI) solutions
Internet Customer Self-Service -- Offers customers and prospects access to information and customer service functions via Internet; supports effective
customer self service; includes case-logic system featuring advanced decision support for problem determination and resolution
Service Management -- Meets varied demands of service management business; handles customer installations; facilitates simple and complex services; supports services carried out at customer site or in-house repair center (depot); supports involvement of external service providers; integrates contract management; checks customer warranties when services are performed; calculates services charges; integrates information from materials management, cost accounting, billing, and accounts receivable; monitors day-to-day operations; helps decision makers with strategic management issues
Claims Management -- Facilitates handling of entire claims process 17
Field Service - (Mobile Service) -- Delivers and tracks customer and account information for field service personnel; provides service planning and forecasting, scheduling, and dispatching functionality through tight integration with fulfillment systems; includes support for mobile and wireless devices
Field Service - (Dispatch) -- Enables rapid allocation of service engineers and materials to meet incoming service requests
Integration of Marketplace Services -- Provides access to a broad range of applications and services hosted on virtual marketplace
Figure 4 Customer Life Cycle Management
Business Transaction
Customer
and referrals
customers
Customer Order Fulfillment Engagement
Customer Service 18
CRM Formation Process
In the formation process, three important decision areas relate to defining the purpose (or objectives) of engaging in CRM, selecting parties (or customer partners) for appropriate CRM programs and developing programs (or relational activity schemes) for relationship engagement with the customer.
Purpose Increase Effectiveness
Planning Process
Programs Account Management
Partners Criteria
Team Structure
Role
Planning Process
Process Alignment
Monitoring
Communication
Employee Motivation
Employee Training
Evolution
Enhancement
Relationship Performance
Strategic Financial Marketing 19
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
GLOBAL FOUR WHEELER INDUSTRY
Evolution
The automobile industry has undergone significant changes since Henry Ford first introduced the assembly line technique for the mass production of cars. Production concepts, processes and the associated technologies have changed dramatically since the first cars were built. Some 70 years ago car assembly was primarily manual work. Today, the process of car assembly is almost fully automated. In the old days, firms attached importance to the production of virtually every part in a single plant, while today, carmakers concentrate on only a few specific production stages. Parts and module production, services and related activities have been shifted to other, specialised firms (outsourcing of production steps).Since the 1980s, it has become clear that further productivity gains to retain competitiveness can be possible only by outsourcing and securing greater flexibility. For example, firms, especially small car producers whose markets have been threatened by imports, have diversified their production programmes (e.g. by building off-road cars or convertibles) thereby introducing greater flexibility in the production process. Also, firms and their production have become more internationalized in lieu of outsourcing.
Current Scenario
The global passenger car industry has been facing the problem of excess capacity for quite some time now. For the year 2002, the global capacity in the automotive industry was 75 million units a year, against production of only 56 million units (excess capacity estimated at 25%). Efforts to shore up capacity utilization have prompted severe price competition, thus affecting margins and forcing fundamental changes in the industry. The pressure on sales and margins is driving players to emerging markets in pursuit of better growth opportunities and/or access to low-cost manufacturing bases. 20
The concept of selling in the passenger car industry is changing from original sales towards lifecycle value generation, encompassing financing, repairs & maintenance, cleaning, provision of accessories, and so on.
Vehicle manufacturers are moving into completely new materials and technologies partly guided by environmental legislationin striv ing to come up with radically different products. Some of these new technologies involve parts that can be bolted on to an existing vehicle with relatively few implications for the rest of the vehicle. Others are much more fundamental, and are likely to have a profound impact throughout the supply chain. The examples include battery, electric or hybrid power trains, and alternatives to the all-steel body. Carmakers are increasingly outsourcing component production, and focusing on product design, brand management and consumer care, in contrast to the traditional emphasis on manufacturing and engineering.
The increasing need to attain global scales underscores the importance of platform sharing among carmakers. All original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are trying to reduce the number of vehicle platforms, but raise the number of models produced from each platform. This means producing a number of seemingly distinct models from a common platform.
As in manufacturing, distribution in the automobile industry is undergoing significant changes, involving Internet use, retailer consolidation, and unbundling of services provided by retailers. 21
INDIAN FOUR WHEELER INDUSTRY
EVOLUTION
The Indian automobile industry developed within the broader context of import substitution during the 1950s. The distinctive feature of the automobile industry in India was that in line with the overall policy of State intervention in the economy, vehicle production was closely regulated by an industrial licensing system till the early 1980s that controlled output, models and prices. The cars were built mostly by two companies, Premier Automobiles Limited and HM. However, the Indian market got transformed after 1983 following the relaxation of the licensing policy and the entry of MUL into the car market. IN 1991 car imports ere insignificant, while component imports were equivalent to 20% of the domestic production, largely because of the continuing import of parts by MUL. The liberalization of the Indian automotive industry that began in the early 1990s was directed at dismantling the system of controls over investment and production, rather than at promoting foreign trade. Multinational companies were allowed to invest in the assembly sector for the first time, and car production was no longer constrained by the licensing system. However, QRs on built-up vehicles remained and foreign assemblers were obliged to meet local content requirements even as export targets were agreed with the Government to maintain foreign exchange neutrality. The new policy regime and large potential demand led to inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) by the mid- 1990s. By the end of 1997, Daewoo, Ford India, GM, DaimlerChrysler and Peugeot had started assembly operations in India. They were followed by Honda, HMIL, and Mitsubishi.
Current Scenario
Major Players
Bajaj Tempo Limited, DaimlerChrysler India Private Limited, Fiat India Automotive Private Limited, Ford India Limited, General Motors India Limited, Hindustan Motors Limited, Honda Siel Cars India Limited, Hyundai Motor India Limited, Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, Maruti Udyog Limited, Skoda Auto India Limited, Tata Motors Limited, Toyota Kirloskar Motors Limited. 22
HYUNDAIS PRICING STRATEGY
With the launch of Maruti Swift recently a price war was expected to kick in . Immediately after maruti raised prices on its debutante Hyundai Motor India hit back with a Rs 16,000-19,000 markdown on three new variants of Santro Xing.The company has introduced the XK and XL variants at a lower tag of Rs 3,26,999 and Rs .3,45,999 respectively.The new price variants are likely to give Marutis existing B-segment models, Zen and WagonR a run for their money. Hyundai has also launched a new non- AC variant of the Santro at Rs 2.79 lakh, a tad higher than what the existing non-Ac Santro costs. The next offensive is due from Maruti. With the Santros new price positioning, Zen and particularly WagonR may be due for a correction, or at least a limited-period subvention. If that happens the domino effect will kick in across the B- segment.
Hyundai is positioning its new variants on the tech platform. Strapped with 1.1 litre engine with eRLX Active Intelligence technology, the new variants also come with new colour-coordinated interiors, a new front grill and a 4-speed AC blower that makes the air conditioning more efficient
TATAS PRICING STRATEGY
After the price war being triggered off by Hyundai being the first company to introduce what came to be known as, pricing based on customer's value perceptions , all others followed suit.Telco's Indica came in the range of Rs 2.56 lakh to Rs 3.88 lakh with 4 models. The price-points in the car market were replaced by price-bands. The width of a price-band was a function of the size of the segment being targeted besides the intensity of competition. The thumb rule being 'the higher the intensity, the wider the price-band.'
PRICING STRATEGY OF MARUTI
Maruti caters to all segment and has a product offering at all price points. It has a car priced at Rs.1,87,000.00 which is the lowest offer on road. Maruti gets 70% business from repeat buyers who earlier had owned a Maruti car. Their pricing strategy is to provide an option to every customer looking for up gradation in his car. Their sole motive of having so many product offering is to be in the consideration set of every passenger car customer in India. Here is how every price point is covered.
23
Sl.No. BRAND VARIANTS PRICE IN (Rs.)
1 GRAND VITARA XL7 16,97,000.00
2 MARUTI BALENO LXi 5,72,000.00
VXi 6,42,000.00
3 MARUTI ESTEEM LX 4,66,000.00
VX 5,39,000.00
4 MARUTI VERSA DX 4,19,000.00
DX2 4,58,000.00
5 MARUTI SWIFT LXi 3,95,000.00
VXi 4,05,000.00
ZXi 4,85,000.00
6 MARUTI WAGON-R LX 3,35,000.00
LXi 3,62,000.00
AX 4,63,000.00
VXi 3,87,000.00
VXi ABS 4,20,000.00
7 MARUTI GYPSY ST 5,06,000.00
HT 5,29,000.00
8 MARUTI ZEN D 3,58,000.00
24
CUSTOMER CENTRIC APPROACH
Marutis customer centricity is very much exemplified by the five times consecutive wins at J D Power CSI Awards. Focus on customer satisfaction is what Maruti lives with. Maruti has successfully shed off the public- sector laid back attitude image and has inculcated the customer-friendly approach in its organization culture. The customer centric attitude is imbibed in its employees. Maruti dealers and employees are answerable to even a single customer complain. There are instances of cancellation of dealerships based on customer feedback.
Maruti has taken a number of initiatives to serve customer well. They have even changed their showroom layout so that customer has to walk minimum in the showroom and there are norms for service times and delivery of vehicles. The Dealer Sales Executive, who is the first interaction medium with the Maruti customer when the customer walks in Maruti showroom, is trained on greeting etiquettes. Maruti has proper customer complain handling cell under the CRM department. The Maruti call center is another effort which brings Maruti closer to its customer. Their Market Research department remains on its toes to study the changing consumer behaviour and market needs.Maruti enjoys seventy percent repeat buyers which further bolsters their claim of being customer friendly. Maruti is investing a lot of money and effort in building customer loyalty programmes. 25
AUTOMOBILE DEALER IN INDIA
The automobile dealer in India is the ninth largest in the world with an annual production of over 2.3 million units in 2008. In 2009, India emerged as Asia's fourth largest exporter of automobiles, behind Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
Following economic liberalization in India in 1991, the Indian automotive dealer has demonstrated sustained growth as a result of increased competitiveness and relaxed restrictions. Several Indian automobile manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra and Mahindra, expanded their domestic and international operations. India's robust economic growth led to the further expansion of its domestic automobile market which attracted significant India-specific investment by multinational automobile manufacturers. In February 2009, monthly sales of passenger cars in India exceeded 100,000 units bryonic automotive dealer emerged in India in the 1940s. Following the independence, in 1947, the Government of India and the private sector launched efforts to create an automotive component manufacturing dealer to supply to the automobile dealer. However, the growth was relatively slow in the 1950s and 1960s due to nationalisation and the license raj which hampered the Indian private sector. After 1970, the automotive dealer started to grow, but the growth was mainly driven by tractors, commercial vehicles and scooters. Cars were still a major luxury. Japanese manufacturers entered the Indian market ultimately leading to the establishment of Maruti Udyog. A number of foreign firms initiated joint ventures with Indian companies.
Cargo Motors BSF Chowk, G. T. Road, Jalandhar. 0181-2243004-8 9814328686
29
Tata Car Dealers in Ludhiana -
NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE NO
Garyson Sherpur Chowk, G T Road, 0161-5025655- Motors Ludhiana. 56 5069948 9855121449 981462565
Dada Motors Savitri I, G. T. Road, Ludhiana. 0161-3295821 9876188000 9876903232 987691323
KOSMO HYUNDAI
Opp Dps Main Rd, Main G T Rd, Basti Jodhewal, Jalandhar, Punjab, India
0181-5009501, 5009502
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea and is the second largest and the fastest growing car manufacturer in India. HMIL presently markets 34 variants of passenger cars across segments. The Santro in the B segment, the Getz Prime and the i10 in the B+ segment, the Accent and the Verna in the C segment, the Sonata Embera in the E segment and the Tucson in the SUV segment. Hyundai Motor India, continuing its tradition of being the fastest growing passenger car manufacturer, registering total sales of 327,160 vehicles in the calendar year (CY) 2007, an increase of 9.2 percent over CY 2006. In the domestic market it clocked a growth of 7.6 percent as compared to 2006 with 200,412 units, while overseas sales grew by 11.8 percent, with exports of 126,748 units 30
STAN AUTOS
Opp Dps, G T Rd, Jalandhar, Punjab, India 0181-2660366
stanauto@sify.com\
Stan Autos is the leading car and bike magazine, Latest road test on cars and bikes, reviews, first drives, news, features, helping you buy used cars, answering car and bike queries, best places to travel, results of Formula 1 drivers standings, updates on A1gp, aprc, wrc, inrc, prices for all cars and bikes. 31
THE COMMON CRM TOOLS USED BY ALL THE DEALERS 32
NEED OF THE STUDY
The need of this study is to find the impact made by the CRM activities by the different automobile dealer on the customer satisfaction and sale. On this study will let us know about the various aspects of the CRM activities and automobile dealer in India. What are the various factors affecting it positively and negatively? This study will enhance our knowledge and will help us in times to come. We all find this area of study very lucrative so we have chosen it as our topic of project.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research study throws light on the CRM activities of the automobile dealer in punjab and it will let all those who are interested in Indian automobile dealer with CRM to know impacts of CRM activities by automobile sector.
This research work and survey would help to future researchers and students to know the impact of crm activities by automobile sector in the broader areas and field and over all employability and economic growth of the country in this very aspect.
Region of study:
Jalandhar
Banga (nawasehear)
Ludhiana
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
What are the different CRM techniques being adopted by various dealers in small car segment in the region of Punjab.
How much the CRM initiative of the companies helps them to retain their existing customer and acquiring new customers.
Does the CRM activities have any impact on customer locality
To critically analyze the CRM initiative taken by automobile dealers to enhance customer satisfaction.
33
RESEARCH METHDOLOGY:
PERIOD OF STUDY:
The period of the study for this project cover near about three months. Further, this much period is a reasonable period to study the performance of target person and to gain knowledge with respect to the objective of study.
TYPES OF THE RESEARCH:
It is a Descriptive Research and the main objective of Descriptive Research is to learn about who, what, when and how. It includes study and fact finding inquiries of different kinds. Thus the major purpose of descriptive research is the description of the state of affairs, as it exits at present. To understand the various CRM activities and the impact of those activities on customer loyalty an on the sale of the company we will design a questionaries that in clued all the above said objectives
It also include Exploratory Research as we are focusing on the what are the recent trends in the CRM activities in the automobile dealers and what are their consequences.
Population: Population includes the people of Jalandhar, banga (nawasher), Ludhiana
Proposed Sample Size: 100 customers
Research Tool: Questionnaire
FRAMEWORK OF ANALYSIS:
The study has been undertaken to examine and understand the marketing aspect of customer relationship management for a business playing a crucial role in the growth. The framework of study is concern with the CRM activities by automobile dealer in the region defined above 34
LITERATURE REVIEW
CRM techniques are the most widely techniques that had been used by the companies but as our study revolves around the small car dealers so we have collected some of the data on the existing structure of the CRM in the automobile industry by taking into consideration the main three companies that is Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors. To respond to high customer expectations companies are finding they have to use both traditional and emerging channels to deliver more effective efficient and profitable marketing sales.
In an article that is free take back network for Tata Motorss ELV that they have developed an programme of appreciation to the previous Tata customers who wished to dispose off their car at end of life vehical in UK and give that certificate of destruction and that is free of charge.
An article that is being posted by delearelite.ca that what actually is the crm in the automobile industry in that they have explained about the diffrrence between the CRM and DMS as a dealer management software should have
Also an CRM-DMS initiative that is taken by tata motors has connected company to 1200 dealers and to the end customers. Of course we should also know about the choosing of CRM software and that can be well got from the article that is poste on CRM guru blog that is CRM Software Selection Does Not Have to Be Daunting Task which explains that Choosing CRM software can be a daunting task, it does not have to be an insurmountable one.
Simply defining the right goals and how the CRM software enables the company to meet those goals will go a long way in preparing the company to make the smart choice. Another aricle that is being posted on emerland insight that explains about the digital loyality networks being adopted by the automobile dealers to enhance their CRM activities. digital loyalty network, including the implementation of an integrated network connecting the company with suppliers, alliance partners, dealers and customers .
One of the greatest example of CRM being adopted by maruti Suzuki when it recalled its A star car due to some of the discrepancies article by arnab RC Bhargava, who is the chairman of the company said that Maruti Suzuki is committed to the safety of the customers. Another article that explains about the common CRM requirement to run the small car dealership effectively and also explain the most suitable CRM solution the article named as
35
Which vendor is the best automotive CRM solution for today's small dealerships?
Typically a smaller dealership will not have that many departments or unnecessary complexity to worry about, hence a lot simpler CRM solution is required, but at the same time the system should be powerful and proven solution to their unique marketing challenges. Some of the challenges facing the smaller dealers are: one the price tag, the smaller dealers wouldn't want to pay a setup fee from $2000 to $10000, and they certainly don't want to pay a monthly cost of $1500 - $500. The second challenge is I.T support, because many of the smaller dealers will not have the luxury of having constant I.T support, therefore their CRM solution should require minimal user training, with intuitive user interfaces. It should be easily understood and used by the management, instead of leaving all the CRM problems to your I.T department. Another feature that is required by the smaller dealer is quick turn around, when they receive a vehicle, or stocking in a vehicle into their inventory.
In one of the article being posted by sharla sikes she has explained about the increasing level of customer satisfaction due to the changing CRM that is 360 degree CRM which maintain from all aspects a complete record of that consumers information. Data and processes factor large in traditional CRM setups. The article is named as more than just
CRM.
Another article that is being posted by articlebase.com has resulted the parameters that can be used to measure the customer satisfaction and the maruti was one of the first to rank highest in customer satisfaction and the parameters on which the customer satisfaction level was measured were problems experienced, service quality, service advisor, service initiation, user-friendly service, service delivery, and in-service experience.
on demand automotive crm software solution: (car dealer software This is an article written by salesboom.com that has explained Automotive CRM software systems are designed to meet the most demanding Automotive sales software, marketing, call center, Automotive shop software and field service requirements for car companies, importers, used car dealers, parts shops, auto repair shops, distributors, and retailers. Salesboom Automotive CRM tools encompass very comprehensive Automotive Software Applications that facilitate management, synchronization, and coordination of all customer touch points, including Web, call center, field organization, Automotive shop, showroom and partner networks. 36
In one of the article that is posted on the blogspot.com the article named as six reason why crm initiative fails .There can be many reasons why CRM initiatives fail but here its going to focus specifically on six of them pertaining to small businesses and startups. These CRM activities has some points to be discussed like Counting v. Creating Customers, Measuring the Wrong Thing, Structured v. Unstructured Data, Ease-of-Use, "Feeding the Monster", Transactional Systems v. Solution/Relationship Systems. CRM guru has one of the article being posted on it that explained about the strategic framework of CRM in automobile sector. The authors emphasize the need for a cross-functional, process-oriented approach that positions CRM at a strategic level. They identify five key cross-functional CRM processes: a strategy development process, a value creation process, a multichannel integration process, an information management process, and a performance assessment process.
Less than six months More than six months but less than one year
1-3 years More than 3 years
Q: 6 On the scale of 1-5 where 1 represent extremely satisfied and 5 represent extremely dissatisfied how would you rate your level of overall satisfaction with company?
Why do you say that? What specifically are you satisfied or dissatisfied with company ? enter response below: 38
Q: 7 Please rate your level of agreement with the following statements (1-5 scale with 1 being strongly agree,2 being agree,3 being neutral,2 disagree and 1 being completely disagree):
1 2 3 4 5
I believe Company deserves my loyalty
Over the past year, my loyalty to Company has grown stronger
Company values people and relationships ahead of short- term goals
Q: 8 Please rate your level of satisfaction with sale representative in the following areas
representative Between Groups 3.420 5 .684 .572 .721
Within Groups 112.420 94 1.196
Total 115.840 99
isuueresolution Between Groups 143.649 5 28.730 1.017 .412
Within Groups 2656.061 94 28.256
Total 2799.710 99
customerservice Between Groups 2.609 5 .522 .763 .579
Within Groups 64.262 94 .684
Total 66.871 99
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ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
From the research study it is being found that most of the customers of small car segment lies in the income level of 2-3 and 3-4 lakh and then after some of the respondent were also lying in the 4-5 lakh but small in number where as more than 5 lakh is an rare chance.
The number of customer studied who have maruti Suzuki were 42 and Hyundai (28) whereas tata motors (25) where as 5 were using other cars.
All of the 100 customers own the car.
60 of them were having one car, 35 have 2 cars and 5 have more than 2 cars.
Most of the old customers were attached to maruti as they were using mostly the service more than 2 years.
The over all satisfaction average of maruti Suzuki customers are more than other company customers.
Most of the Hyundai customer were responding to their recent experience with the product that they strongly agree that it was worth to purchase but on an average the worthiness of tata motors and maruti Suzuki was more in the analysis.
The user friendly award is being given to maruti Suzuki by the customer it is may be due to the comfort and economical nature of their product and it could be analyse that they are even using their brand image as a crm tool.\
The repurchase behaviour of all the customers of different companies are matching but somewhat comparatively the repurchase pattern of tata motors is better resulted.
The study reveale that the feedback pattern used by maruti Suzuki and Hyundai motors is comparatively good than that of the tata motors as according to the resposes of 100 people so the result may be somewhat baised.
The loyality of the maruti Suzuki customer can been seen from their rating by comparing the existing product with other companies they have rated their company product much better in more frequencies than other customers.
As according to the customers response the brand image of the maruti Suzuki and tata motors is much more than that of Hyundai and comparatively the brand image of the maruti Suzuki is much rated by the customer it may be due to their customer loyality programme and the number of service station available. 90
Most of the maruti Suzuki and tata motors customers are willing to recommend their product to others but in this parameter Hyundai is also contributing some of the efforts.
The touch point that have been asked from the customers and on an average the touch point of the maruti Suzuki and the tatamotors are more effective which shows their senstiveness towards crm activities but most of the effective tool for maruti is their sales representative and their front desk where as tata motor is best at their email and sms response. The effective tool of Hyundai is their email response. 91
FINDINGS
Crm that is customer relationship management is an very emerging activity in the automobile sector as many of the firms are competing on the basis of this as their competitive edge.
Punjab has an great hub for small car segment customer as according to the income level.
As according to the income level people are interested to buy a small car inspite of their more income.
Some of the software implication are also there in crm for companies.
Customer satisfaction lies in the services and the brand image of the company that is positioning of the company
Sales representative plays an important role in the customer satisfaction and customer retention of the given company
As according to the customer response more the company does to maintain the good relationship with customer the more customer is willing to spread word of mouth as it is maximum in case of maruti Suzuki.
The hypothesis we have selected that is null hypothesis that is crm has no impact on the customers is being rejected by one way anova test and the alternative hypothesis is selected as it is being proved that it has impact on the customer satisfaction.
Hyundai motors are not concentrating much on the crm activities as much as the tata and the maruti Suzuki are doing.
The number of dealers of tata and Hyundai in the jalandhar and Ludhiana are some what less than that of maruti. 92
LIMITATIONS
The period of study we were having with was not appropriate with the region defined in the study as it require more time.
The response that is given by some of the customers about the company whos car they own may contain some biasness.
It was very difficult to get the data from the dealers in the region because they are not willing to disclose the data and hence the analysis that has been done on the basis of available data may contain some biased results.
As we have taken the sample size of 100 people so it is confined to only 100 people and hence we have taken the whole population as 100 so the result could vary if the sample size has been changed or the people were changed.
The result of the study is applicable to the survey area alone.
Unwilling respondents also affect the result of the research. 93
RECOMMENDATIONS
In CRM the automobile dealers have to learn from other service industry such as airline service industry. Each time a customer approaches the service agent his entire history was flashed on the screen.
Customer knowledge can be used to offer customer specific offer on purchase of second vehicle in family.
Many organizations operating in automobile market still do not differentiate their CRM activities at the segment level. They contact each prospect with the same frequency instead of applying a level effort consistent with the cost of acquisition and profit potential. Their unrefined use of resources not only leads to wasted investment but also can cause annoyance among customers who are either being oversupplied or undersupplied with attention.
Proper training should be given to the employees on the new crm technology that is being adopted by the organization.
There should be implementation of Microsoft dynamic CRM which is specially designer for multitasking for businesses to maximize their investment and enhance productivity.
Our research has analyzed that the most of the customer are diverting their loyalty from the one dealer due to the reason of some kind of discrepancies in issue resolution so each dealer should have an independent issue resolution department under their CRM to better understand their need. 94
CONCLUSION
As our study is being confined to the study of crm by automobile dealers in the region of Punjab ( jalandhar, ludhiana,nawasher) from the study we have reveal that some of the customers have no knowledge about the CRM of the company after the purchase of the car it may be due to the lack of awareness in that area but they could understand when we explained to them. Now coming to the three companies under study the conclusion can be stated in one line only that all the CRM initiative taken by the dealers of these companies have impacted the customer loyalty and customer satisfaction ofcouse some of the points are there where the dealers have to work on which we have explained in the recommendation. So by working more on crm they can achive the heights of customer satisfaction. 95