Dissertation Results: Comparison Between EE and Vodafone

Data analysis refers to the process of evaluating, inspecting, modelling and transforming data so as to derive information that is useful, come up with conclusions and aid in the process of decision making (Rosenthal, 1991).  This analysis is crucial in this research work, the assessment of data which was collected was done with the aid of statistical tools and a specific systematic procedure which starts by collecting raw data which is subjected to these statistical tools after which the raw data is converted and transformed into relevant information which can be used in the research process. The research study in this scenario deals with the element of customer satisfaction in the TelCo industry, a comparative study has been carried out between EE and Vodafone. The data collected for this research study was collected by applying both primary and secondary methods of data collection. The secondary methods that were applied were used for obtaining and equipping oneself with theoretical knowledge in terms of objectives for the research. The primary methods applied were aimed at deriving direct opinions from the respondents who took part in the research.

The analysis of the data developed by the researcher was obtained from the 100 respondents who completed and duly filled the questionnaires issued to them. Graphical techniques have been used to outline, and illustrate the data that has been analysed. The graphical techniques are clearly developed and aid in understanding the data that has been analysed.

4.2 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents

The variables that deal with socio-demographics that have been considered in this research are as follows; gender, age of respondents and the marital status of the respondents.

4.2.1 Age of the Respondents

In terms of age, the age cohort of 10 20 years is made up of 20% of the total number of respondents, the age cohort of 21 30 years made up of 30% of the total number of respondents, the next age group which is of respondents who are between the age of 31 40 years is made up of 20% of the total respondents. The next age group consists of 20% of the total respondents; this age group is between the ages of 41-50. The remaining 10% of the total respondents make up the last age group which contains respondents between the ages of 51- 80 years. The data obtained from the age of the respondents depict that the young people within the age of 21-30 years make up the most number of users of both EE and Vodafone. The respondents between the years of 51 to 80 years make up the least number of respondents who use the services from these Tel Co companies. The respondents from all age groups have to be involved in the research so as to make the research more accurate and effective. The youth are believed to be the most users of the services and products offered by EE and Vodafone because they participate in numerous activities which all revolve around the use of TelCo products and services.

4.2.2 Gender distribution of the respondents

The analysis of the data obtained on gender distribution of the respondents derive that 35% of the total number of respondents were male and that 65% of the respondents consisted of females. This outlines that the females and males all consume products and services that have been produced by both the TelCo companies. However, the data derived shows that the females are prone to use the services and products more than the males, the females participate in activities that tend to use the TelCo groups services more than males.

4.2.3 Marital status distribution of the respondents

There was a survey conducted on the respondents who use either EE or Vodafone in the United Kingdom, the respondents who were married make up 20% and 75% of the respondents were unmarried and the remaining 5% represents the individuals who have been divorced. Despite the different status in relation to marriage all individuals need these products and services from these TelCo companies.

4.3 Products and services of EE and Vodafone to customers

4.3.1 Telecommunication networks

Every respondent as per the research has a subscription on either EE or Vodafone in the United Kingdom, the data collected depicts that 60% of the respondents subscribed to EE and 30% of the respondents have subscribed to Vodafone. The remaining 10% use other additional networks such as either Airtel/or MTN, most of the respondents (90%) have used either EE or Vodafone subscriptions over the last five years. This depicts that the respondents have had a long experience with the TelCo companies, this also outlines that the customers are loyal to their providers of network.

4.3.2 Usage of twin Sim cards

This deals with having two sim cards of different Telecommunication companies in one phone. The data collected depicted that the respondents who used cell phones over the past five years makes up 95% of the general population. Among this 95%, 65% state that the products and services provided by their preferred TelCo were competent enough but the remaining 30% believe that one company is not enough to provide sufficient network capabilities and that one requires both the EE network and Vodafone network to be completely satisfied. The respondents gave a number of reasons as to why they prefer the use of two sim cards these include; majority 65% claimed that the network providers and service producers provide subscriptions that are unreliable and hence the respondents require an alternative network provider that is competent and can be relied upon. Another reason is the fact that 15% states that they use two sim-cards as a result of their friends and relatives influence, in terms of this when a relative or a close friend use a sim-card of another TelCo company communication is hindered as a result of this the respondents will end up buying another sim-card so as to make the communication process much easier. The remaining 20% stated that the usage of two sim-cards is necessary as every sim-card has a specific use.

Chart: Reasons for double sim usage

The information derived from this data on double sim-card usage outlines that neither EE or Vodafone can claim that they are the monopoly of the market, this depicts that the service and network providers (EE and Vodafone) should focus on improving the reliability of their networks, this will reduce the claims of unreliability and force the customers to stick to only one network provider as they will get all they require in the same network.

4.3.3 Comparison between EE and Vodafone on which of these TelCo Companies have prices, services and products that are cheaper

The respondents came out very clear in terms of which company is cheaper in terms of its services and products. The research study conducted outlined that 60% of the respondents prefer EE this is because the PAYG bundles offered by EE are from 10, the pay monthly services are from 14.99, the costs per text is 12p, the cost of a picture message is 40p per message and the customer care calls are free. The 25% of the respondents state that they prefer Vodafone, the costs of the services they offer are as follows; the PAYG bundles are from 10, the pay monthly services are from 17, the cost per text is 14p, the cost of a picture message is 45p per message and the customer care calls are charged. The remaining 15% prefer other TelCo companies such as O2 and Virgin Mobile UK (Berardinelli, 2008). The aspect of prices is very crucial to achieve customer preference and customer satisfaction. In the United Kingdom both Vodafone and EE are the market leaders and hence get to access different economies. The data results on the comparison are illustrated below;

Chart: comparison on which TelCo Company offers cheaper prices

4.3.4 Comparison on which network is most preferred

The respondents derived that the most preferred networks in UK are from both EE and Vodafone; 60% of the respondents state that they prefer EE networks and 40% of the respondents prefer networks that are developed from Vodafone. The main reason as to why these networks are preferred is because both these companies provide services that are relatively reliable as compared to the other service providers.

4.4: EE and Vodafone most preferred services and products for their customers

The evaluation of the products and services offered by EE and Vodafone was conducted by contacting some of the management staff of both EE and Vodafone.

4.4.1 The most preferred service or products of EE and Vodafone to the customers

The research depicts that the most preferred product of both EE and Vodafone is the modem; the modem was used and bought by almost all respondents in high quantities. The next most preferred product was the mobile phone for both EE and Vodafone. The percentage of the purchase of modem is 7% and the mobile phone is 3%. In terms of services majority of the respondents (40%) seem to be pleased and more satisfied with the bonus packages offered by EE however the 20% of the respondents seem to prefer the internet services offered. The other preferred service is the use of voice calls of Vodafone (25%). Most of these products and services are from the EE and Vodafone Companies, the respondents prefer these companies over other TelCo Companies. The main reasons as to why these respondents prefer products and services from EE and Vodafone are as follows; the costs that are required to run and use the modems and phones of Vodafone and EE are cheaper as compared to other networks but the cost of running EE modems are cheaper than Vodafone modems. The services offered such as voice calls are proffered as the services are economical.

4.5 Measuring satisfaction of customers through service quality

4.5.1 Satisfaction of services by the customers

The respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction on the quality of the services they obtained from Vodafone and EE, the rating was done by applying the Expectation Disconfirmation (ED) method and the Overall Customer Satisfaction Method (OCS). The Expectation Disconfirmation has got scale that is divided into five parts; excellent, good, moderate, fair and poor. The OCS also has a scale that is divided into five parts; very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied and very dissatisfied.

The table below depicts the mean rating of the respondents while using the OCS, the mean rating is 2.00 but the deviation in terms of standard is 0.8245. The mean is less than 3(three) according to the scale OCS less than three referred to moderate satisfaction (Hallowell, 1996). This can explain that customer satisfaction is very low.

Table 1: Overall Customer Satisfaction Method

company Mean rating N Standard deviation

EE 2.00 50 0.830

Vodafone 2.00 50 0.850

total 2.00 100 0.8245

In terms of rating customer satisfaction of EE and Vodafone using the ED measure; the 40% of the respondents stated that their satisfaction is dissatisfied, 20% of the respondents rated the satisfaction as satisfied, 10% of the respondents stated that their satisfaction was rated at very satisfied and the 30% that remained described their satisfaction was very dissatisfied. The main objective of this measure was to determine the level at which MTN and Vodafone understand and satisfy their customers needs. A high percentage was not satisfied this therefore means that the respective telecommunication companies do not respond properly and effectively to the needs of their customers.