VRL marketing project report

8/17/2019 VRL marketing project report

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KLE's Institute of Management Studies and Research Page 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A. Introduction to the study:

The study will be helpful to us in understanding what customers think, how they

perceive the service delivered by VRL Courier in terms study will help the company to

take necessary actions to shrink the gap in customer driven service standards and service

delivery

For a company it is very important to know what customers expect, and who are

there competitors in local region and how we can improve the services in local region

among the competitors and there services given. The study also helped me in enhancing

my knowledge about the factors involved in studying the perception of the costumers.

Gap analysis is a market research technique used to identify and correct gaps between the

customers expected level of service and the actual or perceived levels of service provided.

B. Project title:

" Customer perception towards VRL courier service at the hubli region''

Objectives

To know the expectations of customer

To know the satisfaction level of customers towards VRL courier service.

To compare and evaluate the customers perception towards VRL couriers with

respect to other selected courier service companies.

C. Need for the project:

The study can help the company to improve their service quality.

The image of the organization in the minds of the customers


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D. Scope of study:

The customer satisfaction survey activity entails;

Identification of customer segments in more detail.

Listing the types of courier interfaces with customers.

Categorization of services received by various segments.

E. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

A. TYPE OF RESEARCH:

The research is descriptive research.

DATA COLLECTION METHOD:

Data are facts, figures and other relevant materials, past and present, serving as

bases for study and analysis. The data serves as the basis for analysis, without an analysis

of actual data no specific inferences can be drawn on the questions under study. For the

purpose of present study data from two sources have been collected namely primary and

secondary data.

PRIMARY DATA:

The primary data is collected by interacting with the customers of vrl and other

courier service of Hubli city along with the structured questionnaire.

SECONDARY DATA:

The secondary data is obtained from the companies website and marketing manager of

VRL courier.

B. POPULATION:

All hubli customers of VRL Courier Service.

C. SAMPLING FRAME:

VRL Courier Service preferring customers in Hubli city.

D. SAMPLE SIZE:


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Sample size is 100 customers.

E.SAMPLING METHOD:

Non-Probabilistic Convenience sampling.

F. INTERVIEWING METHOD:

Questionnaire.

G. ANALYSIS TOOL:

M.S.EXCEL

H. TIME DURATION OF THE STUDY:

Two months.


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Findings:

It is found that most of the customers are occasional (36%) and monthly (28%)

costumer prefer VRL couriers Though it is occasional customer prefer VRL. This

shows that the company is making an impact on customers to come back to them

in future.

It is found that 38% of the respondents viewed that the VRL courier charging

high and competitive price to customers. Therefore company is losing its

customers due to competitive price in hubli region.

Most of the respondents (50%) agreed that the VRL courier shows sincere interest

in problem solving and (30%) agreed average. This shows the company gives

much preference to its customers and get their problems solved.

.

It is found that 12% of the respondents strongly agree with the time schedule and

delivery timings are maintained by the VRL, 40% of them agreed, 32% says its

average and 16% of them disagreed. Some of the customers are not satisfied with

the time schedule. Thus company is not giving much chance to its customers for

complaints.

.

The customers are not happy with the price as (30%) of them are highly

dissatisfied and (15%) of them are dissatisfied, even many of the customers are

neutral.

64% of the respondents are happy with the overall services provided by VRL

couriers.


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Suggestions:

Most of the customers are monthly and occasional courier users and hence

company is losing the customers day by day and profit is getting low to the

company, so I would suggest to bring out few schemes, offers to which customers

can get attracted to courier with VRL rather than choosing some other courier

service like speed post, professional couriers and some private company like gati

couriers. Customers can be loyal to the company only when they get desired

service.

Many of the respondents are not happy with the timings, also said that it was very

difficult for them to wait long time for the courier delivery. it also takes a long

halt time during the journey to which the customers cannot wait for the delivery,

So I suggest it would be good if the company follows a proper time and satisfy

their customers and follow a proper schedule and maintain the brand image in the

minds of customers.

The respondents complained about the price is competitive and are not reasonable

so, the company is losing its loyal customers due to hike in price. It is suggested to

the company to decrease the price level of the different courier service as many of

the respondents complained about the affordability.

I would also suggest the company to maintain the safety of packages so that the

customers don‘t feel dissatisfied while they receive the packages as many of the

respondents were dissatisfied about the safety.

Company should keep in touch with the customer after the service so that it helps

in identifying the problems faced by the customers if any


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H. CONCLUSION:

The company has positioned the brand image into the minds of the customers by

giving the quality of service and by fulfilling the promises. The company is keeping the

promises which are made to the customers by giving its quality service, it‘s very

important for any service oriented company to keep the promises. Any service to excel it

should understand the specific needs of their customers. Services are intangible in nature

and the employees are the main factor which affects the service delivery since they are

the one who encounter with the customers. Company has good employees who shoes

sincere interest to solve the customer‘s problem, who responds to the customer‘s request,

who help the customers. Majority of the customers are happy with the overall service

provided by the VRL and wants to give good courier service with VRL in the future and

this shows that the company has well prospective future. There are also many customers

who are not happy with the VRL couriers related to time management, price, etc. it is

very important to a company to give a quality of service to their customers and hence it

should be provided on time.


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INDUSTRY PROFILE


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2. INTRODUCTION TO THE INDUSTRY:

History:

The courier industry has long held an important place in American commerce and

been involved in pivotal moments in our nation‘s history such as westward migration and

the gold rush. Wells-Fargo was founded in 1852 and rapidly became the preeminent

package delivery company. The company specialized in shipping gold, packages and

newspapers throughout the West, making a Wells-Fargo office in every camp and

settlement a necessity for commerce and connections to home.

Shortly afterward, the Pony Express was established to move packages more

quickly than the traditional method, which followed the stagecoach routes. The success of

efficient deliveries on the Pony Express route has been credited with keeping California

in the Union during the Civil War. It also illustrated the demand for timely deliveries

across the nation, a concept that continued to evolve with the railroads, automobiles and

interstate highways and that has emerged into today‘s courier industry.

Typical Courier Firm:

Courier businesses are small businesses and have a long history of positive

influence in their communities. Firms typically employ about 25 individuals, who receive

good salaries and benefits, and utilize up to three times that many independent owner-

operator drivers annually. There are more than seven thousand small businesses that make

up the multi-billion dollar same-day courier industry.

Goods Moved:

Couriers pick up and deliver important business documents or packages that

need to be sent or received quickly either locally, regionally, or nationally. Couriers also

deliver items that the customer is unwilling to entrust to other means of delivery because

they are either time-sensitive or require specialized individual handling, such as medicalsupplies, blood, machine parts, and even organs for transplant.


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Business Model:

The business model for the courier industry is particularly dependent on

independent contractors, which are used in addition to its dedicated employee resources.

The nature of the industry, with its on-demand, often unscheduled delivery model,

requires a varying number of courier drivers on any given day and time of day to

complete a set service.

To meet their customer s‘ demands, courier services contract with competent, ambitious,

and responsible individuals on an ‗as needed‘ basis to service their community every day.

These independent owner-operators pick up and deliver letters, important business

documents or packages that need to be sent or received quickly within a local area.

Couriers and messengers also deliver items that the customer is unwilling to entrust to

other means of delivery due to its sensitive and fragile nature, such as medical supplies,

blood, machine parts, and even organs for transplant. Because these items are transported

according to the customer‘s own timetable and often times these shipments are time

sensitive, the owner-operator business model allows courier companies to staff each day

of work appropriately.

Value of the Industry:

The existence of the same-day expedited delivery service is vital to the economy

and just-in-time nature of the U.S. We have become a nation dependent on last minute

delivery and supply. There are very few industry segments that can wait until tomorrow

for vital parts and supplies.

Businesses that use couriers:

While there are many industries that use courier services, certain industries critically

depend on couriers for expedited same-day or less than 24 hours delivery on a daily basis.

Biomedical labs and analysis centers use couriers to retrieve and deliver samples for

testing and evaluation. The manufacturing industry relies on couriers to distribute parts to


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keep their plants operating smoothly. Financial institutions must transfer multiple

documents every day between branches and processing centers. Law firms must deliver

confidential documents on very strict deadlines and use couriers to ensure rapid delivery.

Pharmaceutical distributors utilize couriers to transport medications to hospitals and

nursing homes daily. These are just a few examples of primary customer market – each

courier company, dependent on their expertise and regional needs, has a unique customer

market profile.

Importance of 24 hour delivery:

Same-day delivery is crucial for time-sensitive materials, such as importantelectronic parts or medical samples. Due to the critical need, fragility, confidentiality or

bulky size of items, these packages cannot be slotted into the existing FedEx or Postal

Service delivery times for next day or two day delivery; they must be delivered according

to the customer‘s schedule and specifications. Organs must be delivered in a certain

timetable in order to be viable for transplantation, medical specimens delivered for testing

can be the most useful to the patient if results are available quickly, and legal documents

are often prepared and delivered to the client or judge on unforgiving deadlines.

For these types of goods, courier service is the only form of delivery that does not

jeopardize the item delivered or the business involved. Owner-operator drivers are a key

part of the same-day delivery practice as they provide the ability for flexible scheduling

and ensure a courier will always be available for a customer delivery.

Value of competition in the sector:

Courier firms provide an invaluable service because the ―big four‖ (DHL, UPS,

FedEx and USPS) in the delivery business simply do not provide same-day delivery

services uniquely designed to meet specific individual customer needs. Expedited

delivery firms also prevent the big four from having a complete monopoly on deliveries

that must be completed


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in a short period of time. This competition, both among couriers and with the big four,

has greatly increased the quality and professionalism of the industry, while also ensuring

reasonable rates for customers. These 7,000 plus small businesses also help to keep the

pricing competitive and the big four honest. Additionally, the courier industry consists

almost entirely of small, locally owned and operated businesses, ensuring that revenue is

retained within the community served, rather than siphoned off by a multi-national

corporation.

Safety and Security Procedures:

Due to the nature of many of the services the courier industry provides, such as

transporting controlled narcotics, publicly traded companies pre-published financial data

and blood and organ movements, most independent owner-operator couriers obtain the

proper training and abide by chain of custody requirements that ensure the safety and

security of every shipment channeled through the same-day pipeline.

Professionalism:

Industry surveys indicate that 99 percent of owner-operator drivers are

professional drivers. These drivers are also vetted prior to being offered a position. Often

times this includes safety and TSA guideline knowledge, geography and even logistics

questionnaires to

ensure safe practices and compliance with TSA guidelines. Drivers must have a valid

operator‘s license in good standing with the state of issuance, and comprehensive

insurance that is up-to-date. Also, most states require that couriers take training courses

prior to becoming a commercial vehicle operator, which means only qualified, safe and

committed professionals make the final cut to become contract couriers. The business

model works as a self-policing mechanism, where only safe drivers become career

employee drivers or contracted owner-operator drivers.


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Safety:

While our industry is not regulated, per se, by the normal standards of

government-instituted regulations, we do meet increasingly rigorous training and safety

demands. This

can be seen in our 100 percent safety record - to date, there has not been a single incident

that compromises our homeland security. The industry primarily accepts billed payments

and does 99 percent of their business with shippers that are ―known‖ to them, both of

which drastically reduce the ability for an individual to use a courier service to deliver

explosives or biochemical agents, since there is a traceable record set by the transaction.

Our customers entrust us with the delivery of extremely fragile and sensitive items and as

such, set the security level according to that particular package. A customer recently

arranged for independent owner operators to undertake a week of specialized training to

prepare for a delivery involving transgenic mice that have the potential to foster

breakthroughs in cancer research, whereas a delivery of a simple letter does not demand

the same level of commitment and background checks. The marketplace regulations, in

addition to our high levels of professionalism, have served as a layered approach to

security that has worked exceedingly well.

Technology:

Most packages are monitored and tracked via advanced electronic

communication devices. Couriers are in communication with dispatchers via two-way

electronic devices, such as Nextel phones or Blackberries, to verify locations and status of

operations. This

communication further ensures that packages and security guidelines are accounted for,

reducing the opportunity for tampering or a gap in the security of the supply chain.


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Chain of custody:

One of the features of the courier industry is that the delivery has a complete

chain of custody, which prevents tampering or other malicious or dangerous activities.

The employee drivers and contracted owner-operators obtain the package from the

customer and typically retain sole control of that package throughout the delivery process,

ensuring the package remains intact and unscathed until its arrival.

.KnownShippers:

Couriers also provide a rush or direct from shipper to consigned service that isconducted on a business-to-business transaction model. As such, nearly 99 percent of

businesses requesting deliveries are repeat customers, and ―known‖ to the courier

company, have a long-standing relationship with the courier firm and use the same

physical locations for their transactions. This further reduces risk and adds a layer of

security in the courier delivery supply chain.

A

courier

delivers messages

, packages and mail. Couriers are distinguished fromordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature,

specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which

are optional for most everyday mail services. As a premium service, couriers are usually

more expensive than standard mail services, and their use is typically restricted to

packages where one or more of these features are considered important enough to warrant

the cost.

In ancient history runners and homing pigeons and riders on horseback were

used to deliver timely messages. Before there were mechanized courier services foot

messengers physically ran miles to their destinations. To this day there

are marathons directly related to actual historical messenger routes. In the middle Ages,

royal courts maintained their own messengers who were paid little more than common

labor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message


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Types of courier:

In cities, there are often bicycle couriers or motorcycle couriers but for

consignments requiring delivery over greater distance networks, this may often includelorries, railways and aircraft. Many companies who operate under a Just-In-Time or "JIT"

inventory method often utilize on-board couriers. On-board couriers are individuals who

can travel at a moment's notice anywhere in the world, usually via commercial airlines.

While this type of service is the second costliest — aviation charters are far more

expensive — companies analyze the cost of service to engage an on-board courier versus

the "cost" the company will realize should the product not arrive by a specified time (i.e.

an assembly line stopping, untimely court filing, lost sales from product or components

missing a delivery deadline, organ transplants).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truckhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railwayshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircrafthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircrafthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railwayshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truck


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Indian Courier Industry:


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Industry Overview:

1) Demand growth linked to general domestic markets &

- Leading service providers include Blue Dart, DHL, AHL, Fedex etc.- Blue dart leads the domestic market with 38% market share.

- Salient features of the industry;

i. Door to Door Service

ii. Time definiteness

iii. Reliability

iv. Tracing & tracking

2) International Express markets

- Indian subcontinent constitutes approx 3.9% of the of the world‘s airfreight

Characteristics:

1) Demand growth linked to general economic prospects

2) High Fixed Cost structure

3)Continuous investment in Fixed asset is required

4) The ability to provide time definite service with the competence to offer clients

information about the status of shipments and supply chains crucial

5) Close control is required over all shipments with attendant need for sophisticated

information system.

Industry Drivers:1) General growth in the domestic industry and the imports/ exports

2) Increasing need of reliable and time definite services from the industry

3) Growth in volumes of consignments and the revenue realization


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COMPANY PROFILE


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PROMOTERS BACKGROUND

Mr. Vijay Sankeshwar

Mr. Vijay Sankeshwar is the proprietor for VRL logistics ltd having a fleet of

more than 3591 trucks. He became a member of BJP Dharwad district unit of 1993 and

held various positions at district and state level. He was elected to the 11th Loksabha in

1996. His successs in the transport business spurred him to go into media business and he

went on to launch ― Vijay Karnataka‖ (Kannada Daily) and ―Vijay Times‖ (English

Daily). In the year May 2003 he quit BJP party to float Kannada naadu party. Mr. Vijay

Sankeshwar has received various awards including the industry and the seven years of

experience in the media industry.


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Anand Sankeshwar

Mr. Anand Sankeshwar

Mr. ANAND SANKESHWAR is the Managing Director of VRL, he is one of the

promoters along with his father Mr. Vijay Sankeshwar of VRL Logistics Ltd. He holds a

bachelor degree in commerce from Karnataka University Dharwad. He has over all

experience of 15 years in the transport industry including 7 years of experience in the

media industry. He has also been awarded the ―YOUTH ICON AWARD‖ in the year

2004 by annual business communication of india.


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Brief history of VRL:

The managing director Mr. Vijay .B. Sankeshwar started as an individual

transporter in January 1976 without any background and experience. Initially for the first

two years he suffered heavy losses. Then by the end of 1977 he started as a local

transporter between Hubli and Gadag due to personal management and effective service,

business picked up and purchased one older lorry in 1978. During this tenure, he observed

activities of other well known transporters and started first parcel service from Bangalore

to Hubli, Gadag and Belgaum with Lorries.

VRL was established in the year 21th November 1996, under the proprietorship of

Smt. Lalita .V. Sankeshwar and was merged later on VRL LOGISTICS ltd in the year

2004. Since the merger on 1st July 2004 the travels has been making progress and with the

greater achievements under the dynamic leadership and vision of the chairman Sri. Vijay

Sankeshwar.

About VRL Company:

VRL Logistics is one of the leading road transportation companies in India, with

operations in parcel transportation, passenger transportation, express cargo, aviation and

courier segments. With an owned fleet of 2800 vehicles, the fleet was documented in

Limca Book of Records as the largest fleet owner in India when the count reached 1825.

Since its inception in the year 1976, has grown leaps and bounds and has

presently expanded its operation from goods transportation, express cargo, aviation and

courier business. With the largest network in India, the VRL travel is indispensable for

large number of corporate houses. VRL is the only organized segment having an

extensive network of more than 950 branches throughout the country. VRL‘s revenue for

the year ending March 2008 is Rs. 5469 million of which majority of its revenue is from

transportation and the rest is from passenger transportation and other sources.


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I ntroduction:

Door to door deliveries entail cohesive network of people to perform the entire

chain of operations right up to customer door step. Identifying a vacuum for a

more predictable organized and time definite delivery of documents and packages.

The company is one of the leading transportation companies in India with

operations in parcel transportation, passenger transportation, express cargo,

courier & wind power generation.

The company has become a public limited company with effect from 1-7-1994.

The company is having wide network of branches all over Karnataka, Andra

Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa, Haryana,

Maharashtra, Punjab and New Delhi.

The company name in view of its remarkable achievement and progress in short

span of time is entered into the LIMCA BOOK of records.

Centralized operations:

At the core of the groups transport business is its 43 acre transport cum warehouse

complex in Varur, Hubli. This unique facility has all the essential back up services under

one roof. The total built up area of complex is 25,00,000 sq. ft. with an additional

1,00,000 sq. ft. of land utilized for sheds and vehicle parking, This complex contains the

Head office Building, Transshipment Go down, Workshop, Canteen, Drivers Rest Room,

own Diesel Bunk etc.


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Established: 1976

Name of the Organization: VRL Logistics LTD.

Owner: Vijay Sankeshwar

Location: NH 4 Bangalore Road near Varur, Hubli

Company: LIMITED Company

Head office: VRL Logistics Ltd

Regd &Administrative Office: NH 4 Bangalore Road

Varur, Hubli -581207 Karnataka

Corporate office: VRL Logistics Ltd

Giriraj Annexe, Circuit House Road

Hubli -580029, Karnataka

Employees: Above 5000 employeesArea covered by VRL: 43 acres

Brand Name: VRL

THE VISION

“To become the premier company in transportation of goods, parcel, passengers and

print media in the country”.

OUR MISSION

“To provide highest quality services to our customers, Maximum satisfaction,

Continuously reducing cost and increasing efficiency, continuously promote team work

and excellence al all business and provide a good environment to our employees”

THE VALUES:

“Punctuality, Integrality, Honesty, Loyalty and Credibility”


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PHI LOSOPHY:

They immensely follow: “Time is Gold”

ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS:

Service customer satisfaction is the key factors in today’s market as “CUSTOMER

IS THE KING” hence to analyze the requirements of the customers is must.

Quick & safe service

Customer satisfaction & employee satisfaction.

Competitive price

Attain market leadership.

COMPANY ACHI EVEMENTS:

The company started with a lorry & today it has fleet of thousands of Lorries.

The turnover of the company is increasing year by year

The company is recommended by the Indian bank association Mumbai.

Vijay Karnataka news paper another subsidiary of VRL is being awarded with

―Audit Bureau of Circulation‖ certification for highest circulation.

In addition to the road lines the VRL has sister concern like:

Vijayanand travels

Maruti parcel couriers

Anand printers & publishers now it has been sold to Times Of

India (TOI)

Anand printers & publishers fixed deposits & recurring deposits

schemes.

Vijayanand road lines fixed deposits schemes.


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Awards:

Looking into the massive growth of the company, the following institution has

confessed to managing director of the company.

Udyog Ratna:

In the year 1994 THE INSTITUTION OF ECONOMICS STUDIED, NEW

DELHI has conferred the MD of the company with ―UDYOG RATANA‖.

Sarige Ratna:

The Bangalore city lorry- transporting agent, association has conferred MD of the

company with ―SARIGE RATANA‖ in the year 28th June 2008.

International biographic centre

The international biographical center has chosen company MD to include in the

dictionary of ―INTERNATIONAL BIOGRAPHICS‖ for hops contribution & monitories

achievements in cargo transport couriers & tourism sector.

Frost & Sullivan:

In 2009, VRL LOGISTICS LTD issued an award for ―Voice of the Customer

Awards for Excellence in Logistics in India‖ for the Best Logistics Provider in the Retail

& FMCG Segment.


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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBITIES:

VRL‘s corporate integrity is a critical asset and it is committed to upholding it in

everything they do. They share their expectations and opinions and strive to maintain a

workplace built on mutual values, trust and goodwill & continue to embed these ethical

standards in their business environment. Noteworthy is the Vignyan Yoga Shibir that

VRL organized that was conducted by Param Pujya Ramdevji Maharaj which was

attended by more than 10,000 people across the state.

MAJOR MILESTONES:

1976- Commencement of transport service through a proprietary concern by

Vijay Sankeshwar commencement of business with single truck.

1983-Business converted into a Private Limited Company by the name of

Vijayand Roadlines Pvt Ltd.

1992 – Commencement of courier service within the State of Karnataka.

1994- Vijayand Roadlines Pvt Ltd , becomes a deemed Public Limited

Company.

1997- The status of the company changed from a deemed Public Limited

Company to a Public Limited Company.

2003- Vijayanand Printers Limited becomes a wholly owned subsidiary.

2003- Entered into LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS as single largest fleet owner

of commercial vehicles in private limited.

2004 – Commercial operation of Gigantic infrastructure facility at Varur, Hubli.

2005 – ISO 9001:2000 Certificates for providing Passengers Travels Service at

Hubli, Bangalore, Belgaum.

2006 – Entire stake in Vijayanand Printers Limited divested to Times Group.

2007 – Company entered into power generation – installed 34 wind Turbine

Generators with capacity of 1025 MW each.

2009 - UNFCCC approval for company‘s Wind Power Project.

2010 – Efforts of the company recognized by way of several awards of several

awards and recognition.


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COMPANY POLICY:

To give prompt and quick service.

To be cooperative with customers.

To diversify the business allowed.

To create employment.

ORGANIZATION GOAL:

The customer satisfaction is the key factor in today‘s market as ―customer is the king‖,

hence forecast and analyze the requirement of the customer is a must. The goals of the

company are as below:

Quick and safe service.

Customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction.

Competitive price.

Attain market leadership.


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PRODUCT PROFILE


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VRL LOGISTICS:

VRL started in year 1976 as Vijayanand Road Lines with only single truck. But

today they are one of the major player in the country. They have covered 27 states and 4

union territories with 3862 vehicles and has 1000 branches spread over the Southern,

Western and Northern India aided by a dedicated team of employees working 24/7 to

ensure high level of customer satisfaction.

General Parcel forms the core of VRL‘s business and involves pan Indian

movement of consignments of varying size and weight across the country on a Less than

Truck Load (LTL) godown to godown Basis. The Company also provides the option of

door collection and door delivery to the customers at a cost. The Priority Cargo business

involves door-to-door delivery. VRL offers its goods transportation services across 27

States and, 4 Union Territories covering all major cities and towns in India. VRL has its

exclusive offices across 606 towns and cities in India. Operations in this division are

conducted through a network of 959 branches and franchisees. We differentiate ourselves

from other service providers through our wide service network, as well as our ability to

provide door-to-door services through company-owned vehicles. We provide our

customers with billing, collection, load tracking, pick-up and delivery services. Operating

through owned vehicles enables safest possible movement for consignments with lowest

incidences of theft, pilferage, damage, etc.


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Surface transportation for best last mile connectivity

Online track & trace facility

Dedicated company owned vehicles

24x7x365 days operations

Consignment size ranging from 1 kg to 40 tons.

Door pick-up and door delivery facility

Dedicated customer care window

On-time delivery

Extensive nation-wide network

Best in class service record

FULL TRUCK LOAD:

They provide FTL service to our customers by leveraging our broad base

of select branches as well as through our network of independent brokerage

agents. They provide door-to door FTL service to our customers, in which the

goods are loaded on to our vehicle at the premises of the customer and thendelivered to the specified destination. This service is typically used by

manufacturers that have large quantities of goods to be transported and is offered

at a pre-determined price. In general, we provide FTL services to optimize

capacity utilization of our vehicles or to those customers who offer attractive

margins. They maintain our network of independent brokerage agents that have

partnered with us for a number of years. Brokerage agents complement our

network of our branches by widening access to customers requiring such FTL

service.


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LESS THAN FULL TRUCK LOAD:

VRL‗s less than full truck load service is categorized into two categories; parcel

and express cargo. Under less than full truck load the customers do not hire entire

truck

Online track & trace facility

Dedicated company owned vehicles

24x7x365 days operations

Consignment size ranging from 1 kg to 40 tons.

Door pick-up and door delivery facility

Dedicated customer care window

On-time delivery

Extensive nation-wide network

Best in class service record

Surface transportation for best last mile connectivity

FULL TRUCK LOAD:

They provide FTL service to our customers by leveraging our broad base

of select branches as well as through our network of independent brokerage

agents. They provide door-to door FTL service to our customers, in which the

goods are loaded on to our vehicle at the premises of the customer and then

delivered to the specified destination. This service is typically used by

manufacturers that have large quantities of goods to be transported and is offered

at a pre-determined price. In general, we provide FTL services to optimize

capacity utilization of our vehicles or to those customers who offer attractive

margins. They maintain our network of independent brokerage agents that have

partnered with us for a number of years. Brokerage agents complement our

network of our branches by widening access to customers requiring such FTL

service.


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LESS THAN FULL TRUCK LOAD:

VRL‗s less than full truck load service is categorized into two categories; parcel

and express cargo. Under less than full truck load the customers do not hire entire truck.

Other Capabilities:

Within the goods transport domain, VRL also has capabilities for the

transportation of vehicles (cars) and liquid transportation. VRL owns a fleet of 102

car carrying vehicles and is a vendor of choice to reputed clientele such as Maruti,

Nissan, Hyundai, Toyota, etc. The Company also operates 23 tankers fortransportation of liquids and chemicals. These are presently being used for

transportation of fuel, molasses and the like. Based on specific client request, VRL

also undertakes the movement of specialized cargo such as delicate testing

equipments, high voltage testing equipments, high voltage control panels, high

voltage circuit breakers, automobile chassis frames, extra wide cabins, glass, high

capacity transformers, etc.

VIJAYANAND TRAVELS:

VRL is one of the front runners in the Indian Passenger Travel Industry amongst

the private sector players. These operations are conducted under the aegis of

―VIJAYANAND TRAVELS‖ covering more than 350 routes connecting nearly 100

destinations with over 475 luxury Buses/ Coaches. It is the Market Leader in Karnataka's

Private Passenger Travel Industry. VRL customer have the choice of several bus types,

viz. AC / Non A/c Sleeper coach, AC / Non A/c Semi Sleeper / Seater, etc. Their fleetcomprises a wide range of vehicles of several makes such as Volvo, Isuzu, Ashok

Leyland, etc to cater to every customer pocket preference.

VRL facilitates the booking of tickets for their passengers by having a wide

network of agents. Tickets for travelling in their buses can also be purchased at any of the

branches and franchises. In addition to the above, tickets can also be purchased from their

website www.vrllogistics.com. Some of the agents at VRL franchises operate on an

exclusive basis and are remunerated on a commission basis.


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Key Highlights:

ISO 9001:2008 Certified Operations.

Service in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, GujaratRajasthan and Goa.

Pre-dominant fleet of Multi Axle Seater / Sleeper Volvo Coaches amongst the private

operators.

Pioneer in launching direct bus service from Karnataka to the commercial centres of

Jodhpur, Ahmedabad & Surat.

Largest fleet of Volvo Multi-Axle buses in the private category.

Drivers Special Training Centre at Hubli for safe driving.

24 Hours Customer Care for quick resolution of passengers complaints. No. 0836

2307300

Buses on contract at special rates for the pilgrimage centres like Shirdi, Tirupati,

Shabarimalai, Pandharpur & Dharmasthala.

Supply of buses at special rates for marriages and school / college trips / Corporate

Contracts.

Well planned passenger facilities at major centres like Bengaluru, Hubballi, Bijapur,

Kolhapur, Chitradurga & Tumkur.

Special focus on clean toilet facility for ladies and elderly passengers.

Individual entertainment screens in select long route buses.

Stoppages only at exclusively identified good quality locations for hygienic food for long

journeys.

Exclusive restaurant at Tumkur to cater to the taste buds of passengers.

Huge network of agents spread across the country and online booking facility for easy

reservation of seats.

Tie-ups with travel majors such as redbus.in, makemytrip.com, abhibus.com, etc.

Connecting journeys for key locations to Tier - II & Tier – III locations.

Establishment of state of the art Washing Units at key locations for maintaining

cleanliness of Buses.

Double drivers aboard every bus for safe travel.

Pioneer of "Lady seat" concept.

One of the only few private operators to provide bus back-up facility for breakdown etc.


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Internal CCTV cameras for safety of passenger belongings.

Attractive discounts on offer for online bookings.

Best in class punctuality record.

1. Relief buses in case of en-route breakdown:

VRL have relief buses for en route breakdowns and accidents. These relief buses

are available at the route of Hubli, Mumbai, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Chitradurga,

Sirsi, Bangalore and Pune. The relief busses are kept across the routes to ensure fast

arrangement of alternate bus in case of en-route breakdowns / accidents.

2. Online reservation:

Company provides online reservation facility. Passengers can book their ticket

through the website i.e. www.vrllogistics.com. It has also integrated its software with the

agents so as to ensure availability of booking facility throughout India.

VRL also conduct surprise checks to ensure that their operations are carried out in

an appropriate manner and as per the principles of our Company. VRL bus drivers are

provided with a trip sheet for all the points of stoppage, which are pre-determined for

fuel, refreshments etc.

VRL AIR CHARTING:

In 2008, VRL Logistics Ltd. ventured into the Indian Air Chartering Industry. It

was a gradual progression for the company, from Surface Transport / Passenger travel

to Air Chartering. The Indian Aviation Industry has experienced a tremendous growth

in the last few years, more so in the Private Aviation Sector. Keeping in mind the

emerging market demand, VRL decided to enter the Air-charter Industry and serve

VVIPs, VIPs & Corporate India. To this end, the Company had acquired a brand new,

Premier Jet 1A aircraft, manufactured by Hawker Beech craft Inc, USA. We offer the

Jet aircraft on charter basis to the Corporate sector, Leisure and Tourism sector, Special

Mission charter, Event Management, Advertisement Agencies and VIP flights. During

financial year 2013-14, the Company acquired another second hand aircraft of similar

make from Force Motors Ltd


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Business-Ethics:

We very strongly believe that "rules are not meant to be broken" but "rules aremeant to be followed". This belief of ours strengthens our commitment to offer services

that put our clients and us in a "win-win" situation. We believe, it is better to be "Fair"

than to be "Good".

Service-Policy :

To offer, high quality Air-charter service, to each and every customer, during

every single flight operations, be it pre-flight, in-flight or post-flight. We are committed

to offer quality service, and match customer expectations, time after time, every time.

Safety and comfortable standards:

To maintain our aircraft, pilots and human resources in absolute ready

condition, to offer safe and comfortable flight experience to our customers, through

timely preventive maintenance of the aircrafts, keeping the aircrafts in Airworthycondition and training the pilots and executives, as per civil aviation requirements.

Wind Power Generation:

VRL ventured into the generation of clean energy in the year 2006-07. The

Company has installed 34 Wind Turbine Generators having capacity of 1.25 MW each

of Suzlon S-6 make at Kappatagudda, Gadag district of Karnataka, aggregating to an

overall capacity of 42.50 MW. The said machines have been performing well over the

years and the windmill project of the Company has also been recognized under the

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is indicative of the robust procedures and

documentation in relation to the said project at our end. The Company has earned

significant revenues out of sale of Certified Emission Reduction (CER) units in the past

and continues to accumulated these credits.


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VRL Outdoor:

VRL permits the usage of its vehicles for branding. Reputed corporate have had

tie-ups with us in the past and these include Mahindra & Mahindra, Bosch, Maruti,

Michelin, Hindustan Petroleoum, United India Insurance, National India Insurance, etc.

Our vehicles criss cross the entire Indian Highways stretch and offer a significant value

addition and great brand recall for your products.

VIJAYANAND INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY:

VRL is synonymous with ‗Symbol of Service‘. Keeping in tune with

professional and social trend of the region, the flagship company lunched Vijiyanand

Institute of Technology its training center under the banner of Vijiyanand Charitable

Trust.

It is located at the serene VRL Logistic campus near Varur, away from the

hustle and bustle of the city, the Institute provides an ideal platform for the youth of the

region to

pursue careers in five engineering trades, viz. mechanic (diesel), welder (gas and

electric), sheet metal worker, auto electrician and wed offset mechanic operator. With

state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled staff at their disposal, the students would

learn in an ethos of professionalism wherein they can ingrain the best of knowledge to

suit industry standards.

High tech workshop, well-equipped body building facility, vehicle maintenance

unit, highly skilled software development professionals and up-to- date wed offset

printing machine would give student a hand-on experience of the trade, which they

propose to pursue. Audio-visual system and inter-active sessions will further enhance

the students‘ quest for learning.


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B. McKENSEY’S 7S FRAMEWORK:

a)

STAFF:

Staff refers to the people in the enterprises and their socialization into the

organizational culture. Productive high performing employees are the company‘s

most valua ble assets. The company‘s staff include the Chairman and MD,

Directors, company technicians officer, executive‘s officer , Department Mangers,

Assistant mangers, Supervisors and other employees.

People are the main resources of all productive efforts in every

organization. It is assumed and the accepted that human resources are the main

component of an organization and the success and failure of the organization

depends on how effectively they are managed. Acquiring terminating developing

and properly using the human resources in the organization is essential

accomplishing the organizational activities. Currency the total number of

permanent employees in VRL is 10000 plus.

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:

VRL have the administrative staff to administrate the company. Each ofdepartment has head of department, staff, responsibilities of the department heads is to

transfer the orders from top to lower level and act as a bridge between top and lower level

management. By controlling the functions as prescribed by the Managing Director, and

preparing a statement of the planned allocations to extract the work from the employees

through guiding and helping them.

TECHNICAL STAFF:

The employees who are working in production department they are named as

technical staff, they have many activities related to production. In VRL the repair and

maintenance of all the vehicles are undertaken at the centralized garage located at Varur,

Hubli.

NON TECHNICAL STAFF:

The company also has non technical staff such as other than technical staff such as

security department, they are providing the security for whole organization by not

allowing inside vehicles without permission, confirming vehicles while going outside.


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Non-technical staff s‘ duties and responsibilities are to obey the top level management

order sand to work with the help of orders and guidelines of the mangers by maintaining

the discipline in the organization and creating a new way of doing the work to forma rules

and controls regarding the performance of their duties.

b) SKILLS:

Skill is the distinctive capabilities or competences of personnel or of the

organization as a whole skills are developed over a period of time and are a result of the

interactions of number of factors. These factors could be personnel, top management

structure system, etc.

The Company as a whole is very much skilled with availability of specialized

manpower and resources. An employees should poses different types of skills like

conceptual skills, decision making skills, managerial skills, technical skills etc. and all the

employees should provided with specific training to operate in their department and to

work in various processes so that makes them in well skilled their works. Skills of the

employee ultimately helps to achieve the ultimate goal of the organization.

ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS:

Administrative skills are those skills, which are very much necessary for office

staffs. It involves managing the resources of the organization. Managerial skills are

necessary at middle level mangers for managing employees, labors, resources with

effectively and efficiently who are mainly of M.Com‘s, MBA‘s.

VRL is doing everything to import these skills in its employees. When the

candidate is selected, he will be given an on the job training for about 1 month and 1

week training in each department to make the candidate familiar with the organization.

Every month a training program will be conducted wherein personalities having expertise

in various fields give lectures.


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TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Technical skills are those skills which are directly concerned with the production.

Workshop employees are exacted to posses these skills to carry out the production

activity smoothly.

c) STYLE:

The style is an organization‘s evident through the patterns of action of top

management team over a period of time, the emphasis laid on aspects of business

reporting relationship and aspects of organization culture.

Style in McKensey‘s 7‘s framework refers to how mangers collectively spend

their time and attention and how they use symbolic behavior, how management act is

more important than what management says. The main content of the style is levels of

management and how will be classified.

The Vijyanand Travels Pvt. Ltd is following the participative style where in

subordinate and their heads will have discussions and then they take decisions and the

management is classified into Top level, Middle level and Lower Level.

TOP LEVEL MANAGEMENT:

Top level management is at the head of the organization, it consists of decisions

flow from top level to bottom level in Vijayanand Road Lines Pvt. Ltd decision flow is

from top to lower level. As the higher authority has a control over the decision will make

the decision which will influence the function has to be followed an executed

administrated, and handled by assistants.

Chairman and managing director heads the organization and is responsible for all

the decision. Each and every responsible for his or her decision and subsequent

implementation customers are always provided with a patient hearing to their problems

and immediate corrective steps are taken to solve the problems to sustain the loyalty and

customers.


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MIDDLE LEVEL MANAGEMENT:

It also called functional level managing, it consists of department‘s heads and

other executives to the different. This level of management is responsible for

implementing the policies and plans decided by the top management.

LOWER LEVEL MANAGEMENT:

It also called supervisory level of management. It consists of all the remaining

supervisors and employees. The executives at this level are in different touch with the

rank and file of workers and have to see the work is properly carried out, the information

and orders flows top to bottom and sometimes bottom to top.

d) STRATEGY:

Mckensey in his 7s framework define strategy as a set of decisions and actions

aimed at gaining sustainable competitive advantages. It includes vision, mission,

objectives, goals and major action plans and policies.

According to Peter Ducker strategic, management is not box of an action plan based on the actual or probable plans of others tricks or a bundle of techniques, it is

analytical thinking and commitment of resources to action. An action plan based on the

actual or probable plans of others. The set decisions and actions that result in the

formulation and implementation of plan designed to achieve company‘s objectives.


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VRL USES THE FOLLOWING BASIC STRETGIES:

Expansion and Diversification:

The company is continuously expanding its network of branches. At present thecompany‘s services spread across 27 states and 4 union territories.

INCREASE ITS THRUST ON MARKETING LARGER SHARE FROM THE

COPORATE MARKET’:

The company has shared up its marketing function by hiring senior level

personnel to further flow of all its businesses (parcel and courier) with specific focus on

corporate business and express cargo business.

The promotional activities undertaken by Vijayanand Travels includes;

Vijayanand Travels issues shirts, caps and bags with the brand name of VRL to school

students and general public. The company has also issued time tables to students with the

brand name of VRL and Vijayanand Travels encouraged informative wall painting with

the brand name of VRL.

DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL:

The distribution channel of Vijayanand Travels is very simple. It includes only the

agents, who bridge the gap between Vijayanand Travels and its consumers. These are

selected on the basis of their location in the city or town where company operating its

business. The agent must have a fixed deposit grantee for Rs 50000/- and the business

done by him suit the requirements of Vijayanand Travels to serve the ultimate customers.

e) STRUCTURE:

It refers to the relatively more durable organizational arrangement relationship, it

gives information about who is authorized to take what decisions and to what extent who

performs what duties and who is superior to whom. It clarifies all relationship and

provides a framework within which all managerial activities take place and grow the

Vijayanand Travels Ltd.


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Departments in Vijayanand Travels are done on the basis of functions i.e.

grouping of the activities into major functional departments. Company is having different

departments, in each branch on function of those branches.

f) SYSTEMS:

Systems according to 7‘s framework proposed by McKensey refer to all the rules,

regulations and production, planning and control system, recruiting and training and

development and performance evaluation.

RECRUITMENT:

At present company provides each department having is own recruitment

procedure according his needs and wants. Generally in higher post like officers and

managers filed by both merit and seniority basis.

SELECTION:

After the process of recruitment the next is the selection of the right candidate.

The selection procedure is comes with securing relevant information about an applicant.

This information is secured mean in a number of steps and stages. Once the formal

procedure regarding calling of application from the candidate may be though

advertisement in newspapers is over then the recruiting of applications takes place. After

scrutinizing the applications the qualified candidates are called for interview. The direct

method is prevailing by a VRL. The selection committees check the ability of the person

through various tests. Thus the right candidate is selected for the particular job.

In rapidly changing society, employees training and department is not only an

activity but it is designed. Training helps the people to improve their skills and

knowledge to cope with the requirements that is for the fulfillment of specified

objectives.


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ON THE JOB TRAINING METHOD:

It is on the job training by the supervisors at Vijayanand Travels. There are no

extra programs conducted to import skills, but the employees are assigned to tasks as

soon as they appointed to their positions. On job training will be provided in the technical

department, staff and also all other category of employees in the organization by their

department with other department. Main advantage of on the job training is that employee

can easily understand his job process in front of their eyes and easy grab all the process in

mind.

g) SHARED VALUES:

According to this postulation, a share value refers to the set of values and

aspirations, often unwritten that go beyond the normal objectives and goals. These are

shared vision of the company and represent the fundamental purpose around which the

whole business is built. These are the board notions of future directions that top

management infuses to mange at all levels. It means that employee shares the same

guiding values and mission that is an excellently by the company has driving purpose and philosophy that is know and practiced by everyone. In the McKensey‘s 7s framework

shared values refers to commonly held beliefs mindsets and assumptions that always

sought to be a value driven organization. These values continue to direct the growth of

business.


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SWOT Analysis of Indian Courier Industry:

Strengths:

1) Non Regulated Industry : No licenses required to enter the Industry.2) Limited players at national level

3) High growth industry : expected to grow @ 30% in coming years

4) Presence of huge entry barriers;

- Enormous set up of national networks. Offices, air lines tie-ups

- International tie-ups required

Weakness:

1) High dependence on economic scenario

2) Poor infrastructural support, inadequate & inefficient airports, bad roads etc.

Opportunities:

1) Integrated Logistics solutions for companies.

2) Development of e-commerce enables customers to stay online for any queries

Threats:

1) Government regulations.

2) New Technology: Companies need to stay in touch with upgrading techno savvy

world.


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ABOUT THE TOPIC


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MEANING OF CUSTOMER PERCEPTION

Customer Perception: Customer perception is the identification, and interpretation

of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment. A marketing

concept that encompasses a customer‘s impressions, awareness and or consciousness

about a company or its offerings. Customer perception is typically affected by

advertising, reviews, public relations, social media, personal experiences and other

channels.

Perception can be split into two processes:

Firstly processing sensory input which transforms these low-level information to higher-

level information (e.g., extracts shapes for object recognition)

Secondly processing which is connected with person's concept and expectations

(knowledge), and selective mechanisms (attention) that influence perception.

Psychologist has developed a model of perception. Accordingly the people go through the

following process to form opinions:

1. When we encounter an unfamiliar target we are open to different informational

cues and want to learn more about the target.

2. In the second step we try to collect more information about the target. Gradually,

we encounter some familiar cues which help us categorize the target.

3. At this stage, the cues become less open and selective. We try to search for more

cues that confirm the categorization of the target. We also actively ignore and

even distort cues that violate our initial perceptions. Our perception becomes

more selective and we finally paint a consistent picture of the target.


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There are three components to perception.

1. The Perceiver, the person who becomes aware about something and comes to a

final understanding. There are 3 factors that can influence his or her perceptions:

experience, motivational state and finally emotional state. In different

motivational or emotional states, the perceiver will react to or perceive something

in different ways. Also in different situations he or she might employ a

"perceptual defence" where they tend to "see what they want to see".

2.

The Target. This is the person who is being perceived or judged. "Ambiguity or

lack of information about a target leads to a greater need for interpretation and

addition."

3.

The Situation also greatly influences perceptions because different situations may

call for additional information about the target.

Factors of perception:

Consumer perception has implications for a marketer. Marketer should understand

that people perceive things differently because of the perceptual mechanism that differs

between people. Every person is unique in himself with unique backgrounds, experiences,

expectations, etc, and so the resultant perceptions are also unique.

Perceptual selectivity:

Human beings are simultaneously exposed to various stimuli in his/her

environment. The choice of the stimuli that they select would depend on what they feel is

relevant for them and or appropriate for them. In the field of marketing, stimuli could

include the product, the brand name, the features and attributes, the packaging, the

advertisement, etc. The marketer should give attention to factors external and related to

the stimuli, as well as to factors, internal and related to the perceiver.

Perceptual Interpretation:

Perceptual interpretation is also influenced by the forces external and related to

the stimuli, as well as forces internal and related to the perceiver. It is also affected by the

situation under which perception takes place.People have a tendency to perceive things

which they feel are relevant for them (Selective perception).People often make judgments


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on the basis of the first impression. A new product should never be introduced in the

market before it has been market tested.

Product and service offering and Imagery:

While making purchase decisions, consumers are faced with numerous

alternatives, and purchase decisions is often made on the basis of the image that the

product/service offering or the brand holds.

Perceived price and Imagery:

The manner in which a marketer prices a product and creates an image also has an

impact on consumer decision making. Marketers must identify appropriate reference

prices (from a consumer‘s perspective), and estimate those levels (higher/lower) that are

regarded as uncomfortable and unacceptable by consumers. They must price their

offerings accordingly.

Consumers consciously or sub-consciously, give a lot of importance to fairness of

price.

Perceived quality and Imagery:

Marketers must communicate product or service features in a manner that

develops perceptions of product or service quality. Consumers judge the quality of the

product offering on the basis of internal and external cues; internal cues refer to the

physical characteristics internal to the product or service, like size, color, etc. while

extrinsic cues refer to cues that are external to the product or service, like price of the

product, brand image, retail store image, or the country of origin.

Brand Image:

Consumers tend to form images of a brand; brand image is defined as the manner

in which a consumer forms perception about a brand. Marketers should aim at creating

and maintaining a positive image about their brands. Such an image gets created by

product features, attributes, quality as well as the satisfaction.


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Perceived risk:

This state known as ―perceived risk‖; it refers to a feeling of uncertainty that

arises within an individual when he fails to predict the consequences of product choice,

usage and resultant experience. Perceive risk can be lessened or even ignored, thereby

ending the state of tension and anxiety. Marketers must identify consumer's perception of

risk and help reduce the perception of risk through risk reduction strategies. Some risk-

reduction measures that can be taken by the marketer are as follows: i) providing

information; ii) building and maintaining brand loyalty and/or Store loyalty; iii) creating a

favorable brand image and/or Store image.

RESEARCH PROBLEM:

The research problem in this study is associated with the Customer Perception of

VRL COURIERS, HUBLI. There are varieties of factors that can influence a person‘s

level of perception.

Need For the study:

The need of the study is to know the customers perception towards VRL couriers,

the study will be helpful in understanding what customers think, how they perceives the

service delivered by the VRL couriers in terms of Price, Quality, service, and other

attributes of the transport service. It gives the identification of customers segments in

more detail and the services received by different customers. Hence the entire study

revolves around those factors which makes journey more comfortable if not where the

company is lacking and what measures it should take. The study helps the company to be

more near to its customers with the help of data collected and make good strategies to fill

the gap.


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Objectives

To know the expectations of customer

To know the satisfaction level of customers towards VRL courier service.

To compare and evaluate the customers perception towards VRL couriers with

respect to other selected courier service companies.

E. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

A. TYPE OF RESEARCH:

The research is descriptive research.

DATA COLLECTION METHOD:

Data are facts, figures and other relevant materials, past and present, serving as

bases for study and analysis. The data serves as the basis for analysis, without an analysis

of actual data no specific inferences can be drawn on the questions under study. For the

purpose of present study data from two sources have been collected namely primary and

secondary data.

PRIMARY DATA:

The primary data is collected by interacting with the customers of vrl and other

courier service of Hubli city along with the structured questionnaire.

SECONDARY DATA:

The secondary data is obtained from the companies website and marketing manager of

VRL courier.

B. POPULATION:

All hubli customers of VRL Courier Service.

C. SAMPLING FRAME:

VRL Courier Service preferring customers in Hubli city.

D. SAMPLE SIZE:

Sample size is 100 customers.


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E.SAMPLING METHOD:

Non-Probabilistic Convenience sampling.

F. INTERVIEWING METHOD:

Questionnaire.

G. ANALYSIS TOOL:

M.S.EXCEL

H. TIME DURATION OF THE STUDY: Two months.

VRL COURIER SERVICE:

This section was started in the year 1992, which deals in couriers that play a

vital role in modern business. In fact it has been so well accepted by the people who

prefer courier rather than the postal services. Courier is faster than transport because

there is no compulsion of entire lorry to be full. The company has covered around 350

stations for courier parcels. Daily circulation of covers is more than 3500 covers, there

are more than 350 branches only in Karnataka, the main office is in Bangalore after the

expansion of the courier service in Karnataka. They are booked at various booking

offices and sent to the main office. The turnover of courier service was four crores per

annum in the year 2007-08.

Strong and dedicated operation team.

Time bound delivery with an emphasis ―ON TIME EVERY TIME‖.

Delivery schedules ranging from 24/48/72/96 hours.

Dedicated vehicles.

Online track and trace facility.

7 regional offices.

25 controlling area offices.

60 plus HUB point.


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Charges of VRL courier service in Karnataka:

In Karnataka for document Rs 20/- up to 250 grams and for every additional 250 grams

Rs15/-

FOR PARCELS:

The parcels are like tablets medicinal equipments and gift items and also electronics

goods etc. for 1kg Rs40/- and in local Rs 20/- for documents (250kg) and for non

document Rs 20/- per kg this is within Karnataka.

Out of states:

SOUTH------ Rs 50/- for document (250 grams) and every additional 250 grams Rs 20/-

and for non document Rs 40/-

NORTH------Rs 55/- for document (250grams) and for every additional 259grams Rs 25/-

And for non document is Rs 69/-.

They have started national and international level courier service on 14th July

2009. The international levels like Colombo, Dhaka, Dubai, Katmandu Singapore etc.

INTERNATIONAL LEVEL:

Colombo --- for 500 grams Rs 350/-

Dhaka ---for 500 grams Rs 390/-

Dubai --- for 500 grams Rs 290/-

Katmandu --- for 500 grams Rs 210/-

Singapore --- for 500 grams Rs 390/-

For every additional 500 grams they have different prices for different countries.

The prices are as follows:

Colombo --- Rs 190/-

Dhaka ---Rs 120/-

Dubai --- Rs 100/-

Katmandu --Rs 100/-


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Singapore ---Rs 100/-

For these courier services they have tie up with chatter plain.

MODES OF PAYMENT OF THEIR CUTOMER:

The price charged by their company for transporting parcel is determined on the

basis of the weight or volume of the goods and the distances of delivery point. They have

three types of payment mechanisms in their parcel and courier service business.

Paid:

Under this system the consigner pays the charge to their company at the time of

booking the consignment. This is the most common mechanism of payment and this

enables them to receive their revenue immediately.

To pay:

Under this system the consigner does not pay the charges at the time of booking

the consignment but consignee is required to pay the same upon collecting the

consignment from their office


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Running cost:

Under this mechanism, the consigner does not pay the charges to their company at

the time of booking the consignment nor is the consignee is required to pay the sameupon collecting the consignment. Their company provides its services on credit and keeps

a running account of the charges the consigner or consignee is liable to pay and the

consigner or consignee is required to make payment against the running account on a

weekly or monthly basis, this facility is only extended to selected high volume regular

customers.

Working Process of VRL Courier Service:

Hubli courier office is the main office and all collected consignment and

documents which have collected through company employee have and company agents

are come to main office. In the main office couriers are classified accordingly to city

name and keeping that document in separate section. For keeping those classified

documents the section has separate place for every state and city area this classified

parcels will be sent to its destination places.

A courier service has agents in Hubli, the percentage of amount given to the

agents are as follows:

20% in Karnataka

10% in outside states

The total turnover of VRL courier will come up to 60 lakhs/month

This courier division consists of 3copies of way bill as follows:

Consignor‘s Copy :a person who sends goods will handle this

POD copy: Proof of delivery

HO copy: Head office copy which will be maintained by head office


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COMPETITORS FOR VRL COURIER SERVICE IN LOCAL

REGION:

Professional Courier

DTDC Courier

Gati

Speed Post

VRL PARCEL SERVICE:

VRL is basically a parcel courier since inception .The company has surveyed the

full road market carrying leads from port to destination. The main godown and office are

situated in Neeligin road.

There are four sections

Booking section

Loading section

Unloading section

Delivery section

Booking section:

In this section VRL plays role of mediators between consignor and consignee.

The freight charged depends upon weight of goods and destination point .

The turnover of this section is around 14 to 15 lakhs /month

Booking points in Hubli are

Neeligin road

Near old bus stand

The Performa for booking of goods is as follows:

Preparation of forwarding note by consignor

Goods challen receipt is prepaid


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Both the consignor and consignee copy is handled over to the consignee

Loading and trip sheet is prepared

Departure date, drivers name and vehicle no is noted down in registration book at

booking point

Goods are sent to delivery point

Loading section:

In this section the goods are loaded to the different destinations. Coolie‘s load thetruck with goods in the supervision of a loading clerks.

They maintain basically 3 records

Loading sheet

Loading bill

Trip sheet

Loading sheet:

Vehicle number -----------------------------

Trip sheet number ----------------------------

TPT and Date ----------------------------------

Time --------------------------------------------

Sl.No No of

articles

Serial no From To Contents Date Consignee

Loading sheet is sent with driver to destination. It gives information about goods sent to

the destination and to the consignees


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Unloading section:

In this section goods are unloaded after the arrival of the truck from the place of

booking or transshipment. It is done by hamals in the supervision of unloading clerks andthe goods are collected at a particular place correctly.

Unloading report:

Branch ------------- Date -----

Vehicle number -------------- From --------- To ----------------

Transshipment number --------------- Date ---------------------

Arrival and Time --------- loaded by ------------------------------

No short No excess No damage

Delivery Section:

In this section goods are delivered, party goods are stocked in the godown and

after receiving relevant documents goods are delivered to consignee. Three notice on

regular interval are sent on failure to take delivery of goods by consignee then the goods

are transferred to unclaimed goods godown and then sold in action with the notice to the

consignee. The turnover of this section is around 10 to 11 lakhs per month.

Door to door delivery by VRL :In this VRL itself takes the risk to deliver the

goods at the door of the consigner

Customer taking goods on his or her own: In this the consignee has to come down

to VRL godown and collect the consignment by himself.


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DATA ANALYSIS AND

INTERPRETATION


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1. How did you come to know about VRL courier?

Options No. of respondents

Friends 50

Newspaper 24

courier agent 12

Hoardings 14

Total 100

INTERPRETATION: According to the above graph 50% Of the people came to know

about vrl courier by their friends,24%of the people came to know by news papers,12%by

courier agents in hubli and 14%by hoardings

50

24

1214

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Friends Newspaper courier agent Hoardings


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2. How frequently do you use VRL courier service?

Options No. of respondents

Weekly 20

Fortnightly 16

Monthly 28

Occasional 36

Total 100

INTERPRETATION: According to the above graph 36% of the people use the vrl

courier service occasionally,28% use the vrl courier service mothly,20% by fortnightly

and 20% by weekly

20

16

28

36

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Weekly Fortnightly Monthly Occasional


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3. Does VRL courier keep customers informed about when services will be performed?

Interpretation: According to the above graph 53% of the people agree that vrl keeps

informed about when the service is performed ,34% people strongly agree that vrl keeps

informed about the service and 8% of the people strongly disagree

34

53

5 8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree

Options No. of respondents.

Strongly agree 34

Agree 53

Disagree 5

Strongly disagree 8

Total 100


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KLE's Institute of Management Studies and

VRL marketing project report

Documents

Transcript of VRL marketing project report