Like any business, Tmobile has faced and is currently facing many environments, both in its micro and macroenvironment, however its macroenvironment is affecting it the most right now.
Micro environment wise, T-mobile has had to deal with the development of its company from Voice stream to T-mobile, with mergers of smaller wireless companies, including the recent acquisition of Sun Com. With these mergers come blending of company values and unity between newly labeled T-mobile representatives. Also, customers that became T-mobile customers through mergers also must be dealt with in delicate manners as well, since they obviously will experience some of the bumps in the transition. However, T-mobile handled this by having trainings with these new T-mobile employees and also helped introduce these new T-mobile customers as well through centered promotions and offers.
Speaking of mergers and growth, T-mobile's competitors experiencing growth and mergers also have affected T-mobile. Cingular and AT&T merged creating one huge competitor named AT&T, while Verizon gained merger after merger, gaining on their huge cdma network. This caused T-mobile to have to compete with these two company's huge network coverage, since T-mobile did not have as much as they did. Therefore, T-mobile has started building more and more towers, taking down customer advice about where towers should be, and see competing using their best weapons: price, technology, and their representatives. T-mobile has been able to win the JD power award time and time again in both customer service and retail, proving that they give their customers not only the pricing that makes them happy, but a happier environment and experience.
Macro environment wise, the economical situation going on right now is really hitting every business and every customer, and T-mobile is dealing with this head on by their prices and their advertising tactics. They know customers are not only worried about the prices of plans, but also being locked into a pricey plan for years. Therefore, T-mobile's new commercials stress their no contract plans and how they save customers nearly an average of more than 20 dollars a month compared to other competitors. They save money and you don't have to sign your life away in a time of unsure economical times. A good marketing tactic. Also, T-mobile has previously and still offers flex pay, which is a plan that allows people with less than good credit to sign on plans without deposits, which once again shows how T-mobile deals with the economical environment.
Technologically, T-mobile has rolled out many new phones to keep up with competitors - the google g1 phone, the samsung behold, the many blackberry phones, various pda phones, and many other hand held phones. They are able to keep up with their competitors and provide for both college students, business professionals, hectic parents, and social kids.
Overall, T-mobile has been able to deal with the main factors being thrown at them from the environments around them, especially the economical and competitor factors.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
T-mobile's positioning
T-mobile targets for the high quality, Lower pricing position in the eyes of the targeted consumer market. Their new campaigns and commercials display this target and position, with their statements of paying over 20 dollars less on average on their monthly wireless bill, for the same exact services, compared to any of the other top wireless providers. This shows how T-mobile wants to be viewed as providing the top quality services but at a much lower price than the other wireless competitors out there. Also, T-mobile advertises how they will do personal coverage checks on any customer that asks, promoting and displaying their confidence that their coverage can also hold up to their competitors, showing their cut in prices does not mean reduced quality, but rather a better deal for the customer. T-mobile has also recently rolled out a Vonage style home line service called T-mobile @home. It is only offered to T-mobile customers and its 10 dollars a month with unlimited nationwide calling. This is a dramatic savings for customers paying 50 plus a month for land line service, one again putting T-mobile in a high quality, low price bracket position in the eyes of the target customer relative to now its land line competitors.
Monday, February 2, 2009
T-mobile's Core Competency
T-Mobile's core competency lies in price, price, price! T-Mobile's rate plans are noticeably cheaper than their competitors, for example:
(2 lines) T- Mobile - Verizon - AT & T
700 minute Family plan: 79.95 99.99 99.99
UNL N/W/MSG
This is a very common family plan and right here, by choosing T-mobile, a 2-line customer would save 20 dollars (plus taxes) every month. T-mobile also offers about 10 dollars less for Internet features for their blackberry devices and other smart phones/PDA devices as well. When price becomes an issue to potential wireless consumers and to existing customers of T-Mobile's competitors, T-Mobile's luring lower prices definitely act as its core "deal-sealing" component above all else.
Also, T-mobile does not require new customers to pay crippling deposits if their credit is less than "adequate" for a regular post-paid account. Verizon and AT&T can ask for hundreds of dollars worth of deposits upon activations for these type of customers, however T-mobile no longer requires such deposits, but instead rolled out with "Flex-pay," which is a new type of service payment plan, allowing customers to get the same benefits of post paid, but with the same "pay before usage" structure of pre-paid. This has sealed the deal with the alluring quality of price for T-mobile, especially since it now can attract and keep customers with even not-so-good credit.
Additionally, although it does not compare to price as the spotlight core competency for T-mobile, the product of the My faves plan for T-mobile definitely has acted as a nice compliment for the Price tactic. They are able to attract their competitors customers away with their prices, yet they understood that they may run into the problem of the customers having their friends and family still having their competitors' services. Therefore, this my faves plan gave customers the ability to pick five people from any network, any provider, and talk to them as much as they want, anytime they want, for free. They can even change this whenever they want to, as long as its not more than once a month. This my faves plan enhanced the main strength of T-mobile and acted, and still acts, as the final push for many customers to switch. It lets them save money and still talk to the people they want for free.
(2 lines) T- Mobile - Verizon - AT & T
700 minute Family plan: 79.95 99.99 99.99
UNL N/W/MSG
This is a very common family plan and right here, by choosing T-mobile, a 2-line customer would save 20 dollars (plus taxes) every month. T-mobile also offers about 10 dollars less for Internet features for their blackberry devices and other smart phones/PDA devices as well. When price becomes an issue to potential wireless consumers and to existing customers of T-Mobile's competitors, T-Mobile's luring lower prices definitely act as its core "deal-sealing" component above all else.
Also, T-mobile does not require new customers to pay crippling deposits if their credit is less than "adequate" for a regular post-paid account. Verizon and AT&T can ask for hundreds of dollars worth of deposits upon activations for these type of customers, however T-mobile no longer requires such deposits, but instead rolled out with "Flex-pay," which is a new type of service payment plan, allowing customers to get the same benefits of post paid, but with the same "pay before usage" structure of pre-paid. This has sealed the deal with the alluring quality of price for T-mobile, especially since it now can attract and keep customers with even not-so-good credit.
Additionally, although it does not compare to price as the spotlight core competency for T-mobile, the product of the My faves plan for T-mobile definitely has acted as a nice compliment for the Price tactic. They are able to attract their competitors customers away with their prices, yet they understood that they may run into the problem of the customers having their friends and family still having their competitors' services. Therefore, this my faves plan gave customers the ability to pick five people from any network, any provider, and talk to them as much as they want, anytime they want, for free. They can even change this whenever they want to, as long as its not more than once a month. This my faves plan enhanced the main strength of T-mobile and acted, and still acts, as the final push for many customers to switch. It lets them save money and still talk to the people they want for free.
T-Mobile's "Mission Statement"
Unlike most companies, T-mobile USA does not present their "mission statement" in a very formal, business way to their customers. No special "mission statement" link, no "Our Mission Statement" heading, nor is it set apart from the rest of the history of the company. Instead, they present their "mission statement" in a very informal, customer-friendly manner, stating how the reason why they ARE in business is FOR the customer:
"The value of our plans, the breadth of our coverage, the reliability of our network, and the quality of our service are meant to do one thing: help you stick together with the people who make your life come alive. That’s why we’re here." - T-Mobile USA (follow link to the quoted page)
T-mobile USA makes providing services, plans, and a reliable network to their customers, increasing their customers' connectivity in a relatively disconnected world, their "mission statement."
"The value of our plans, the breadth of our coverage, the reliability of our network, and the quality of our service are meant to do one thing: help you stick together with the people who make your life come alive. That’s why we’re here." - T-Mobile USA (follow link to the quoted page)
T-mobile USA makes providing services, plans, and a reliable network to their customers, increasing their customers' connectivity in a relatively disconnected world, their "mission statement."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
