Customer satisfaction analysis of telecommunication company Vodafone

Customer satisfaction analysis of telecommunication company Vodafone Telecommunication sector is the largest one across UK and one of the major contributors in UKs economy. There are number of telecom players in UK telecom sector and among these players, Vodafone is the leader having 34% market share. The company launched every time new product/service in the market to delight its customers. Sometime the customers face number of issues or problems with the services for which the company has set up its separate customer care center (Deurinck, 2007). The customer care standards therefore play significant role if delivering services and satisfying the customer need. Therefore with this consideration the area of the research is to measure the satisfaction level of customers of Vodafone (Bloom, 2006). Further the research will identify the importance of customer care standards in telecommunication business and how to imply it into the business to retain the customer. The overall aim of this research will be to increase the business profitability and growth through high level of customer satisfaction. The research study is focusing towards the customer care in telecom sector to understand the problems faced by the customers of Vodafone. The following research objectives will be achieved in this research: To determine the key elements of customer care standards to be maintained for the purpose of delivery high satisfaction and retaining the customers in Vodafone. to understand the current level of satisfaction among the Vodafone customers with its services To determine the training and development needs to be fulfilled to deliver the services above customer expectations. To recommend the suitable strategies to Vodafone for improving the customer satisfaction level and increasing the loyalty of the customers 2. Research Methods: In order to achieve the above listed research objectives, an efficient research method needs to be designed. A research onion method has been used to design the research methodology for completing the above e research objectives. A special emphasis has bee given to the operational function of Vodafone, hence with such sensitivity, it is essential to critically review the available research methods to design the suitable framework. In the research onion process designed by Saunders et al (2003), the following layers exist and by removing out each layer, a suitable step is obtained. Integration of each part from the selection of available methods provides the appropriate research methodology. Research Purpose/Aim/Objective Research Approach Research Strategy Data Collection Sample Selection Data Analysis Validity/Reliability of the Data 3. Research Aims and Objectives: As mentioned earlier the aim of the research is to understand the satisfaction level of customers at Vodafone and customer care standards in Vodafone. 4. Research philosophy: Saunders et al, (2003) research philosophy is the technique to initiate the research by means of development thinking and the way in which the research want to conduct the research study. A researcher can make the choices among positivism, interpretivism and realism research philosophies. Positivism and realism research philosophy is not relevant in this research since both the philosophical approaches work on the behavioral studies; however this is the independent research where the satisfaction level of the customers will be tested. In this study there is no connection of the behavioral studies. Hence interpretivism research philosophy will be adopted to conduct this research work. Moreover the interpretivism research philosophy enables the researcher to determine and analyze the different variables. The discussion of the research findings is more exploratory with in-depth discussion. Therefore the interpretivism research philosophy is more relevant than the positivism and realism. The results of the study will be interpreted based on the real world findings by interviewing the customers at Vodafone. 5. Research Approach: The second layer of the research onion is research approach which enables the researcher to further make out the selection of data collection and data analysis methods. Also the right research approach enable the researcher to take further decided on line of action item that help the researcher to fulfil the research objectives in case any constraints occurs. A researcher therefore can make the selection among deductive, inductive and abductive research approaches. Since the philosophical approach is interpretivism which can be better aligned with the deductive research approach as per the argument provided by Saunders et al (2003). Deductive approach is useful where the data is collected from the external respondents and analyzed to improve the current state. Since the research is focusing towards the customer satisfaction level at Vodafone which will eventually increase the companys profitability. Looking at such usefulness the ab-ductiuve and inductive research approached are irre levant to use in this study. Further to justify the selection of deductive research approach, it is provided the base to verify the theoretical results with the primary findings. Hence the deductive research is relevant in this study. It will enable the researcher to establish the link between the evaluation of research objectives and summary findings which has been derived from the primary and secondary research. 6. Research Strategy: The third layer of the research onion includes the choices of research strategies. According to Saunders et al (2003), a researcher can make the selection between the qualitative and quantitative research strategy. In qualitative research, a thorough discussion in held with the qualitative data whiles the quantitative research methods is based more on the quantitative data. Qualitative research is more useful where the researcher wants to develop the opinion based on the small sample size. On the other hand the quantitative research is useful where the researcher wants to develop the opinion based on larger sample size. In-depth discussion analysis is used to achieve the aims and objectives in qualitative research methods, while the numeric analysis is conducted to achieve the aims and objective of the research. However, sometimes the researcher can also use the mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Since the researcher wants to collect the opinion of customers of Vod afone to understand their satisfaction level, therefore the quantitative as well as qualitative both the research strategies will be used in this research. 6.1 Qualitative Strategy: As per the opinion of Saunders et al (2003), the qualitative research is emphasized on exploring the key points and issues related to the research objectives. The qualitative research methods enable the research to determine the way to gain the insight from the research. Further it seeks the behaviour, value system, motivation, attitude and culture. A lot more approaches for example conducting primary research interviews, feedback, reports and other sources are searched out to get the right information. 6.2 Quantitative strategy: According to Saunders et al (2003), quantitative research methods enable the researcher to extract the information from the opinion of the target respondents and conducted a statistical analysis to test the opinion and develop the conclusion of the research. The quantitative data can be extracted using primary research, financial documents, ratio calculation for the purpose of understanding the company performance. It is essential to understand how company is developing the standards for resolving the customer issues for the increasing the loyalty and business profitability. Therefore it is separate method of collecting the information apart from the qualitative analysis. Under the qualitative and quantitative research strategies, the following data collection methods will be utilized. Data Collection using Primary Research: According to Saunders et al 2003, primary research for data collection is useful to collect the honest and real opinion to achieve the research objectives and draw the conclusion in more realistic way. In primary research, the researcher can collect the information through various methods such as surveys, interviews, observations. Hence it is purely based on the field research. Since, the research focuses on the customer satisfaction which will be analyzed by collecting the opinion from large set of Vodafone customers. Hence the survey method is more useful to collect the information. Under the quantitative research strategy, a structured questionnaire will be utilized to collect the information towards the satisfaction of the customer towards the Vodafone services. Interviews and observations are irrelevant in this research since it can be conducted only with smaller sample size which is irrelevant to draw the conclusion about the customer satisfaction with the Vodafone services. Th e survey will be conducted among large group of customers of Vodafone to measure their satisfaction level. Given below is the details of sampling method used and profile of the target respondents. Sampling: Sampling is required to define the method of selecting and defining the sample of target respondent from the universe. The research will use the random sampling method since the research is customer focused and large universe of customer available. The researcher therefore can identify the Vodafone customers only after proper screening. Simulation technique will be used to generate the random samples. Random sampling enables the researcher to reach the right target respondents where the universe is large though the incidence is also high (Banker and Morley, 2007). Since Vodafone is the largest provider of telecom services in UK, therefore the universe of people using Vodafone services will be very high. The following sample size will be used to collect the opinion of the customers towards satisfaction with the Vodafone services: Customers: 300 Target Respondents: Target respondents will be consumers of age more than 18 years who are the Vodafone customers and must be using for Vodafone services for minimum last six months. Research will conduct 50% of the surveys with female customers and remaining 50% with male customers. Survey Instrument: According to Saunders et al (2003), questionnaire is the best survey tool to collect the information. A researcher can use either the structured, semi structured or unstructured questionnaire. Structured questionnaire includes all close ended questions, semi structured questionnaire includes mix of close and open ended questions while unstructured questionnaire includes all open ended questions. The unstructured questionnaire is more regarded as discussion guide. The research strategy adopted by the researcher is mix of quantitative and qualitative research strategy. Primary research is used under the quantitative research methods, therefore the structured questionnaire will be utilised to collect the information. Secondary Research: In addition to the primary research, secondary research will be conducted to collect the information from various secondary sources such as company website, news articles, research reports, blogs, academic journals and web articles. Secondary data will be collected under the qualitative research strategy. Information collected through secondary research will used to develop the literature review in this research by reviewing the views from different authors in the context of customer satisfaction. 7. Data Analysis: Data analysis is the sensitive part of the research. Therefore it needs special emphasis while selecting the methods and tools for data analysis. The right selection of data analysis method enables the researcher to meet the desired level of outcome and achieve the research objective efficiently (Bush et al, 2008). The data will be collected in the line of research aim and research objective. Since both the qualitative and quantitative research strategies have been used to collect the information therefore the researcher will represent the qualitative information through discussion critical analysis while the data collected through quantitative method will be presented through graphs and discussion will be made. Moreover the quantitative data will be analyzed using statistical tools such as regression analysis and measures of central tendency (Bucklin, 2004). 8. Reliability and Validity of Data: It is essential for the researcher to maintain the reliability and validity of the data to ensure that the conclusion drawn from the research is academically and ethically appropriate and should not be biased or skewed towards a particular variable. In this view the research will ensure the reliability and validity if the data by suing valid sources of information. Pilot test will be conducted to ensure that the information collected though the instrument should not be biased and 100% accurate. Further the information collected through primary research will be cross checked through secondary information. Only academic journals and authenticated websites will be used to collect the information. 9. Peers Review and Suggestions for Improvement: I have administered the questionnaire among the peer group and after reviewing it, my peers have identified some issues in the questionnaire. Initially the feedback provided by peer group was to make the questionnaire in a proper sequence as per the recommendation of Deurinck (2007). Also some of the options in each question were not clear for example the service portfolio was incorrect. I made it clear by collecting the information from company website. I have included the likert scale questions and less of the dichotomous questions as per the suggestion provided by peer group. 10. Limitations Difficulties: There could be several limitations the researcher might face while conducting this research. Due to time constraint the sample size small to generate the consensus about the satisfaction with the services provided by Vodafone. Also it could not be the reflection of the whole customer base of Vodafone towards the satisfaction. The analysis and interpretation may not be 100% accurate and free from error. The random sampling approach will be used to define the samples which may not be of the quality which is expected as obtained by the complete enumeration survey as it is not possible due to financial and time constraint (Bucklin, 2004). 11. Conclusion: The area of the research is customer satisfaction towards the service offered by large telecom service provider Vodafone. In order to achieve the desired level of objectives and aim, qualitative and quantitative research methods have been used to collect the information. Interpretivism research philosophy will be used to generate the desired level of outcome. Primary and secondary data will be used to collect the information. Within the primary method, surveys will be administered among the customer of Vodafone to collect their opinion towards the Vodafone services (Deurinck, 2007). Appendix A Questionnaire Dear participant, my name is____________ and I am pursuing my _________________ from university. I am conducting a research study in UK telecom sector with emphasis on Vodafone to understand the satisfaction level of customers with the services provided by Vodafone and customer care standards maintained by the company to resolve the customer issues in the partial fulfillment of my degree. I ensure that the complete research work is conducted only for the academic purpose and will not be used for any commercial activity. I am assuring that the information provided by you will be used solely in this research and will not publish any where else I will be highly obliged for your participation in this survey. Would you wish to continue? Yes (Continue) No (Thanks for your time and terminate) Q1. Please select from the following which mobile connection do you have? Orange (TERMINATE) T-Mobile (TERMINATE) Sprint (TERMINATE) Verizon (TERMINATE) ATT (TERMINATE) Vodafone (CONTINUE) Q2. Please tell me which of the following telecom connection do you have? Post paid Pre paid Q3. Please rate the service provider based on the service offerings provided to you on the following scale? Excellent Good Average Poor Terrible Not Sure Q4. Please tell me which of the following offers influenced you to purchase the services from Vodafone? Price Network Service Brand Image VAS Expected Values Q5. Please tell me which of the following value added services are most satisfactory to you? SMS Packs Concession call rates Internet service Full talk time Q6. Please tell me how long have you used these services from Vodafone? > 1 Month 1-6 Months 6 M 1 Year Q7. Please rate your overall satisfaction level with the services provided by Vodafone? Very Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Q8. Please rate the service provided by Vodafone on the following scale based on which you think the services are for value for money? Excellent Good Fair Poor Not Sure Q9. Please tell me what kind of issues you have faced so far for which you need to contact customer care/service department of Vodafone? Billing Related Activation/De-activation Information of VASs Network Problem Expected Values Q10. Please think about recent experience you had with Vodafone, how much satisfied are you with the customer care service from the company? Very Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Q11. Please tell me how satisfied are you with the process of getting your queries resolved? Very Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Thanks for your participation!

At the Crossroads :: Free Essays Online

At the Crossroads In November of 1974, a red headed Bostonian, who looked like she was straight out of Southie, was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. With fifty-nine percent of the vote, Elaine Noble’s victory signified a remarkable emergence, for she was the first openly gay politician to win election to a statewide office (Perry 37-65). Noble’s election was the catalyst for a dramatic series of events, not only for the residents of the Fenway district in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but for the entire country as well. Since that historic afternoon, Massachusetts has typically had ten openly gay politicians on its ballot. On a national level, there are more than one hundred and sixty openly gay politicians, with an average of one hundred additional gays seeking office. It is necessary to establish that Elaine Noble and her many followers all come from a viewpoint that recognizes the inherent discrimination and oppression of gays. From this position, a pursuance of change through reform of the status quo is a top priority. Another standpoint, called liberationist, seeks to restructure an inherently oppressing system. Both systems are political means for achieving change- politicians themselves are usually reformers, while political organizations and individuals can function under either realm. The liberationist movement is often critical of the reformers like Noble, accusing them of wanting to be just like the (straight) white male. Reformers see themselves more as multiculturalists- that a number of distinct groups exist, and their differences should be celebrated. Liberationists contradict that assumption with the reasoning that gays are an oppressed minority, and as an oppressed minority, cannot function within the structures created by the large r majority. These assumptions are part of the minority thesis, which in a sense forms the systemic differences of each group. Using the unique geographical space of Washington, DC, I plan to challenge the stereotypical assumption that gay identity is prerequisite to the election of an openly gay politician. When I say "gay identity", I am specifically referring to the sense of community, pride, and progress. The distinct minority theses will be used to convey the implications of identity in the political structure, and in turn the formation of a gay identity in the District of Columbia. Though Elaine Noble was the first successful gay candidate to win elected office, she was by no means the first openly gay politician. Frank Kameny, an activist who had previously lost his federal job because of his sexual orientation, was the first openly gay person to seek national office.

Jane Eyre Is a Romantic Novel

Jane Eyre can easily be classified as a romantic novel. The term â€Å"romantic† usually brings to mind images of love , however, it is much more than that. It is filled with emotion and freedom and can also be seen as the main conflict of the narrative because that is what the characters central struggles evolve around which is why â€Å"Jane Eyre† which can easily be classified as a romantic novel. Throughout the novel romance can be portrayed in many ways such as Berthas acts of arson. She is known as the â€Å"madwoman in the attic† and put Mr Rochester through â€Å"hideous and degrading agonies† as she went against Victorian morals and commited adultery.This act of madness cause Jane to save Mr Rochester, and when Jane extinguishes the literal flames it can be seen as a metaphor for the new ones she is about to kindle with Rochester. Berthas arson symbolizes her using the power of sexuality to destroy Rochester’s home however she has unintenti ally opened a new chapter of love in his life. Sharing the secret of the fire brings them both closer and their increased closeness causes Mr Rochester’s romantic feelings towards Jane to grow, finally resulting in him proposing to Jane adding to the romantic element of the plot.When Jane learns that Mr Rochester is already married she has to make the difficult decision of wether to leave him and her life at thornfield behind or not. Mrs Fairfax clearly warns Jane of the disagreements she is bound to have with Rochester when she explains to her â€Å"Gentlemen in his station are not accustomed to marrying their governesses†. Jane wishing to uphold the common life of a governess does not make her love Mr Rochester any less but it does create dangerous tension between them.The tense atmosphere now created may possibly contribute to Jane’s choice to run away from Thornfield which we see later in the story is the path she needed to choose in order to live the life s he longed for with Mr Rochester. On the other hand, her decision may not have been made on the terms that it was morally wrong in society to be with a married man, the motive behind it was more likely to be based on her own emotions and love for Rochester. â€Å"My hand moved towards the lock: I caught it back and glided on†, this conveys that Jane had powerful feelings for Rochester and could not commit to a man who could not fully commit to her.She has let her heart over rule her mind and the stubborn tone here highlights that Jane knows she is making the right decision as her emotions always benefit her. This intensity of emotions conveys that â€Å"Jane Eyre† can be easily classified as a romantic novel. The decision to leave Mr Rochester adds to the romantic element of the novel as it leads Jane down a path that will have her make decisions that will majorly effect her outcome in life and love. As she moves on to Moor house and meets St. John, he proposes to marry her as she would make the perfect wife for the missionary life that he leads.The entire reason this shocking marriage is proposed is because St. John firmly thinks that â€Å"God and nature intended for a missionary’s wife†. This occurs only because St. John notices that Jane fits the role of a missionary wife and a wife would aid him in pursuing his ultimate goal, to live the common life of a missionary. He does not take Janes feelings into consideration and she refuses this lifestyle. The lifestyles of a governess, missionary, and member of high society cause conflicts that have a meaningful effect on the romantic plot of Jane Eyre. Furthermore like St.John, Jane’s heart belongs to someone else and she uses harsh imagery to project her emotions and refer to him as â€Å"a stranger – unsympathizing alien† and refuses this proposal. Women in the 18th century were expected to marry in order to make something of themselve’s as they had no oth er role to play in society, so some may have considered this refusal foolish as Jane would have to live a life of solitude and become an outcast. However, Jane’s refusal of a secure and exciting life causes her to follow her heart and once again persue her beloved Mr Rochester which is a crucial part of the romantic plot.The consequence of the romantic idea of following your emotions evokes changes in Jane’s life that effects the entire plot of the story, highlight that â€Å"Jane Eyre† can be easily classified as a romantic novel. Overall it is the romantic elements that Bronte uses such as the power of emotions and moral conflicts that causes â€Å"Jane Eyre† to be classified as a romantic novel. They effect the path in which Jane takes and are crucial to the romantic plot of the story which makes the novel unique to others.

Wic Is A Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children

WIC The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children also known as WIC is a nutrition program aimed at assisting low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to 5 years old who are at nutritional risk. The program aims to assist the individuals by providing foods with nutritional value in addition to their normal diet, also giving information about healthy eating including breastfeeding, and the program also gives referrals to healthcare services. WIC originally began 1972 as a test program to help improve health conditions of pregnant mothers, infants, and children because of concerns over the nutrition of low income mothers and their children. In January of 1974 the first WIC site opened in Kentucky and later that year WIC was operating in 45 states. The following year eligibility grew to accommodate children up to age 5 and non-breast feeding women. Then in 1978 new additions to program were implemented. The main additions were that nutrition education must be provided, foods should be nutrient rich and have minimal amounts of fat, sugar, and salts and lastly States had to incorporate social services like immunization, alcohol and drug abuse prevention, child abuse counseling, and family planning. Since then, WIC has grown to accommodate its recipients by increasing support and awareness for breastfeeding and improving food packages to meet dietary guidelines. WIC is administered by State healthShow MoreRelatedThe Women Infant and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program1274 Words   |  5 PagesThe Women Infant and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program is a supplemental food and nutrition program for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women and children under age five who have a nutriThe Women, Infant and Children Supplemental Nutritional Program’s primary goals are to provide supplemental food and nutrition to women of a lower income who are pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum and children under age 5. In the 1960’s issues of women and their children of lowerRead MoreThe Snap ( Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ) And Wic ( Women, Infants, Children ) Programs864 Words   |  4 Pages The SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants, Children) programs both have similar jobs. Both programs attempt to help feed struggling families. In the past SNAP allowed members to purchase food staples and prepackaged food, but a recent bill is being made in order to address these rules. These changes will deactivate members’ abilities to purchase prepackaged food, and has limited them to purchase only food staples. These food staples included foods such as riceRead MoreWic Program Essay1025 Words   |  5 PagesA Summary of the Woman, Infants, Children Nutritional Services Program Margaret Russell Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutritional Services is a federal program that provides health care and proper nutrition to low income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women during a crucial time for both mothers and babies. The mission of WIC is to â€Å"safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk by providing nutritious foods to supplementRead MoreThe Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women890 Words   |  4 Pages The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was started in 1972, and was permanently established in 1974 by the USDA (WIC Fact Sheet, 2015; Brown, 2011). WIC was established to safeguard the health of women, infants, and children up to age five who are low income and at nutritional risk; their mission is carried out by means of supplementing diets by providing access to nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding education, breastfeeding promotion, breastfeedin gRead MoreWic : Children, Infants, And Children1012 Words   |  5 PagesWIC is a truly amazing program, WIC is Women, Infants, and Children. WIC has been around helping families for a very long time. There are very different opinions on WIC, some people are for it and appreciate how they help families. Others view WIC as an easy way out to a difficult time. WIC has a lot of history, there are advantages, disadvantages, how it’s administers, statistics, the risk, and their positions on WIC. WIC had been around since the 70’s and even then was very much about the healthRead MoreMaternal And Child Health : Health Delivery Systems1645 Words   |  7 Pagesthe determinants, mechanisms and systems that promote and maintain health, safety, well-being and appropriate development of children and their families in communities and societies, in order to enhance the future health and welfare of society and subsequent generations. Maternal and Child Health is unified and disturbed by numerous issues. Pregnant women, mothers, and children experience illness-causing mortality, from health related issues that could have be treated or prevented. Africa is on ofRead MoreEssay on Breastfeeding and The WIC Program1182 Words   |  5 PagesStates Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children also known as WIC supplies almost fifty percent of the infant formula used in the US at no charge to the families. This has raised a red flag for concern because it is well-known that feeding with infant formula results in poorer health outcomes for infants than breastfeeding. Why should WIC offer any formula at all to its clients when breast milk is free, and it is known to be more beneficial for infants than formula? TheRead MoreSpecial Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children Essay3550 Words   |  15 PagesRunning Head: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children 3 The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Rebecca H. Thomas Simmons Introduction In the United States, there is a significant number of women and children live below the federal poverty line and many still live below twice the poverty line (Jackson, 2014). According toRead MoreHealthy Eating and Brain Development1700 Words   |  7 Pagesdirect relationship with proper nutrition. Toddler’s need a well balanced diet that will help with their brain development and achievement for the future. Poor nutrition before birth and the first few years of life can lead to neurological and behavioral disorders. For children under the age of two, healthy eating has a positive impact on the development of their brains. Healthy eating and nutrition plays an important role in the brain development of young children; improving their motor skills, academicsRead MoreEvaluation Of The Public Health Services Provided By My Practicum Cite789 Words   |  4 Pageshealth status – One of the important programs conducted by my practicum cite is Women, Infants and Children p rogram. WIC is a federal assistance program for health care and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breast feeding women, and infants and children aged less than 5 years. Through WIC program women and children get nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support and health education. In addition to education WIC program also collects data for Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System. The data collected