VBS transitioning from a sales approach to a vertical propositions approach

Vodafone Business Services (VBS) takes an insight-driven approach to marketing that puts a lot of emphasis on understanding its customers, their business priorities and challenges, and partnering with them in their journey towards achieving key milestones. 

“One of our most successful and award winning marketing initiatives last year was the ‘Ready Business’ campaign designed specifically for the Small and Medium Enterprises. Based on the insight that SMEs are keen to leverage technology to digitalize and scale up their business but need a trusted partner to help them navigate through this journey, we designed this marketing initiative which starts with a Ready Business Survey to assess how digitally ready they are, and then through a consultative approach Vodafone helps them identify the right solutions to meet their business ambitions. So far, we have conducted more than 2 Lac surveys (through both digital and face to face method), which is one of the largest done for SMEs in India. This has further led to mapping the right business solution for the customers, resulting in a significant impact on sales. The Ready Business campaign has won multiple awards including the Effies India and Aegis Graham Bell Marketing Innovation award,” says Monalisa Sahoo, Senior VP – Marketing, Vodafone Business Services.  

One of the key growth drivers for Vodafone’s enterprise business is the SME segment that has delivered about 30% growth year-on-year. VBS has moved from a sales approach based on offerings, to a vertical propositions approach i.e. creating solution packages tailor-made for specific industry verticals like hospitality, manufacturing, construction, ITeS and more. The focus therefore is on customer needs with customised solution bundles. This, combined with the Ready Business survey specially designed for SME, has positioned VBS as an industry leader for this segment. “In fact, we have won Frost & Sullivan ICT award for SMB segment for 2 years in a row,” she states.  

VBS is aggressively adopting a digital approach for customer engagement to deliver an omni-channel experience to its customers. Some of these initiatives are -

* Self-care customer portals for multiple services: For higher control and transparency to customers

* Digital adoption to enhance internal processes: For delivering reliable service

* Deployment of analytics: Optimizing customer experience with front-end offerings and enhancing back-end processes

Monalisa Sahoo
Senior VP – Marketing, Vodafone Business Services

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