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A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TOWARDS

AIRTEL&VODAFONE WITH REFERENCE TO AVADI, CHENNAI

Article · June 2015

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ZENITH International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research ______________ISSN 2231-5780
Vol.5 (6), JUNE (2015)
Online available at zenithresearch.org.in

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TOWARDS

AIRTEL&VODAFONE WITH REFERENCE TO AVADI, CHENNAI
S.S.SUDHEESH*, ARUN CHAND** AND A.K.SUBRAMANI***
*
I YEAR M.B.A,
VEL TECH BUSINESS SCHOOL, VEL TECH UNIVERSITY,
AVADI, CHENNAI – 600062. TAMILNADU, INDIA.
**
I YEAR M.B.A,
VEL TECH BUSINESS SCHOOL, VEL TECH UNIVERSITY,
AVADI, CHENNAI – 600062. TAMILNADU, INDIA.
***
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR,
VEL TECH BUSINESS SCHOOL, VEL TECH UNIVERSITY,
AVADI, CHENNAI – 600062, TAMILNADU, INDIA.

ABSTRACT:
Customer satisfaction is the degree of satisfaction provided bythe goods or services of
a company as measured by the number of repeat customers. The main objective of the study is to
compare the services rendered by Airtel and Vodafone. Descriptive research is followed in this
research. The population includes the respondents who are the users of both Airtel and Vodafone
services, located at Avadi. The samples (i.e. sample size 50) were selected among the users of both
Airtel and Vodafone, located at Avadi for this research. The major findings of the study,
satisfaction level of customers are average with respect to tariff, service coverage, data plan,
compatibility and other factors ranging from 3.00 to 3.65. From the research, it is concluded that the
demographic variables such as age group, gender and occupation are having no impact on the
factors of customers’ satisfaction. The research outcome also indicates that, most of the customers
were satisfied towards Airtel and Vodafone with respect to the chosen factors.

KEYWORDS:Airtel, Comparative study, Customer satisfaction, Mobile connection, Vodafone.

I. INTRODUCTION
Customer satisfaction is the degree of satisfaction provided by the goods or services of
a company as measured by the number of repeat customers. Customer satisfaction survey is a
process of discovering whether or not a company's customers are happy or satisfied with
the products or services received from the company. It may be conducted face to face, over the
phone, via email or internet, or on handwritten forms. Customer answers to questions are then used
to analyze whether or not changes need to be made in business operations to increase
overall satisfaction of customers. It is defined as "the number of customers, or percentage of total
customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its services exceeds
specifiedsatisfaction goals. In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers,

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Vol.5 (6), JUNE (2015)
Online available at zenithresearch.org.in

customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of
business strategy. The purpose of this study is to compare customer satisfaction towards Airtel and
Vodafone services. More specifically, the focus is on examining the grouped impact of the factors
on customer satisfaction.

II. COMPANY PROFILE

Bharti Airtel Ltd is one of the world's leading providers of telecommunication services
with presence in 19 countries including India & South Asia and Africa. The company is the largest
wireless service provider in India, based on the number of customers. The company offers an
integrated suite of telecom solutions to its enterprise customers, in addition to providing long
distance connectivity both nationally and internationally. The Company also offers Digital TV and
IPTV Services. All these services are rendered under a unified brand 'Airtel' either directly or
through subsidiary companies.

Vodafone group is a mobile communication company which provides service to mobile

voice, messaging, data and fixed line. The company money transfer service Mpesa enables people
in emerging markets, to send and receive money through a mobile phone.Vodafone India Limited,
formerly Vodafone Essar Limited, is the second largest mobile network operator in India
after Airtel by subscriber base. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It has approximately
173 million customers as of September 2014. It offers both Prepaid and Post-paid GSM cellular
phone coverage throughout India with good presence in the metros.

III. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Debarun Chakraborty (2013), in his article determined the customer satisfaction &
expectation towards a telecommunication company in West Midnapore which is a district of West
Bengal. A descriptive study was conducted to achieve the objectives. In total 250 respondents filled
a well-structured questionnaire having a list of statements pertaining to products, services &
facilities provided by the service provider. Results reveal that the dimensions which influence the
satisfaction level of customer’s are: Core services (like good coverage, good connectivity and
network quality) and call rate. Further results show that there is a significant relation between the
brand name and the preference of customers. Hence, it has been recommended that telecom
companies should focus on connectivity, call rate, coverage and network quality.

Kavitha et al (2013), in their article titled “A study on Customer satisfaction towards Vodafone
sim card special reference in Madurai city” determined the consumer satisfaction on Vodafone
service providers’ services in Madurai district and to find out the consumers mentality towards
using the services. The research type used in this study is descriptive research. Data were collected
by survey method through structured questionnaire with both opened and closed ended questions.
For distribution of questionnaire to the consumer convenience sampling method was used to select
the customers and the survey was taken among those selected users. After collecting the data from

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ZENITH International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research ______________ISSN 2231-5780
Vol.5 (6), JUNE (2015)
Online available at zenithresearch.org.in

the respondents it was analyzed using Simple Percentage and Chi-Square Tests method used for
analyzing the collected data.

Debarun Chakraborty (2013), in his research investigated the customer satisfaction &
expectation towards a telecommunication company in West Midnapore which is a district of West
Bengal. A descriptive study was conducted to achieve the objectives. In total 250 respondents filled
a well-structured questionnaire having a list of statements pertaining to products, services &
facilities provided by the service provider. Results reveal that the dimensions which influence the
satisfaction level of customer’s are: Core services (like good coverage, good connectivity and
network quality) and call rate. Further results show that there is a significant relation between the
brand name and the preference of customers. Hence, it has been recommended that telecom
companies should focus on connectivity, call rate, coverage and network quality.

IV. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
 To find out the customer satisfaction towards Airtel and Vodafone services at Avadi,
Chennai.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES
 To assess the association between demographic variables and factors of customer
satisfaction.
 To identify the customer satisfaction towards the services rendered by both Airtel and
Vodafone.
 To access the customer satisfaction towards signal coverage, data plan, value added
services, payment options of Vodafone and Airtel.

V. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

 The study is conducted on Airtel and Vodafone located at Avadi with 50 respondents.
 The respondents’ response may have the bias, which may not give true picture about the
chosen research topic.
 The sampling unit chosen is Airtel and Vodafone stores located in Avadi, the survey result
may vary in other locations, based on the kind of services provided at other stores.

VI. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Descriptive research is followed in this research. The universe of the population includes the
respondents who are the customers of Vodafone and Airtel, located at Avadi. The samples (i.e.
sample size 50) were selected among the customers of Airtel and Vodafone, located at Avadi for
this research. The samples were chosen from the population, by using Convenience sampling
technique (i.e. Non-probability sampling technique), because the exact population size is unknown
and the accessibility of the customer is difficult. Survey method of data collection was used in this
research. The primary data were collected using structured questionnaire.

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Vol.5 (6), JUNE (2015)
Online available at zenithresearch.org.in

VII. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

1. Frequency Analysis
Percentage analysis is one of the descriptive statistical measures used to describe the
characteristics of the sample or population in totality. Percentage analysis involves computing
measures of variables selected of the study and its finding will give easy interpretation for the
reader.

Table 1 Frequency Table – Classification of respondents -Age, Gender and Occupation

S.no Particulars Frequency Percentage
1. Age
18-25 years 27 54
25-35 years 15 30
35-45 years 4 8
Above 45 years 4 8

2. Gender
Male 38 76
Female 12 24

3. Occupation
Executive/Managerial 3 6
Professional (Doctor, Lawyer etc.) 8 16
Student 29 58
Others 10 20
(Source: Primary Data)

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Vol.5 (6), JUNE (2015)
Online available at zenithresearch.org.in

INFERENCE:
From the above table 1, it is inferred that majority (54%) of the respondents who fall
between the age of 18-25 are the customers of Airtel and Vodafone. Majority (76%)of the
respondents are male. Majority (58%) of the respondentsbelongs to the student category.
Table 2:Cross tabulation aboutAirtel and Vodafone connection
S.No Particulars Airtel Vodafone Total
1 For how long have you been using these services?
less than 6 months 1 1 2
6 months - 1 year 10 6 16
more than 1 year 14 18 32

What is your monthly expenditure in terms of mobile

2
usage?
less than Rs.200 6 3 9
Rs.200 - Rs.500 11 9 20
Rs.500 - Rs.1000 8 13 21
Above Rs.1000 0 0 0

How do you rate your services provider in terms of

3
connectivity and area of network coverage?
Good 24 23 47
Bad 1 2 3

Does your Service Provider have any hidden costs

4
incorporated in the plan you are using?
Yes 16 16 32
No 9 9 18

5 Will you recommend Vodafone or Airtel to others?

Yes 22 22 44
No 3 3 6

6 What services of Airtel and Vodafone you are using?

2G 9 6 15
3G 16 18 24
Value added 0 1 1

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Vol.5 (6), JUNE (2015)
Online available at zenithresearch.org.in

INFERENCE:
From the above table 2, regarding the basic details of Airtel and Vodafone, it is clear that most of
the customers in both the companies are using it since 1 year (14 and 18 respectively), the monthly
expenditure in Airtel is between 200-500 (11) and Vodafone is 500-100 (18), also most of them are
rating it good (24 in Vodafone and 23 in Airtel). Both have equally responded by saying that there
is hidden cost (16), most of them in both the services are using 3Gservices more (16 and 18
respectively) and most of them equally for both companies are recommending it to others.

2. Mean and standard Deviation

Table 3. Mean and Standard - Factors of customer satisfaction

S. No Particulars N Mean Std. Deviation
1. Tariff 50 3.22 0.582
2. Signal coverage 50 3.65 0.663
3. Data plan 50 3.30 0.839
4. Customer care 50 3.36 0.851
5. Recharge shop/Bill payment option 50 3.56 0.837
6. Value added services 50 3.14 0.756
7. IVR Service 50 3.00 0.808
8. Application compatibility 50 3.24 0.771
(Source: Primary Data)
INFERENCE:
From the table 3, all the respondents are almost equally satisfied towards the services
provided by the company. But signal coverage with a mean of 3.65 and bill payment option with
3.56 is most satisfied among them.

2. INDEPENDENT SAMPLE T-TEST

HYPOTHESIS 1
Null Hypothesis:
There is no significant difference between male and female respondents with respect to the factors
of customer satisfaction of Airtel and Vodafone.

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Table 4: T-test for significant difference betweenmale and female respondents with respect to
the factors of customer satisfaction towards Airtel and Vodafone
S.No Particulars Gender Mean Std. Deviation t value p value
1. Male 3.26 0.601 0.932 0.356
Tariff
Female 3.08 0.515
2. Male 3.59 0.599 1.086 0.283
Signal coverage
Female 3.83 0.835
3. Male 3.26 0.891 0.549 0.586
Data plan
Female 3.42 0.669
4. Male 3.42 0.826 0.901 0.372
Customer care
Female 3.17 0.937
5. Recharge shop/Bill payment Male 3.58 0.858 0.282 0.779
option Female 3.50 0.798
6. Male 3.18 0.766 0.732 0.468
Value addedservices
Female 3.00 0.739
7. Male 3.03 0.822 0.406 0.686
IVR service
Female 2.92 0.793
8. Male 3.18 0.801 0.909 0.368
Application compatibility
Female 3.42 0.669
(Source: Primary Data)
INFERENCE:
From the above table 4, it is inferred that all the satisfaction features are similar in the
situation. Still data plan, signal, compatibility and all others are showing better satisfaction level.
Also the p values are above 0.05, so the null hypothesis is accepted and alternative hypothesis is
rejected. Hence it is concluded that there is no significant difference between male and female
respondents with respect to the factors of customer satisfaction of Airtel and Vodafone.

3. CHI-SQUARE TEST
HYPOTHESIS 2
There is no association between type of plan and overall satisfaction towards services.

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Vol.5 (6), JUNE (2015)
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Table 5: Chi-Square test for association between age and overall satisfaction towards Airtel
and Vodafone.
Services Chi- p value

Highly satisfied
Dissatisfied

Dissatisfied
square

Satisfied
Neutral
Highly
value

Prepaid 0 3 23 11 1
Tariff 0 0 11 1 4.178 0.243
Post paid 0
Prepaid 0 2 10 23 2 0.819 0.845
SignalCoverage
Post paid 0 1 3 8 0
Prepaid 1 5 12 19 1 2.255 0.689
Data plan
Post paid 0 3 5 4 0
Customer care Prepaid 1 4 16 15 2 0.837 0.933
Post paid 0 2 5 4 1
Recharge shop Prepaid 0 2 13 17 6 3.538 0.316
Post paid 0 2 5 5 0
Value added service Prepaid 1 6 20 10 1 1.209 0.877
Post paid 0 1 7 4 0
IVR service Prepaid 0 11 16 10 1 0.710 0.871
Post paid 0 4 4 4 0
Application compatibility Prepaid 0 9 12 17 0 1.954 0.376
Post paid 0 1 6 5 0
(Source: Primary Data)
INFERENCE:
Since p value of all the satisfaction factors are greater than 0.050 in which null hypothesis is accepted
and alternative hypothesis is rejected at 5% level of significance.Hence it is concluded that there is no
association between type of plan and level of satisfaction on quality of services.
HYPOTHESIS 3
Null Hypothesis:There is no association between planand type of mobile connection.
Table 6 Chi- Square test for plan and feel about call tariff.
S No. Feel about call tariff Which type of services do you use? Chi-square p value
Prepaid Post-paid value
1 Very Economical 3 0
2 Cheap 2 0
3 Normal 29 10 1.923 0.589
4 Expensive 4 2
Total 38 12
(Source: Primary Data)
INFERENCE:
From the table 6, since p value is more than 0.05, the null hypothesis is accepted, and alternative
hypothesis is accepted at 5% level of significance. Hence it is concluded that there is no association
betweenplan and call tariff.

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Vol.5 (6), JUNE (2015)
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HYPOTHESIS 4
Null Hypothesis:There is no association between STD and ISD plan and type of mobile connection.

Table 7. Chi- Square test for STD and ISD related to plan and feel about call tariff.

S No. STD and ISD rate Which type of services do you use? Chi- p value
related to plan Prepaid Post paid square
value
1 Very economical 2 0
2 Cheap 2 0
3 Normal 17 5
2.649 0.618
4 Expensive 13 4
5 Very expensive 4 3
Total 38 12
(Source: Primary Data)

INFERENCE:
From the table 7, since p value is more than 0.05, the null hypothesis is accepted, and
alternative hypothesis is accepted at 5% level of significance. Hence it is concluded that there is no
significant association between STD and ISD plan and type of mobile connection.

VIII. DISCUSSIONS:
 There is no significant difference between male and female respondents with respect to the
factors of customer satisfaction of Airtel and Vodafone like tariff, service coverage, data
plan, compatibility and several other services.
 There is association between type of plan and level of satisfaction on quality of services like
tariff, service coverage, data plan, compatibility and several other services.
 From the mean and std. deviation, it is inferred that the satisfaction level of customers are
average with respect to tariff, service coverage, data plan, compatibility and other factors
ranging from 3.00 to 3.65
 There is no significant association between plan and call tariff.
 There is no significant association between STD and ISD plan and call tariff.

IX. IMPLICATIONS:
 The services available in Airtel and Vodafone iscomparatively normaleach other. It is
recommended to provide better customer care and value added services so that customers
will get more attracted towards the schemes.
 Airtel should concentrate on bandwidth issues since it is getting more network issues and
Vodafone is comparatively clear in such cases and require less view on technical part.
 The types of plan those company’s having real well relation each other and since should
concentrate on continuing with providing similar kind of plans.

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X. CONCLUSION:
Through the research paper entitled, “A Comparative study on Customer satisfaction of Airtel and
Vodafone with reference to Avadi, Chennai”, it is concluded that the variables such as age group,
gender etc.are having less impact on the factors of customers satisfaction. The research outcome
also indicates that, most of the customers were satisfied towards Airtel and Vodafone with respect
to the chosen factors. This study also indicates that the customers’ satisfaction is comparatively
slight advanced with in Vodafone than Airtel.
XI. REFERENCES:
BOOKS:
 Bernard J. T. Mallinder. Specification Methodology Applied to the GSM System. In Eurocon
88, June 2005.
 Seshadri Mohan and Ravi Jain. Two User Location Strategies for Personal Communication
Services. IEEE Personal Communications. 1(1), 1994.
 Moe Rahnema. Overview of the GSM System and Protocol Architecture. IEEE
Communications Magazine. April 1993.
 C. Watson. Radio Equipment for GSM. In D.M. Balston and R.C.V Macario, editors, Cellular
Radio Systems, Artech House, Boston, 1993.
 Robert G. Winch. Telecommunication Transmission Systems. McGrawHill New York, 1993

JOURNALS:
1. T.N.R.Kavitha & S.Durai Murugan, “A Study on Customer Satisfaction towards Vodafone
Sim Card Special Reference In Madurai City”, IOSR Journal of Business and Management,
Pp 29 – 32.

2. Dinesh Kumar Pandiya, Brajesh Kumar & Mazahidul Haque Choudhury, “A Study of
Customer satisfaction on Telecom Service Providers”, Indian Journal of Research, Volume
3, Issue 5, May 2014, Pp 57 – 60.

3. Debarun Chakraborty, “Customer Satisfaction And Expectation Towards Aircel: A

Research Conducted In West Midnapore”, International Monthly Refereed Journal of
Research In Management & Technology, Volume II, January 2013, Pp 114 – 127.

WEB REFERENCES:
1. www.trai.gov.in/articles/2002
2. www.Vodafone.in/profie/history
3. www.Airtel.in/profile/history
4. www.tatateleservice.com/customersatisfaction/servicerelated
5. www.ideacellular.com/services/comparison
6. www.bookrags.edu.in/whatiscustomersatisfaction

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