Just Dial- A case study in service marketing

Submitted to: Prof. Devang Patel Prepared By: Chetan Panara Vasant Gajara

Date:14th may ,2012

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Vision & Philosophy The company's goal is to create long-term shareholder value by enhancing its position as a leading local search service. The companys philosophy focuses on end user experience through feedback, innovation, teamwork and integrity. What does it do? Justdial is Indias no.1 local search destination. It provides comprehensive updated information on all the B2B and B2C products & Services. The company caters to over 57 million unique users spread across 240 cities in India. This unique local search service is available on Phone, Web, WAP and SMS. Just Dial services receive approximately 26 million phone calls a year. Justdial in India employs a 4000 strong work force and has more than 1,35,000 paid advertisers. How did it start? Founded in the year 1994 on a modest 50,000 Rs investment, it returned revenues of 1.34 Billion for the Fy 09-10 and holds 90% of the complete market share. Started with some borrowed furniture and rented PCs in a small (1030 feet) hired garage, today JustDial has over 86,000 customers across the nation with offices in major cities across India. In a very short time, justdial.com has become probably the most frequented local search website in the country.

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How good is it?

While year on year, the number of users for this kind of services are on the rise, JustDial has managed to keep pole position right from the start, and still commands a leading share of the market.

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Armed with this phenomenal success, JustDial is expanding into other countries as well, replicating its very successful model there. Even though Yellow pages services are much more widespread outside, JustDial is confident of its success. Justdial has launched its local search service in North America, and has plans to expand into Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong. As for the Current Scenario, the total numbers of Unique Daily Hits to JustDial.com have generally been on the rise. The trend in daily hits varies as the number of hits is somewhat seasonal, although the numbers seem to have stagnated a bit over the last year or so, and are even falling. The Revenue Model of JustDial.com JustDial.com basically earns from clients which invest in their listings to make them sponsored listings, and from the percentage of sales that happen through JustDial.com. The Basic Revenue generation steps can be outlined as follows:

Small/Medium enterprise registers with JustDial.com

JustDial.com verifies the information provided and puts it up

SME's are offered prime services, sponsored results for added fee

Customers ask for information and suggestions through Internet/Phone Customers receive results with sponsored results getting priority

Customers buy products/services from a sponsored client

JustDial.com recieves a % of the client sales

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The Current Scenario at JustDial.com

Cantered in Mumbai, it has over 4000 employees nationwide, with over 700 only in Mumbai.

It serves over 247 cities in India with offices in 8 of them. It receives over 25k Unique visitors daily, with over a Lakh calls. More than 2.4 Million businesses and vendors have been cataloged by JustDial.com so far.

It has expanded into North America, with plans for Canada, the USA and Europe, among other places.

It had revenues in excess of 1.4Crore INR for the Financial year ended 2010.

COMPANYS COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS Just dial believe that Companys development into a leading Indian local search engine is primarily attributable to the following Competitive strengths: First Mover Advantage in the Indian Local Search Market As one of the first companies to offer comprehensive local search services in India, just dial believe that just dial have a first mover advantage among consumers seeking information on local businesses. Just dial started offering Companys local search services in 1996 under the Just Dial brand, and launched Companys Internet and mobile Internet services in 2007. Just dial aim to provide fast and free access to Companys large database, which will attract more search queries, which in turn will attract more paid business listings. Just dial believe this creates a self-perpetuating growth cycle that enables us to maintain a leading position in the local search market. Just dial believe that a large database of local business listings, such as the one just dial have developed over several years, requires considerable time and effort to develop, which creates a significant barrier to entry.

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Strong Brand Recognition Just dial have a very strong brand recall in India as evidenced by the more than 180 million searches of Companys database that just dial conducted in fiscal 2011 even though historically Companys brand development has been fuelled primarily through word of mouth by users based on their experience with Companys service and such users sharing their experiences with others. Just dial believe that the following key factors, among other things, have contributed to the strength of Companys brand in India: Long standing presence in the local search market, Strength and quality of Companys database, Fast response to search queries, and Consistent delivery of quality user experience. Offer Attractive Value Proposition for SMEs Just dial believe that most of the business listings in Companys database are SMEs, which is the segment of businesses where just dial focus most of Companys attention and marketing efforts. Just dial believe that virtually the entire approximately 120,200 campaigns just dial conducted as on March 31, 2011, just dial conducted on behalf of paid advertisers, majority being SMEs. As of June 30, 2011, just dial had compiled a database consisting of approximately 6.0 million business listings across various cities and towns in India, as compared to 4.5 million business listings as of March 31, 2010. Cost-effective platform. Just dial believe that it is a challenge for most SMEs to attract the attention of the right target consumer and to expand into new markets because of their limited marketing budgets and res Companysces. Just dial believe Companys service facilitates a costeffective mode of consumer targeting for such SMEs, which otherwise may not be as feasible for them. For example, details of an SME which does not have a just dial site can be available to potential consumers online when the SME is listed in Companys database. Personalized service. Through Companys data collection team canvassing the local markets, just dial establish direct relationships with many of these SMEs. Once just dial identify Companys potential advertisers, Companys marketing executives meet with these SMEs to explain the ease and benefits of advertising with us and to convert business listings into paid listings. Companys direct and personal relationships with SMEs are one of the ways just dial differentiate Companys selves from international search engines which operate in India largely on a virtual basis. Access to relevant users. Listing on Companys
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search service provides businesses with exposure to users at a time when the users are making a purchase decision. Experience and Expertise in Local Indian Markets Just dial have been in operation in the Indian market for over 15 years, and Companys senior management team has wide ranging experience in the search service, advertising and IT industries in India. Just dial believe that Companys strong knowledge of the Indian market and the experience and expertise of Companys management and firsthand experience with various market participants (including SMEs and users) differentiate us from other generic and local search service providers and enable us to grow in an industry that has historically been difficult to monetize. Companys experience, knowledge and infrastructure enable us to establish relationships with SMEs, which just dial believe are not within the scope and focus of other generic search engines. Multiple Platform Service on a Large Scale Users can access Companys search services and obtain search results through a number of the most popular types of communication media, i.e. through the Internet, mobile Internet, voice or SMS. Just dial believe just dial are the only search services company in India that provides users with the option of performing searches and obtaining search results through multiple media on a large scale. Just dial believe that the accessibility of Companys search services for Companys users is a key attraction for SMEs to become a part of Companys database and run campaigns as paid advertisers. Just dial have a large collection of reviews and ratings by users of the businesses listed with us. Users can submit their reviews of businesses, products and services on Companys just dial site or through Companys phone service. These reviews are regularly monitored and uploaded on Companys just dial site for the benefit of potential users to enhance their search experience and enable them to make informed choices. As of June 30, 2011 approximately 2.7 million reviews and ratings just dial published on Companys just dial site. Companys multiple platform service enables us to provide reviews and ratings received by us from users on one platform to users across all Companys other platforms. Companys Tag companys Friend feature helps users see the ratings and reviews from their friends for various business listings, effectively creating a social network to share users experience. Advanced and Scalable Technology Platform
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Companys award-winning technology is the key to effectively integrate the various media just dial use to provide Companys services to users, Companys business listing database, Companys paid advertisers and Companys information retrieval officers, or IROs. Companys technology platform is designed to enable Companys tele-sales executives and IROs to connect effectively to potential advertisers and users seeking information. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux platform just dial use post just dials approximately servers for Companys various intranet and extranet applications. These applications can be accessed by thousands of Companys IROs from eight centers across India on a daily basis. Just dial believe that Companys technology platform enables us to provide a fast, efficient and user friendly information service to Companys users. Just dial believe Companys platform has a high level of reliability, security and scalability and has been designed to handle high transaction volumes. Just dial have the ability to modulate Companys technology infrastructure to meet Companys operational requirements without incurring substantial costs as just dial use virtual infrastructure wherever possible. Companys technology platform has interfaces developed such that just dial are able to scale up Companys sales and service capacity rapidly with relatively minimal additional time required for employee training. Just dial have designed the various modules of Companys technology platform to support Companys employees at every step of their operations thereby creating a technology leveraged service model which just dial believe improves the efficiency of Companys employees. Efficient and Profitable Business Model Just dial believe that Companys business model is efficient as it promotes continuity in subscriptions and cash flows. Just dial also believe that this is a difficult business model for Companys competitors to replicate due to the challenge of establishing the requisite credibility and relationship with paid advertisers for them to be willing to agree to such payment terms. Negligible receivables. Companys paid advertisers make payments in advance of their campaigns in Companys searches, which just dial believe significantly reduces Companys credit risk exposure to Companys paid advertisers. In addition, as a result, just dial had outstanding receivables of only ` 10.99 million from Companys paid advertisers as of March 31, 2011 while Companys consolidated restated profit after tax was ` 286.2 million from a consolidated total income of ` 1,899.1 million in fiscal 2011. Negligible debt. Just dial have maintained focus on capital efficiency and have grown
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without incurring material indebtedness. Just dial have been consistently profitable despite growing rapidly over the past few years. As of March 31, 2011, just dial had total debt of only ` 3.16 million, which just dial believe is a competitive advantage for us and a platform to grow Companys operations without being constrained by significant reliance on external financing

COMPANYS STRATEGY To sustain Companys future growth and development, just dial have and will continue to employ the following strategies: Enhance Companys Users' Experience Companys objective is to offer free, fast, relevant, reliable and enhanced search results to Companys users through various communication media. Fast response. Just dial intend to continue to invest in technology to make search algorithms more efficient and adaptable to provide Companys users with faster access to Companys database. Quality and presentation of database. Just dial intend to continue to invest in technology to provide Companys users with more user-friendly access to Companys growing business database, improve the relevance of Companys search results, as just dial as to capture and relay other relevant information to Companys users, such as user ratings and reviews. Enhanced user experience. Just dial are constantly seeking to combine Companys technology and the content of Companys database to innovate new products and services to serve Companys users needs and preferences. Just dial have dedicated content focusing on popular activities and subjects (such as movies, restaurants and hotels) and just dial intend to create additional content focusing on certain sub-categories of general businesses, products and services that just dial believe will be popular with Companys users. In order to process more advanced software applications for providing enhanced user experience, and handling increased user traffic, just dial continuously upgrade the hardware used by us, and develop new software from time to time. Broaden and Deepen the Footprint of Companys Service across India While just dial had approximately 6.0 million listings across various cities and towns in India as of June 30, 2011, just dial believe that there is significant opportunity to further
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deepen Companys presence in Companys 11 largest cities, increase Companys search services beyond Companys 11 largest cities, and to increase the proportionate share of paid advertisers listed in Companys database and to increase user traffic. Among other things, just dial plan to add new premises and leverage Companys reseller program to achieve the foregoing. See the section titled Objects of the Issue for details of the new offices planned by us. Invest in Further Strengthening Companys Brand While just dial believe just dial are already one of the most popular digital brands in India, just dial also believe that investment in brand building campaign will help us further strengthen Companys brand and lead to greater search volume from Companys users and greater number of paid advertisers. Historically, Companys Companys brand development has primarily been fuelled through word of mouth by users based on their experience with Companys service and such users sharing their experiences with others. Just dial believe that the quality of Companys service and Companys consistent focus on enhancing user experience has contributed to Companys Companys brand development with relatively low advertising expenditure. Just dial believe that increasing the awareness of Companys brand and services across India further would require online and offline (such as television and outdoor advertisements) direct marketing efforts and brand building strategies. Just dial intend to bring high quality advertisements on popular national television channels in India. Just dial signed up Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, a just dialll know celebrity, as Companys brand ambassador for a period of three years from December 28, 2010. While just dial will continue to increase Companys promotional and marketing activities to help us educate potential users and advertisers on the benefits and various features of Companys search services, just dial believe that the quality of Companys user experience and Companys database is the best means to strengthen Companys brand. Expand and Enhance Companys SME Relationships Just dial intend to offer Companys existing membership packages for listing across more areas in India, and to more categories of businesses and to create additional specialized membership packages for SME categories which witness high user interest. Just dial also intend to further develop dedicated category portals to attract SMEs in particular businesses.
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Furthermore, just dial intend to leverage on Companys direct relationships with SMEs to educate and explain to them the ease and benefits of running campaigns and advertising with us, with a view to converting their business listings into paid listings and to upgrade the membership packages of Companys existing paid advertisers. Extend Into New Products and Services Just dial believe that Companys Just dial brand, user activity on Companys platforms, Companys SME relationships and Companys experience with data analytics can be leveraged to expand Companys business by offering new products and services such as the following: Daily Deals. Just dial plan to leverage Companys user base and Companys relationship with SMEs and offer a daily deals section on Companys just dialbsite which will provide users with special promotions on various products and services. Targeted marketing campaigns. Just dial believe that Companys database and user data can be used for creating marketing data concerning consumer preferences and SMEs, which is otherwise difficult to ascertain in the fragmented Indian SME sector. With the consent of Companys users, just dial plan to facilitate targeted marketing campaigns for businesses, including those selling branded products (for example, branded cars) as just dialll those selling mass products (for example real estate companies providing low cost housing) reach their targeted users segment. Structured Data for Businesses. Just dial believe that various businesses require quality and structured data on various other businesses, products and services. Just dial intend to use data analytics to leverage the existing database and provide us with information that will enable us to provide structured data to such businesses. Selective Licensing to Expand Into New Geographic Markets In addition to broadening and deepening Companys presence in India, just dial believe that Companys multi-platform local search services model, which enables commerce by connecting SMEs with end-consumers, will be attractive to parties outside India. Just dial plan to expand Companys operations to other markets as opportunities arise, primarily by licensing the Just Dial name and selling Companys rights and offering service arrangements to other parties to conduct these operations as just dial are doing with the U.S. and Canada. See Business Divestment and Demerger.

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Strategic Canvas of the Just-Dial Pre Just dial

Pre just dial information diary and telephonic service was there. Time for information dairy service was not much to find data and telephonic service also easy to use, that way we give 3.5 to telephonic diary. Reliability was not there information diary and telephonic diary thats way we give rank to 2.5 and 3.5 to information dairy and telephonic diary. Price of this data was high. 24*7 service was not there in information diary and this service was there in telephonic diary but not that much good. Reach was not there in both info diary and telephonic diary.
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Post just dial Strategic canvas

We can say that graph is divergent. Because price of data which provided by just dial is very law we can say free. 24*7 service was there in just dial. Reach and service option was very good in just dial and information diary.

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ERRC Model of Just-Dial

Eliminate: Just dial eliminate traditional system which was there in Information diary and telephonic service. Reduce: Just dial also reduce time boundary like pre just dial there was no source of information which can information immediately and reduce in human effort because in just dial we not have to purchase anything for shop we have to call for information

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Raise: Pre just dial reliability in data was not there, at that time data was not that much reliable as after launch of just dial. Information diary and telephonic service reach was not there, there was only local player. Service option and technology also increase by just dial. Create: free service and 24*7 service was not there before just dial that is created by just dial.

Red Box is pain point

Purchase-simplicity: pre just dial there are no simplicity in purchasing information. At that time we have to go out to find that information, so we can say that there is no simplicity in purchasing data. Purchase-Risk: Pre just dial risk was there in purchasing data because at that time data was not that much reliable as after launch of just dial. There was nothing like maintenance and disposal before just dial so we can put in pain point because it is itself business model we can work on it.

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Blue Box is removal of pain point

Purchase-simplicity: there is simplicity in purchasing data from just dial because to collect data customer to do only one call or search in just dial website or search in mobile. Purchase-risk: Risk is reduced after launch of just dial because data-information provided by just dial is reliable means trustworthy. Customer productivity-disposal: In this service disposal came when you call second time in just dial. Example: first time I call in just dial for any information they will register my name in his data when I call again in just dial from same number they will call me with use my name and ask me for help. This is disposal according to me.

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Six Path Model

1. Look across the Industry: Just dial is connected with other industry like local search industry and also advertising industry. Advertise business came from SMEs to just dial and also connected with information technology industry. 2. Look across strategic Group within Industry Systematic 24x7 free service 3. Look across the chain of Buyers Buyers of just dial is mainly local people and businessmen others buyer is also there like traveller. 4. Look across the complementary product and service Offerings Just dial provide service to his customer in 3 options. Online search which customer can do from net, offline search which customer can do from his mobile and SMS based service also are there. 5. across the emotional and functional appeal According to me just dial work on both appeal emotional and factional process, partly factional and partly emotional 6. Look across time Before just dial online service for information was not there and SMS was not there. So we can say just have first mover advantage in this business.

The Macro Environment of JustDial.com

The Political Environment: There are Government guidelines to which services are considered legal, and as such JustDial must evaluate each clients request to ensure that the service being offered must fall within the legal purview and only then can they put it up. Besides this, there is very little interference or regulation on a call and assist type of service in India The Social Environment: India is a fast growing market, and growing disposable incomes mean more and more people entering the target group for the services market. Also the advent of newer enablers

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like mobile phones has made life much easier for the customer, and as such there is tremendous scope for a referral system like JustDial.com The Economic Environment: The overall market for location specific search is increasing rapidly with more and more people moving to in the urban cities and distances increasing to local amenities and services. Also, economic development has fueled the pockets of the Indian middle class as well as brought the world to their door. The promise held in this huge market is immense. The Technological Environment: Technology has been a great enabler for most businesses, and JustDial.com is no exception. The web has taken these services to new heights. Telephone, Web based Service, Sms and now Mobile Web access give users a multitude of ways to access information, and it has benefited JustDial.com and the search industry greatly. Growth in users of this service sees a linear growth with technology penetration, and every new technology gives it a shot in the arm. GPS services in mobiles and 3G services promise a seamless and integrated localized experience, which can be leveraged by JustDial.com to provide results based on nearness to customers immediate location.

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The Micro Environment for JustDial.com (a) Understanding Customers: What needs are being fulfilled? For the customers, we fulfill the need for information, although the scope of this information is unlimited, and we try to provide information on any and all services and products the customer might need. The clients also get promotion in areas which might otherwise be outside their physical radius of promotion. How does it make their life better? Customers save time, and find a multitude of options with ease, enabling them to get the best prices and ease of access to services and goods / customers. What meaning does the service bring to their life? It basically provides a one stop shop for all the customers needs, and provides them with value and much more time on their hands, while taking away the frustration normally associated with searching for any goods and services, and bridges the customer-client gap. How does it help build their identities? Customers are able to make a well informed choice in a matter of minutes, thus exercising the freedom of choice which makes them feel in control. What emotion is related to purchase and consumption of service? The Exercise of choice makes customers feel in control, and in charge of the transactions, giving them the satisfaction of making a good choice.

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Analyzing Decision Making Process: Problem Recognition: Need to buy goods and services like groceries, cab service, house rentals, telephone connections, movie bookings etc. Information Search: Search for this information is mostly through promotional campaigns on most frequently visited websites, as well as popular magazines and newspapers across the country. The largest proponent for growth has been word of mouth advertising. Evaluation of Alternatives: Most people start out with using Yahoo or Google for their serach requirements and then slowly learn the use of localized search portals. Even then, there is competition in the form of asklaila.com and guruji.com sulekha.com which offer very similar services and are only held back by a smaller market share, while JustDial.com enjoys a first movers advantage. Purchase Decision: Once awareness spreads, there is no reason why customers would not use this service as it is a very convenient way for them to search for data. Post Purchase Evaluation: JustDial.com needs to have a strong filtering process in place, which insures that no fraudulent or sub standard promotion is being done through their website, as it takes very little to take a customer away from a service. (b) Understanding Competitors: We use Porters Five forces analysis to understand the market forces better:

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Threat of new entrants: High, as it is pretty easy to setup the basic infrastructure needed to put in place a similar service at least for the web. Bargaining power of suppliers: Low, as JustDial.com is the undisputed industry leader in India, and the Clients have to come for us if they want maximum exposure. Threat of Substitutes: Low, for the type of service being offered here is pretty all encompassing, and there is little to no scope for an alternative. Bargaining power of Buyers: Low, as there is nothing being charged to the customers and this service is being provided to them free of cost. As for the Clients that we serve, we provide the best service at a reasonable price. Inter Firm Rivalry: High, as several players are in the market and are competing fiercely among each other for the growing market, some with the backing of large group companies. (c) Understanding Collaborators: Most of the clients that we serve have the one basic need, of maximizing their visibility. We section them and categorize them according to the services that they provide, and the segment that they wish to target and provide a priority listing based on their criteria among our query results to our customers. This provides them with visibility where they need it, thus fulfilling their need. Other than our clients, there is little to no influence on our business by any other forces, besides the obvious dependence on the telecomm service providers. We depend entirely on telecomm providers for getting our service to the end customer and any changes in the way they function directly impacts us. (d) Understanding the Company: The leading local search brand in India Large customer base and nationwide coverage Highly scalable platform Excellent track record in user experience Very high customer satisfaction Modern infrastructure and constantly updated technology Vastly experienced management team
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Benefits Provided: Services benefit: Better visibility, Convinience Value benefit: Provides better value to client/customer Personnel Benefits: Friendly and helpful search assistance

Costs to Customer: Money: Cost of Service/ Cost of priority listing Time: Time spent in receiving required results Energy: Effort spent in getting availability of goods or service in remote location Psychic cost: Uncertainty about reliability of critical data obtained through this service means psychic cost

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S.W.O.T. Analysis: Understanding the Core competencies of the Organization and what areas it needs to focus on can be done with the help of a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis. Strengths of JustDial.com: The leading local search brand in India Large customer base and nationwide coverage Highly scalable platform Excellent track record in user experience Very high customer satisfaction Modern infrastructure and constantly updated technology Vastly experienced management team

Weaknesses of JustDial.com: Reluctance among SMEs to sign up for services No concrete way to gauge mediums effectiveness for a particular Retailer Lack of awareness among customers Lack of technological penetration (Internet access) Lack of familiarity with technology ( Inability to use the Internet, VAS etc)

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Opportunities for Improvement: The Advent of Mobile technology gives a whole new way to get to potential customers Rising penetration and literacy of Internet in India Increase in disposable income of the great Indian middle class Telecomm offerings like free sms removing the cost barrier to accessing our services Entering newer markets like North America, Canada, Europe etc.

Threats to JustDial.com Low visibility in areas with limited internet penetration and literacy Threat of players with big corporations backing them, like asklaila.com Threat of foreign entrants like yellowpages.com which would bring with them a large investment base

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Segmenting the Market: Behavioural Segmentation attributes applicable to the company are listed below with the specific applicable clusters: Need: Casual/Moderate/Strong Occasion: Regular/Special Benefits: Service/Speed/Value User status: Non-user/potential user/First time user/regular user Usage rate: Light/medium/High Readiness: Unaware/informed/intending to buy/aware Demographic Segmentation Location based segmentation isnt applicable here, since this service is available and equally accessible to everywhere there is a presence of the underlying telecomm technology. Psychographic Segmentation would classify the customers/clients under the following heads:

Occupation: Student/Housewife/Businessman/Self Employed/Serviceman Education: Students/Graduates/Undergraduates/Postgraduates Income: MIG/HIG (LIG are being included because they wouldnt have access to the underlying technology which is needed to avail of this service.) Measuring Segments would prove to be very difficult as most users that visit the website or call in with queries are not required to furnish any details about themselves. But according to the type of service being consumed, it is possible to find out how many people of what composition are using the service ( for example, how many people booked air tickets or hotel reservations would indicate how many of the HIG composition is there) Accessibility to these segments should be reasonably good, for these segments have exposure to the Internet and Telephone at either home or office or both.

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Differentiation services to suit the individual needs of a specific section of our customer base can cater to them better. A good example would be JustDial Tourism started with the Tamil Nadu government.

Action ability Catering to specific needs may not always be possible, as the service being offered is a very broad service, and maintaining several SKUs would make it impossibly difficult to manage

The marketing mix of just dial

The various mediums in Just Dial.coms Marketing Mix

The firm attempts to generate a positive response in the target market by blending these four marketing mix variables in an optimal manner.
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Product: Product the product is the physical product or service offered to the consumer. In the case of physical products, it also refers to any services or conveniences that are part of the offering. Product decisions include aspects such as function, appearance, packaging, service, warranty, etc. In case of Just Dial, the product can be referred to as a link or a bridge between the manufacturers/retailers/sellers and the potential consumers. Just Dial Offers a variety of services and information related to: Entertainment, Institutes, Consumer Durables, Travel Assistance, Facilities, Workmen, and Assistance etc Price: Pricing decisions should take into account profit margins and the probable pricing response of competitors. Pricing includes not only the list price, but also discounts, financing, and other options such as leasing. For a company to prosper, the pricing should be suitable taking into consideration the companys objectives and also importantly the worth of the product/service offered in return. To generate revenue, Just Dial charges retailers/suppliers/companies a specific amount on a contractual basis for customer references. This helps them to offer the best service to the customers and also attain company goals effectively and also helps companies to sell their products and increase their customer base. Eg- Just Dial Free Service. Place: Just Dial gets 2 Million calls a day in India, from all over the Place (or placement) decisions are those associated with channels of distribution that serve as the means for getting the product to the target customers. The distribution system performs transactional, logistical, and facilitating functions. Just Dial currently has its own offices in 11 cities which are in major metros and Tier II cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Vadodara & Jaipur. Promotion: Promotion decisions are related to communicating and selling to potential consumers. Break Even Analysis is considered while doing promotion at Just dial. It is useful to know the value of a customer in order to determine whether additional customers are worth the cost of acquiring them. Promotion decisions involve advertising, public relations, media types, etc.
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and the Communication Channels are Newspapers, Direct Mails, Radio, Television, Mobile, Posters, Individual Referral, E-Mail, Internet, (company website)

People: An essential ingredient to any service provision is the use of appropriate staff and people. Recruiting the right staff and training them appropriately in the delivery of their service is essential for competitive advantage. Consumers make judgments and perceptions of the service based on the employees they interact with. Staff should have the appropriate interpersonal skills, attitude, and service knowledge to provide the service that consumers are paying for.

Physical Evidence: The product offering caters to consumers via internet, telephone and SMS on mobile phones. Just Dial services are accessible from 45 cities through the phone. Physical evidence is an essential ingredient of the service mix, consumers will make perceptions based on their sight of the service provision which will have an impact on the organizations perceptual plan of the service. This service also operates out of 8 offices located in all the metros, and headed out of the Mumbai office.

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Service Blueprint for JustDial.com

A service blueprint is basically a visual map, a way to represent the various steps involved in the service delivery. It should cover the following: Process Delivery Role of Customers and Employees Visible Elements of the Service

What it does is, it breaks down a service into logical components and easily definable steps

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Gauging Service Quality

With the help of the Gap model of Service Quality, we can identify the following gaps:(* - Gap does not exist) (1) Customer Gap: This is the difference between the customer expectations and perceptions of his expectations. This gap exists because JustDial.com feels that all the customer needs is information about his query, but what he actually wants, and is unable to convey owning to the inept interface, is his specific requirement with that information. (2) Knowledge Gap: This exists when we do not know what the customer wants, what he needs and what he expects all distinctly. Knowledge gap exists with JustDial.com because there is no direct feedback that is collected after providing the service, and it disengages the customer once the service is delivered. It needs to engage customers in an active feedback process, instead of a passive one. (3) Performance Gap: This gap arises from inability to comply with customers needs, and generally occurs in high growth markets with few options for customers. There is little to no innovation on the service being provided and customization is also an area that people are interested in, and is not being addressed. (4) *Design and Standard Gap: This gap arises when the organization has an inherent Design flaw which makes it inaccessible or problematic for the customer. There are no blatant design flaws with JustDial.com and it seems to be well designed. (5) *Communication Gap: This Gap occurs when performance does not match the promise. This gap also does not exist for JustDial.com as it does deliver all that it promises, that is, information

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