7P S OF MERU CABS

T.Y.B.C.B.I.

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Smt. CHANDIBAI HIMATHMAL MANSUKHANI COLLEGE.

ST D :

T.Y.B.B.I.

GROUP NO.:

09

ASSIGNMENT ON:

07ps

of

ROAD

TRANSPORT

COMPANY (i.e. MERU CABS)

SUBJECT:

MARKETING IN BANKING AND INSURANCE

SUBMITTED TO:

PROF. KAJAL MAM.

SUBMISSION DATE:

14TH AUG 2011.

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GROUP MEMBERS

JAYA BHATIA

33

MAMTA LUND

34

HEMA GOLANI

35

DISHA JAISINGHANI

36

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It gives us the great pleasure while submitting this Assignment on 7P S OF ROAD TRANSPORT COMPANY. This project has been completed with the sincere efforts of my entire group. Members &assistance of our respected MAM PROF. KAJAL BHOJWANI. We have sought the information regarding the assignment from reference books. We have also collected the necessary information from the internet. I essentially thanks to PROF. KAJAL BHOJWANI who had helped us at every stage of our assignment. Their guidance enabled us the successful completion of our assignment.

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INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT INTRODUCTION OF MERU CABS MERU-A SPECTACULAR GROWTH STORY BENEFITES TO SOCIETY MERU TRAINING ACADEMY MERU MODEL TECHNOLOGY OF MERU CABS SERVICES OFFERED BY MERU CABS PRICING STRATEGY 7 PS OF MARKETING MIX
 PRODUCT  PRICE  PLACE  PROMOTION  PROCESS  PEOPLE  PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

CONCLUSION

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Introduction of meru cabs:Meru Cabs was one of the first companies to launch metered "Radio cabs" in India under its brand "Meru." First launched in Mumbai in April 2007, Meru Cabs has grown exponentially terms of fleet size and geographical presence. Customers benefit from a relaxed commute in a well equipped, air-conditioned cab, which is readily available 24/7. The printed receipt at the end of the ride assures the customer of tamper proof billing. Headquartered in Mumbai, Meru Cab Company provides a radio taxi service in the four key metros of India - Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Meru Cabs delivers a reliable taxi service by concentrating on each touch point with its customers and devising systems, processes or technologies that will deliver a reliable interface. Meru Cabs uses GPS/GPRS enabled technology in all of the cabs to ensure complete passenger safety. Each Meru cab is owned & maintained by Meru Cab Company Private Limited. The name "Meru" is derived from the symbolic mountain of the gods, an icon of unshakeable reliability and character - a core value which lies at the heart of Meru's promise to its customers.

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"Today almost 70 per cent of our passengers say that they travel by 'Meru' instead of calling it a 'taxi' and this is what has been our focus. We are increasingly becoming a brand by itself, making the 'taxi' experience more comfortable, safe and reliable in India," said Gavin Dabreo, Vice President - Sales and Marketing, Meru Cab Company Pvt. Ltd. It's hard to believe that Meru Cabs, the brand which created the concept of radio taxis in India is not even two years old but according to the company; the brand is growing and has been giving tough competition to the other players in the market. Meru Cabs, operating in four metros of the country has popularised and boosted the concept of radio cabs. Anita Jain maps out the various strategies and brand building activities of Meru.

Meru - A spectacular growth story:Meru Cabs has grown consistently in its 3 year history in terms of the fleet, people revenues and popularity.

Meru Cabs launched in Mumbai with 45 cabs in 2007; expanded to three other
cities in 2008 (Delhi, Hyderabad & Bengaluru) Scaled to a fleet of 5,000+ cabs in three years, across Mumbai (1800), Delhi (1200), Hyderabad (800) and Bengaluru (1200).

y The 3rd largest "Radio Taxi" company in the

world. y The largest operator in each of the cities where it operates. y More than 20,000 trips per day. y Serves more than 1 million passengers a month.

Most preferred choice of commuters in all cities. 90% customer satisfaction in

3rd party audit One of the few transportation companies in the world to deploy an Oracle ERP, Siebel CRM and an Aspect IVR The only taxi operator in India to partner with the airports at Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad & Bangalore.

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The only company in India to have won the 'Best IT User Awards' by NASSCOM
CNBC TV-18 in 2008, 2009 & 2010.

Benefits to Society:Meru Cabs believe that business enterprise is never complete if it does not make a contribution beyond building a good business. There constant Endeavour will be to raise the standards for everyone who comes into contact with Meru Cabs. For those who drive their vehicles, they provide an opportunity to be part of a modern fleet that places the highest premium on vehicle uptime and vehicle quality. Their fleet engineers work 24/7 to ensure that our chauffeurs have the minimum disruption by way of vehicles not being serviceable. Meru cabs backend technology, comparable to the best in the world, ensures that they connect customers to their cabs better than anyone else does, ensuring steady business for our chauffeurs. Accident insurance, medical insurance, also allows them to have a safety net to provide security in the event of an untoward incident. Our concern for our chauffeurs is to ensure that by making them earn a respectable livelihood, with good economics, we would be able to make their personal lives better. For those who avail our service, Meru Cabs offers a cab service that emulates the best taxi service norms across the world. Meru cabs try there best to ensure availability; our onboard technology ensures that a customer pays a fair fare with a printed receipt for each transaction. They try to ensure that your need for commuting is met every time you need to commute and in as hassle free a manner as possible. Meru cabs use environment friendly fuel. This is especially true in cities where CNG is easily available.

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Meru Training Academy:We believe that the critical difference between an ordinary taxi service and a Meru Cabs service lies in the investment that we make into training there chauffeurs. Their stringent conditions for engaging a chauffeur include address verification, complete medical checkup, testing of driving skills, ability to manage the on board technology on our vehicles, familiarity with your city and all the mandatory licensing criteria. And if a potential chauffeur meets these requirements, we put them through an intensive 5-day training program where we impart knowledge on customer service, hygiene, safe driving habits and how to handle an emergency.

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Meru model:MERU hires the driver with certain driving experience and train him on soft skills. A contract is signed between MERU and the driver. MERU buys the car and gives it to the driver. The fuel cost has to be borne by the driver. The maintenance of the car is taken care by MERU. MERU helps the drivers by providing the booking to drivers through their call centers.  The driver is free to take fares if he doesn t get the fare from the call center.  In return the driver provides Rs. 800 per day to MERU.  Whatever the driver earns above these 800 rupees is his own income. Now MERU has enabled the employees to earn what they want to earn and they have not only given them employment but a business Provide employees the opportunity to earn to their potential. (May be through Performance Linked Incentives or any other innovative way that fits your business).     

Technology of Meru cabs:Whenever we talk about MERU cabs, we talk about their technology, GPS, call center for order booking etc. Yes technology has played a vital role in MERU s success; however there are many important factors that have helped MERU to be successful.

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Services offered by Meru Cabs:Services like 'Dial-a-Meru', 'SMS-a-Meru' and 'Meru-on-the-Net' are available and customers can also hail a Meru by the curb-side. All Meru cabs can be tracked from the main control room to determine their geographical location and ensure a quick response and despatch. Emergency security features such as a panic button are installed in the car along with First-Aid kits in case of any accidents or emergency situations. Meru also has a 'Lost and Found' tracking system in place so that any item left behind unintentionally in a cab can be traced to the vehicle that the reporting customer has used. Recently, it has also started a corporate travel programme on a test mode for business clients. The company is constantly looking at various innovative ways to market the product and increase its visibility. Currently, there are various ideas being conceptualised by the marketing department of the company. Hence we will have to wait and see what will be the next marketing campaign Meru will use to increase the penetration of the concept of radio taxis in India. Meru cabs offers a reliable metered taxi service in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Bangalore through a fleet of modern, air conditioned cars equipped with state-ofthe-art GPS based communication technology. The service is backed by a 24x7 Customer Contact Center.

Pricing Strategy:The Meru Taxi service is a licensed, metered taxi operation and is governed by the fares prescribed by the Department of Transport. The fare structure of Meru cabs is similar to that of any other radio taxi. It has three components viz. fare for the distance travelled, waiting charge, if applicable and a night surcharge for travel between 12 - midnight and 5AM. The toll charges have to be borne by the passenger while crossing a toll post. However, the charges need not be paid if the cab crossed the toll post while pick up. There is no extra charge for booking on the phone/web. Payments can be made through cash or card. For building the brand, the company had started various ad campaigns and promotional activities. The tag line of Meru 'Rely on us,' sends out a message of safety and hassle-free ride on board. It released a radio ad campaign of a small boy going all alone in Meru to receive his grandmother from the airport.

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Meru cabs

At Meru Cabs, they strive deliver on our core promise of 'unshakable reliability' by devising systems, processes or technologies that will set a reliable interface for our customers.

Every Meru Cab comes with the following features:Modern, brand-new, air-conditioned comfortable cabs Usage of clean green fuel - resulting in a cleaner environment and reduced pollution Round the clock availability of cabs backed by a location tracking GPS - based dispatch technology and a 24x7 Customer Service Center. This means a quicker pickup and faster response time to your call for a cab Tamper-proof digital cab meters, integrated with the GPS-system to ensure every fare is tracked, thereby ruling out any possibility of over charging by the chauffeur A printed receipt for every fare, providing details of distance traveled and total amount payable Thoroughly trained chauffeurs in a smart Meru uniform, fluent in English and Hindi Ability to track the location of the cab 'real-time' through the GPS technology provides security in case of an emergency Routine spot checks by our patrol vans to ensure highest standards of service Preferred taxi service at airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru
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Marketing mix:Marketing mix is one of the most fundamental conception marketing management. For attracting customers and for sales promotion every company has to concentrate on seven elements i.e. product, price, place, promotion, people, process, physical evidence. A fair combination of this marketing element called marketing mix. It is the blending of seven P s which forms the core Of marketing system. Marketing mix aims at achieving marketing targets in terms of sales profit and consumer satisfaction. Marketing mix is a flexible combination of variables. The main focus of marketing mix is the customers, his satisfaction and support is important. Marketing mix variables are interrelated.

There are 7 Ps of Marketing Mix which are as follows: Product Price Place Promotion People Process Physical evidence

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Product
Mega Cabs is the first company to introduce computerised communication & dispatch systems with GPS (Global Positioning System) based online tracking for licensed Radio Taxis in India. Modern, brand-new, air- conditioned comfortable cabs. Mostly cabs are Sedan car s like Indigo, Ikon etc. Usage of clean green fuel resulting in a cleaner environment and reduced pollution Emergency security features such as a panic button are installed in the car along with First-Aid kits in case of any accidents or emergency situations. Meru also has a 'Lost and Found' tracking system in place so that any item left behind unintentionally in a cab can be traced to the vehicle that the reporting customer has used. Recently, it has also started a corporate travel programmers on a test mode for business clients.

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Price
The Meru Cabs service is a licensed metered taxi operation and is governed by the fares prescribed by the Department of Transport for your city. The digital tamper proof meter on board and the printed receipt that they give ensures that the passenger pays strictly in line with the prescribed fare structure.

Radio taxis fare according to government has been fixed to Rs 15 to Rs 20 No hidden costs or overcharging. Charged only from your pick up point to your drop point A Night Surcharge of 25% is levied between 2300 hrs to 0500 hrs.

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PEOPLE
They believe that the critical difference between an ordinary taxi service and a Meru Cabs service lies in the investment that we make into training their chauffeurs. There stringent conditions for engaging a chauffeur include address verification, complete medical checkup, testing of driving skills, ability to manage the on board technology on our vehicles, familiarity with your city and all the mandatory licensing criteria. And if a potential chauffeur meets these requirements, they put them through an intensive 5-day training program where they impart knowledge on customer service, hygiene, safe driving habits and how to handle an emergency.  Experienced Driver  Recruiting the right staff and training them appropriately. It is necessary because Consumers make judgments and deliver perceptions of the service based on the employees they interact with.

PROCESS
The systems used to assist the organisation in delivering the service. Customer calling at care no. and Cab reaching in time at desire customer s place. Reaching at customer s destination point in respect to customers desired time safely.

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PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
Where is the service being delivered? Consumers will make perceptions based on their sight of the service Condition of the Taxi :- Modern, brand-new, airconditioned comfortable cabs. Mostly cabs are Sedan car s like Indigo, Ikon etc.

Promotion :For building the brand, the company had started various ad campaigns and promotional activities. The tag line of Meru - 'Rely on us,' sends out a message of safety and hassle-free ride on board. It released a radio ad campaign of a small boy going all alone in Meru to receive his grandmother from the airport. Since last month in Delhi, it has rolled out the 'Don't drink and drive' promotion to encourage people to call for a Meru instead of drinking and driving. For this promotion, Meru Cabs identified four TGIF (TGI Friday's) pubs and 160 restaurants, where it has placed tent cards and utilized their LCD screens to spread the message. The tent cards carried the message - 'If you find this hard to read, it's time to book a Meru cab.' In another interesting innovation, colour coding was used on coasters. A customer was given the first drink on a black coaster. The subsequent drinks followed on green, amber and red coasters. The red coaster signified that it's time to call for a cab which comes with the message, 'You do the drinking, we do the driving'. Thus the company connected a public service message with the idea to boost sales. Dabreo added that the promotion will be intensified around New Year and other occasions in the coming years with more innovative ad campaigns. He further
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added, "Meru Cabs is a national brand now and the challenges in every city are different. For instance, in Mumbai and Delhi, the company needs to differentiate itself from other brands. In Hyderabad, it needs to create the category itself."

Place
Headquartered in Mumbai, Meru Cab Company provides a radio taxi service in the four key metros of India - Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

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Conclusion
Meru Cabs is now the largest radio cab service in India and aims to provide world class taxi services in every city that it enters. They will always try to be the hallmark for reliable, high quality service in every city that it operates in. Meru Cabs believe that business enterprise is never complete if it does not make a contribution beyond building a good business. There constant Endeavour will be to raise the standards for everyone who comes into contact with Meru Cabs. The employee should believe in the management & the company for it to succeed, i.e. walk the talk.So if one gets these things right for a business, it can lead to a successful business. Well it s easy to say but it s difficult to implement and that s why all the startups are not successful the way MERU is.

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