A STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH SPECIAL REFRENCE TO Ashok leyland

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COMPANY PROFILE

Ashok Leyland is the leading manufacturer of trucks, buses, special application vehicles and engines in India. The products of Ashok Leyland are at par with the best in the world. Ashok Leyland is the leaders in the Indian bus market, offering unique models such as C !, "ouble "ecker and #estibule bus. $ore than %&' of the (tate Transport )ndertaking *(T)+ buses come from Ashok Leyland. The company is a pioneer in multi a,le trucks and tractor-trailers. Ashok Leyland is the largest provider of logistic vehicles to the Indian army. It also manufactures diesel engines for Industrial, !enset and $arine applications, in collaboration with technology leaders. The birth of Ashok Leyland can be attributed to the quest for self-reliance in the aftermath of independence. .andit /awaharlal ehru persuaded $r. 0aghunandan (aran, an industrialist, to enter automotive manufacture. In 123%, Ashok $otors was set up in $adras *Chennai+ for the assembly of Austin Cars. (oon, 4ritish Leyland acquired an equity stake in the company and the name of the company was changed from Ashok $otors to Ashok Leyland. In 1255, Ashok Leyland commenced of commercial vehicles. (ince then Ashok Leyland has maintained its technological leadership in the India6s commercial vehicle industry. Tie-ups with international technology leaders and through vigorous in-house 07" enabled Ashok Leyland to introduce latest technological breakthroughs in the Indian market. Ashok Leyland was the first to introduce full air brakes, power steering and rear engine busses in India. In 12%8, the overseas holding by Land 0over Leyland International 9oldings Limited *L0LI9+ was taken over by a :oint venture between the 9indu:a !roup and I#;C<. (ince /uly =&&>, the 9indu:a !roup is 1&&' holder of L0LI9. ASSOCIATE COMPANIES OF ASHOK LEYLAND A)!o o!"2e Coaches 3 Co /onen!s L!d %ACCL(4 ACCL was promoted by Ashok Leyland and the Tamil adu Industrial "evelopment Corporation *TI"C<+ in the 12%&s. The company has two "ivisions? ACCL "ivision and .L 9aulwel Trailers *.L9T+. ACCL is the largest Tipper 4ody manufacturer in the organised sector in India. Apart from the tippers, it also manufactures bus bodies, front-end structures *@;(+, tankers, aluminum containers, <4 vans, energy vans and the like. .L9T manufactures a wide variety of after-chassis products. These include @ifth Aheel Couplers and 9oists, (emi Trailers, Container trailers, Ladle Carriers, for foundries *(teel B Aluminum+, 0unning gears for L.! tankers, Car B Truck B Tractor Carriers, 4ottom dumpers, and all types of user-specific custom-designed trailers for niche applications. Lanka Ashok Leyland4 The Company was established in 12%=. It is a :oint venture between Ashok Leyland and the !overnment of (ri Lanka. Ashok Leyland supplies chassis in both completely built-up and knocked down conditions to Lanka Ashok Leyland, which in turn assembles the chassis and builds bodies. Enno.e Fo)nd."es4 ;nnore @oundries was established in 1252. It is India6s largest automotive :obbing foundry and caters to different segment like automobiles, tractors,

industrial

engines

and

power

generators.

IRI5AR6T7S4 I0ICA0-T#( is a :oint venture between Ashok Leyland, T#( 7 (ons Ltd and I0ICA0, the internationally reputed bus body builder from (pain. The company was started in =&&1 and it manufactures lu,ury coaches. Ashok Leyland P.o8ec! Se.2"ces L" "!ed4 Ashok Leyland .ro:ect (ervices Limited *AL.(+ looks after the pro:ect development activities of the 9indu:a !roup in India. It assists the investment entities of the !roup and provides professional services to help international companies interested in pro:ects in India. PRODUCTS OF ASHOK LEYLAND

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Resea.ch Me!hodolo-y A research process consists of stages or steps that guide the pro:ect from its conception through the final analysis, recommendations and ultimate actions. The research process provides a systematic, planned approach to the research pro:ect and ensures that all aspects of the research pro:ect are consistent with each other. 0esearch studies evolve through a series of steps, each representing the answer to a key question. INTRODUCTION This chapter aims to understand the research methodology establishing a framework of evaluation and revaluation of primary and secondary research. The techniques and concepts used during primary research in order to arrive at findingsD which are also dealt with and lead to a logical deduction towards the analysis and results.

RESEARCH DESI9N I propose to first conduct a intensive secondary research to understand the full impact and

implication of the industry, to review and critique the industry norms and reports, on which certain issues shall be selected, which I feel remain unanswered or liable to change, this shall be further taken up in the ne,t stage of e,ploratory research. This stage shall help me to restrict and select only the important question and issue, which inhabit growth and segmentation in the industry. The various tasks that I have undertaken in the research design process are ?

"efining the information need "esign the e,ploratory, descriptive and causal research.

RESEARCH PROCESS The research process has four distinct yet interrelated steps for research analysis It has a logical and hierarchical ordering? "etermination of information research problem. "evelopment of appropriate research design. ;,ecution of research design. Communication of results. ;ach step is viewed as a separate process that includes a combination of task , step and specific procedure. The steps undertake are logical, ob:ective, systematic, reliable, valid, impersonal and ongoing. EXPLORATORY RESEARCH The method I used for e,ploratory research was

.rimary "ata (econdary data

PRIMARY DATA ew data gathered to help solve the problem at hand. As compared to secondary data which is previously gathered data. An e,ample is information gathered by a questionnaire. Eualitative or quantitative data that are newly collected in the course of research, Consists of original information that comes from people and includes information gathered from surveys, focus groups, independent observations and test results. "ata gathered by the researcher in the act of conducting research. This is contrasted to secondary data, which entails the use of

data gathered by someone other than the researcher information that is obtained directly from first-hand sources by means of surveys, observation or e,perimentation. P." a.y da!a "s ,as"cally collec!ed ,y -e!!"n- :)es!"onna".e ;"lled ,y !he .es/onden!s$ SECONDARY DATA Information that already e,ists somewhere, having been collected for another purpose. (ources include census reports, trade publications, and subscription services. There are two types of secondary data? internal and e,ternal secondary data. Information compiled inside or outside the organiFation for some purpose other than the current investigation 0esearching information, which has already been publishedG $arket information compiled for purposes other than the current research effortD it can be internal data, such as e,isting sales-tracking information, or it can be research conducted by someone else, such as a market research company or the ).(. government. Seconda.y so).ce o; da!a )sed cons"s!s o; ,ooks and <e,s"!es $y proposal is to first conduct a intensive secondary research to understand the full impact and implication of the industry, to review and critique the industry norms and reports, on which certain issues shall be selected, which I feel remain unanswered or liable to change, this shall be further taken up in the ne,t stage of e,ploratory research. DESCRIPTI7E RESEARCH (T;.( in the descriptive research? (tatement of the problem Identification of information needed to solve the problem (election or development of instruments for gathering the information Identification of target population and determination of sampling .lan. "esign of procedure for information collection Collection of information Analysis of information

 !eneraliFations andBor predictions DATA COLLECTION "ata collection took place with the help of filling of questionnaires. The questionnaire method has come to the more widely used and economical means of data collection. The common factor in all varieties of the questionnaire method is this reliance on verbal responses to questions, written or oral. I found it essential to make sure the questionnaire was easy to read and understand to all spectrums of people in the sample. It was also important as researcher to respect the samples time and energy hence the questionnaire was designed in such a way, that its administration would not e,ceed 3-5 mins. These questionnaires were personally administered. The first hand information was collected by making the people fill the questionnaires. The primary data collected by directly interacting with the people. The respondents were contacted at shopping malls, markets, places that were near to showrooms of the consumer durable products etc. The data was collected by interacting with =&& respondents who filled the questionnaires and gave me the required necessary information. The respondents consisted of housewives, students, businessmen, professionals etc. the required information was collected by directly interacting with these respondents.

DETERMINATION THE SAMPLE PLAN AND SAMPLE SI5E TAR9ET POPULATION It is a description of the characteristics of that group of people from whom a course is intended. It attempts to describe them as they are rather than as the describer would like them to be. Also called the audience the audience to be served by our pro:ect includes key demographic information *i.e.D age, se, etc.+.The specific population intended as beneficiaries of a program. This will be either all or a subset of potential users, such as

adolescents, women, rural residents, or the residents of a particular geographic area. Topic areas? !overnance, Accountability and ;valuation, <perations $anagement and Leadership. A population to be reached through some action or interventionD may refer to groups with specific demographic or geographic characteristics. The group of people you are trying to reach with a particular strategy or activity. The target population is the population I want to make conclude an ideal situationD the sampling frames to matches the target population. A specific resource set that is the ob:ect or target of investigation. The audience defined in age, background, ability, and preferences, among other things, for which a given course of instruction is intended. I have selected the sample trough (imple random (ampling SAMPLE SI5E4 This involves figuring out how many samples one need. The numbers of samples you need are affected by the following factors? .ro:ect goals 9ow you plan to analyFe your data 9ow variable your data are or are likely to be 9ow precisely you want to measure change or trend The number of years over which you want to detect a trend 9ow many times a year you will sample each point 9ow much money and manpower you have

SAMPLE SI5E I have targeted 15&people in the age group above =1 years for the purpose of the research. The target population influences the sample siFe. The target population

represents the :odhpur and orrisa regions. . The people were owner or manager of the companies which own Ashok Leyland vehicles ACTIVITIES TO CARRY OUT THE RESEARCH STUDY: It was all about pro:ect. The above-mentioned detail implies that a pro:ect needs to be carefully planned. ;very small thing should be considered while planning any pro:ect. ow, 5 activities have been identified, which should be carried out carefullyH 1. =. I. 3. 5. (ampling 4riefing "ummy Call Actual Interview (crutiny

1. Sa /l"n-4 (ince it is not possible to interview each and every person in the target group. 9ence there is a need to select few people who will represent the entire target group. (ampling is nothing but a method used to select a few cityBareaBperson who would represent the target group. (ince, sample represents a large group, it is important to select them very carefully. <nce sample siFe is determined and samples are drawn, the ne,t activity is to be carried out. =. +."e;"n-4 4riefing is a training session where all the supervisors, tea leaders and interviewers are trained to conduct an interview perfectly and efficiently. 4riefing is a very important session. @inal quality of work depends totally on quality of briefing. (ince every pro:ect is different in some way or other, e,perienced interviewers also need to attend the briefing . 1. D) y "n!e.2"e<s4 To avoid any kind of miss step during interview, dummy interviews are made. In this, one interviewer acts as a respondent while the other takes interview. !enerally, leader is the ideal respondent for first mock. The ob:ectives of dummy interview are H To help the interviewer to gain confidence so that heBshe could not fumble in front of the respondent. To check whether the interviewer has understood the briefing or not. If not, where is the problemG

)nless interviewer gives a satisfactory mock call, heBshe is not allowed for Actual interview. '$ Ac!)al In!e.2"e<4 <nce the leader is satisfied with dummy interview made by interviewer, interviewer is permitted for actual interview.

*$ Sc.)!"ny4 (crutiny is reading through each completed questionnaire. The ob:ectives of scrutiny are To ensure that all questionnaires are error free. To prevent further mistakes by identifying errors in the initial stage. To ensure that no question has been skipped during interview.

JOB RESPOSIBILITES: As an inte !ie"e : To convince the respondent for interview and hold him till the entire questionnaire is filled is not an easy task. (ometimes respondent quit the interview which makes your all the efforts useless. (o make sure that you should select only those respondents who understand the value of survey and are ready to devote adequate time to that survey. It is also necessary for the purpose of back check. LEARNING OUTCOMES: 9ow is the pro:ect receivedG <r what are the steps taken to get the pro:ectG 9ow is the research designedG 9ow to convince a respondent for the interviewG 9ow to behave with a customerG 9ow to start an interviewG

Po"n!s !o ,e .e e ,e.ed d)."n- "n!e.2"e<4 There are certain things that an interviewer must take care of during interview. (ome of these things are @ormat and concept of questionnaire should be clear to interviewer. )se the language in which respondent feels comfortable. If respondent does not seem to be interested in survey, e,plain the importance of hisBher contribution in survey. $ake sure that respondent understands the questions fully. Always behave politely. "onJt let the respondent feel bore during the interview. Always be energetic. $eanwhile, if respondent is going out of the track, kindly remind himBher. Always keep smile on face. "onJt force respondent for interview. ;nsure that all questions have been asked. $ake all the doubts clear. DATA ANALYSIS 3 INTERPRETATION Ta,le No$ ' Sa!"s;ac!"on !o<a.ds Ashok leyland Sa!"s;"ed 8%' D"ssa!"s;"ed =='

So).ce4 =)es!"onna".e F"-).e4'

In!e./.e!a!"on '4 The sample drawn on probability basis shows that 8%' of the customers were satisfied with Ashok leyland variant and only ==' were not satisfied with Ashok Leyland . O,se.2a!"on4 $ost of the respondents approached were satisfied with Ashok Leyland. Ta,le No4 * Fac!o.s a;;ec!"n- c)s!o e. sa!"s;ac!"on !o<a.ds Ashok leyland @actor @eatures Low $aintenance Comfort (tyle After (ales (ervice So).ce4 =)es!"onna".e F"-).e4* o. of 0espondent 1% 51 =8 =3 I& .ercentage 1=' I3' 1%' 1>' =&'

In!e./.e!a!"on *4 The sample drawn on the probability basis clearly shows that I3' *51respondents+ are the opinion that low maintenance is the satisfaction factor Ashok leyland and =& '* I& respondents+ of them who view After (ales (ervice as a vital factor for customer satisfaction. @ollowed by Comfort which corresponds to 1% '* =8 respondents+, (tyle with 1>'*respondents+ and only 1='*1% respondents+ of them view that feature of Ashok leyland as satisfaction factor O,se.2a!"on4 $a:ority of the respondent are of the idea that low maintenance of the top most feature contributing to customer satisfaction followed by after sales services comfort style and features As such, Ashok Leyland should focus on the aspects, which will enhance the customer satisfaction and thus the market share

Ta,le No4 0 C)s!o e. o/"n"ons !o<a.ds ;)el cons) /!"on$ Fac!o. Pe.cen!a-e E1!.e ely Sa!"s;"ed *>? Sa!"s;"ed &@? Ne)!.al '>? D"ssa!"s;"ed >? To!al 'AA?

So).ce4 =)es!"onna".e F"-).e4 0

Consumer Opinionstoward Fuel Consumption

7% 17% 27%
More S atisfied S atisfied

49%

Not S atisfied & Dissatisfied Dissatisfied

In!e./.e!a!"on 04 1&&' of the respondents 32' of the respondents approached were satisfied with the fuel consumption of the Ashok leyland. @ollowed by =8' was e,tremely satisfied, 18' are neutral and rest of the 8' is more dissatisfied with fuel consumption of Ashok leyland. O,se.2a!"on? As ma:ority of the respondents are satisfied with the fuel consumption of Ashok leyland, the company should maintain the same standard and it is suggested to come up with suitable measure to reduce the negative opinion among the consumer who are of the opinion that the fuel consumption is a dissatisfying factor. Ta,le No4 & C)s!o e. o/"n"ons !o<a.d Sa;e!y and Co ;o.!$ Fac!o. Pe.cen!a-e ;,tremely (atisfied =I' (atisfied 38' either (atisfied 7 "issatisfied =&' "issatisfied 1&' Total 1&&' So).ce4 =)es!"onna".e F"-).e4 &

In!e./.e!a!"on &4 1&&' of the respondents 38' of the respondents approached were satisfied with the safety and comfort feature of the Ashok leyland. @ollowed by =8' was e,tremely satisfied, 18' are neutral and rest of the 8' was dissatisfied with safety and comfort feature of Ashok leyland. O,se.2a!"on? As ma:ority of the respondents are satisfied with the safety and comfort feature of Ashok leyland, the company should maintain the same standard and it is suggested to come up with suitable measure to reduce the negative opinion among the consumer who are of the opinion that the fuel consumption is a dissatisfying factor. Ta,le No4 B C)s!o e. o/"n"ons !o<a.d Des"-n$ Fac!o. ;,tremely (atisfied (atisfied eutral "issatisfied Total So).ce4 =)es!"onna".e Pe.cen!a-e =&' 3&' =8' 1I' 1&&'

F"-).e4 B

In!e./.e!a!"on B4 1&&' of respondents 3&' of the respondents approached were satisfied with the "esign of the Ashok leyland. =&' were more satisfied, =8' of them neutral and 1I' are dissatisfied with the design of the Ashok leyland. O,se.2a!"on? As ma:ority of the respondents are satisfied with the design of Ashok leyland, the company should maintain the same standard and it is suggested to come up with suitable measure to reduce the negative opinion among the consumer who are of the opinion that the fuel consumption is a dissatisfying factor. Ta,le No4 C C)s!o e. o/"n"ons !o<a.d s/ace a2a"la,"l"!y "n Ashok leyland$ Fac!o. $ore (atisfied (atisfied either (atisfied 7 "issatisfied "issatisfied Total So).ce4 =)es!"onna".e Pe.cen!a-e =8' 5I' 18' I' 1&&'

F"-).e4 C

In!e./.e!a!"on C4 The sample drawn on the probability basis shows that out of 1&&' of respondents 5I' of the respondents approached were satisfied with the space availability of the Ashok leyland. =8' were more satisfied, 18' of neither satisfied and dissatisfied and I' are dissatisfied with the space availability of the Ashok leyland. O,se.2a!"on4 As %&' of the respondents are happy with the space availability of the $ahindra Ashok leyland vehicle, it can be conducted that the company has undertaken proper 07" in this aspect. The =&' of the respondents who have answered negatively may be comparing with the vehicle in the same category launched very recently. Ta,le No4 > C)s!o e. sa!"s;ac!"ons !o<a.d Ma"n!enance o; Ashok leyland Fac!o. ;,tremely (atisfied (atisfied eutral "issatisfied Total So).ce4 =)es!"onna".e Pe.cen!a-e =I' 51' =1' 5' 1&&'

F"-).e4>

In!e./.e!a!"on >4 The sample drawn on the probability basis shows that out of 1&&' of respondents 51' of the respondents approached were satisfied with the maintenance of the Ashok leyland. =I' were e,tremely satisfied, =1' of neutral and 5' are dissatisfied with the maintenance. O,se.2a!"on4 Though ma:ority of the customer are satisfied that the maintenance cost of Ashok leyland is less, around =&' are not satisfied which may be because of comparison of Ashok leyland with the newly launched competing brands coming with even lower maintenance cost. Ta,le No4 D C)s!o e. a<a.eness a,o)! /o<e. s!ee."n-$ O/!"on No$ O; Res/onden! Aware 1=& )naware I& To!al 'BA So).ce4 =)es!"onna".e No$ O; Res/onden!s %?( %&' =&' 'AA?

F"-).e4 D

In!e./.e!a!"on D4 <ut of 1&&' of respondents, %&' of the respondents approached were aware of the power steering present in some variant of Ashok leyland and =&' were not aware of the power steering present in some variant of Ashok leyland. O,se.2a!"on4 $ost of the respondents approached were aware of power steering system introduced in some variants of Ashok leyland. Ta,le No4 @ C)s!o e. /e.ce/!"ons a,o)! Ashok leyland 7e.y 9ood 9ood A2e.a-e +ad =&' 38' =1' 1=' (ource? Euestionnaire @igure? 2 7e.y +ad -

Customer Perception About Aahok le land

12% 21% 47% 20%
Very Good Good Average Bad

In!e./.e!a!"on @4 The sample drawn on the probability basis shows that out of 1&&' of respondents 38' of the respondents gave !ood response to Ashok leyland. =&' gave #ery !ood response, =1' gave Average response and 1=' gave bad response to Ashok leyland. O,se.2a!"on4 As >8' of the respondents are satisfied that they are happy with Ashok leyland, it satisfies that the customer satisfaction levels are very high. If the company were to identify the pitfalls in their product and undertake remedial measure, thus it will lead to more good word of mouth publicity. OBSERVATION: I o,se.2ed !he ;ollo<"n- !h"n-s d)."n- !he !ele/hone "n!e.2"e<6 A-e 9.o)/4 Age group affects the response rate. !enerally, teenagers and housewives are not interested in survey. 4ut, mostly professionals are ready to devote their valuable time to the survey because they are very well aware of the importance of surveys. ;ven, they share their problems in detail. <n the other hand less educated, poor people, and labors are always ready for interview. 4ut, businessmen and shopkeepers are not interested. T" e Fac!o.4 Time is an important factor in research. In big cities, people response either in morning or in evening. In daytime, they are either busy or driving. Ed)ca!"on4 It is easy to e,plain to an educated person about study. 4ut, less educated or illiterate person takes time to understand. Lan-)a-e4 If interviewer is not able to communicate in the preferred language of

respondent, the process of interview becomes difficult. FINDIN9S 4ased on the data gathered by administrating schedules to customers the following observations are made.

' .Ashok leyland has e,cellent percentage of customer satisfaction according to the data shown in table 1 of the data analysis and Interpretation topic.

*. $ost of the people are satisfied with its low maintenance cost and after sales service provided by Ashok leyland.

0 . 4ased on the fuel consumption, most of the people are satisfied with it.

&$ 4ased on (afety and Comfort, "esign, (pace, $aintenance most of the people are satisfied with it.

B$ Large numbers of Leyland user are aware of its power steering.

C $ If we took the satisfaction level of people toward Ashok Leyland , it becomes good.

>$ Its features and style satisfy most of the people. Re#$%%en&ati$ns: <ne thing that I would like to recommend is siFe of questionnaire must be precise, and also number of questions must be less. In my pro:ect it was common problem, people were not ready to give all the information because it was contained of =& pages. (econd thing that I would like to recommend questionnaire must be interesting, which can make a relation with people. Also ashok Leyland Company has to implement good customer relationship

management strategy that enhances customer satisfaction level.

The company can for the undertake 07" to improve the e,isting feature which field help increase in the customer satisfaction. The company should promote about the entire feature offered by it.

As ma:ority of the customer give opinion that they are satisfied is the factor, services and design of the product of the company should taken not only maintain the e,isting standard but also enhance them.

CONCLUSION: This pro:ect had two way decision making benefit. This is not only gave the idea to the client company about competitorJs brand but also revel that whether people have brand awareness. it is seen that people relates the Leyland vehicles wid with Tata or ;icher $otors only. (o this pro:ect gave me understanding of asking queries and without reveling original purpose how relates information can be obtain. 9ow interview can be beneficial to decision-making process. After interview I had to call them check whether their answer were consistent or not and I found most of them were consistent in their answers. 1. Ashok Leyland has a very good market share in the state of gu:rat and orisa for the commercial segment.

=. The company is offering good services, which is reflected on the satisfaction of the customer.

I. $a:ority of the customer are satisfied with the design of the vehicle. In the whole period of si, weeks, I have learned most of the things regarding $A0K;T 0;(;A0C9 and research tools like intercept interview, observations etc. 0($0( .vt Ltd. as being the pioneer $A0K;T 0;(;A0C9 C<$.A L have various section for conducting business research according to the need of the study I was put to different tasks and was been made to work in different department of 0($0( .vt Ltd. for me to

have an insight over tools and methods of conducting market research for different industries and customer. This internship at 0($0( .#T LT" has been pioneered in clearing my doubts about the concerned industries.

+",l"o-.a/hy

)ma (ekaran 3th edition 0esearch $ethods @or 4usiness www.ashokleyland.com www.automobile.com www.rsmrs.com "ata from Ashok Leyland automobile dealer from various cities of !u:rat and <rrisa.

PICTURES OF Ashok Leyland 2eh"cles