Introduction
Etisalat is a trademark of the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation from the UAE. This company is the national internet service provider of the UAE. The firm provides communication services in 18 countries of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. There is steady revenue growth, as evidenced by statistics (Statista, 2021). Etisalat’s main competitor in the UAE is Du, whose share in the local market is constantly growing. However, there is no competition between these companies since the market is divided geographically, and both companies are mostly state-owned. Du has its own network of mobile base stations, while the cable infrastructure for the Internet is owned mainly by Etisalat. The company needs to maintain its competitiveness to continue to maintain a leading position.
High-Contact Services
In conditions of freedom of choice of services and the absence of subordination of the client to the service company, the latter is forced to study the client and develop unique methods of influencing customers. According to the client’s degree in operational processes, services range from high-contact to low-contact. Previously, most contacts took place in real life (Vivid Fish, 2016); now, connections are mediated by new technical means (Brenan, 2020; Li et al., 2017), although, changing, the role of direct communications remains. One of Etisalat’s high-contact services is the sale of office and home-use Wi-Fi services for customers in retail stores located in several cities in the UAE. Facilitating services include information, billing, payment, and order-taking (Hashem, 2018). At the same time, enhancing services consist of consultation, safekeeping, exceptions, and hospitality.
The Flower of Service
The core product is the possibility of purchasing and installing Wi-Fi in homes and offices provided by the company. The information provided by Etisalat allows customers wishing to purchase in retail stores to receive complete details on any service. When the client is ready to buy internet services, the consultant proceeds to process the order, draw up bills, make changes to the database, etc. Information on prices for Internet tariffs is publicly available so that customers will not have any difficulties obtaining this data. The payment procedure is simplified as much as possible for the convenience of customers; Etisalat accepts most modern payment types.
When choosing a product, a more detailed consultation with a specialist may be required—the likelihood of a purchase increases in the case of providing competent advice to the client. Retail store employees are ready to suggest which tariff will be more profitable based on the needs of a particular person applying. Employees communicate following the norms of etiquette, not allowing rudeness towards the client, striving to create the most hospitable atmosphere. The company provides a guarantee for the services offered and the goods sold, taking care of the customers. For customers with special needs, there are particular internet tariffs in the assortment of shops.
Theatre Business
The seller of the service must take care of what and how to produce. Employees can be thought of as actors playing a role (Wilson et al., 2016). For all employees in high contact with clients, rules (script) of behavior are written, while the staff must wear a suit (uniform) or coordinate their clothes with adopted standards. Employees should look neat and know their lines when talking on the phone, accepting an order, greeting, etc. (Wilson et al., 2016). For this, they are specially trained in voice production if public messages are required. Moreover, the rules prohibit smoking, drinking, chewing while on duty. Service firms traditionally spend a lot of money on training their employees, and if there is a high-contact service, then training in interpersonal relationships is a must.
Analysis
As a firm, Etisalat does an excellent job of fulfilling its role as a Wi-Fi retailer. Supplementary services turn out to be of a high standard. Competitiveness determines how prepared a company is to compete in the market (La Falce et al., 2020). Service differentiation, as a rule, is used when the goods are almost identical, and it is difficult to modify them in any way (Pahwa, 2021). Petals help to understand how unique and high-quality products a company creates, and therefore help increase its competitiveness. They also assist in understanding where to focus more; that is, they are beneficial in differentiating services.
The Additional 6 Ps
The marketing model is a critical element of a business strategy. Further factors such as location, price, process, people, promotion, and presentation will be analyzed. Process describes the mechanism of interaction between the consumer and the organization. The interaction between clients and Etisalat is based on the principles of convenience and respect. The product’s price influences the final profit of the company, while it is made up of production costs and expected profits (Niros et al., 2017). Etisalat sets reasonable prices for goods while maintaining the ability to grow profits. An essential aspect is the availability of the product for the consumer. Etisalat retail stores are located in many major cities in the UAE.
Promotion of a product in a marketing model is the kind of activity that attracts a potential buyer’s attention. Advertising a new product on the market begins with creating a portrait of the target audience (Malnik, 2021). It is necessary to determine the needs of potential buyers and, based on this data, create an advertisement for the product. To attract the attention of customers, Etisalat creates advertising banners and videos promoting the services provided. Employees need to be trained so that they can fully represent the benefits of the product. People in contact with the consumer must understand human psychology. Etisalat employees undergo training before being allowed to work with clients.
Presentation is how a product appears on the market; customers’ opinions on how a product is shown can influence their purchasing decisions. Some of the clients may not like the packaging or, for example, the company’s values will go against clients’ beliefs. Many circumstances influence the customer’s decision (Laja, 2021), and Etisalat strives to create credible products in the way they are presented. Discount offers posted in retail stores make users want to use the service (Lee & Chen-Yu, 2018), which is achieved by the careful work of designers and marketers. The appearance of stores and employees should also contribute to the desire of customers to make a purchase.
Conclusion, Recommendations for Possible Improvement
It seems that the company is showing excellent results in all these parameters. However, it would help if the company created more interesting, large-scale, and technological advertising projects (Wroblewski, 2018). Enhanced control over the activities of the company’s employees is required since the likelihood of a purchase by customers depends on them (Phibbs, 2017). Etisalat should also develop a customer retention program since engaging with loyal customers will be much cheaper than finding and attracting new customers (Wertz, 2018). For example, this will require more frequent promotions and better services. Quality service and uniqueness of the products will also increase competitiveness.
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