The Hindu Business Line : `Customer relationship vital for oil companies'

AMBIENCE and value addition in customer relations through respective retail sale outlets were the key for the success of the oil companies in the market, told Mr M. Amudharaj, the Territory Manager, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Madurai.

He was inaugurating a meeting of the members of the BL Club, organised by the Department of Management Studies, NMSSVN College, here on Wednesday.

Giving a detailed account on the growth and status of the `Oil industry in India' he said it was the 4th biggest oil market in Asia-Pacific and the 8th largest in the world. He said competition in the industry has made the oil companies seek more ways to retain their customers. With the fixation of oil prices in the hands of the Government, service in marketing has come to occupy a vital place.

The customers would not remain loyal if there were deficiencies in quantity and quality. To attract and retain them, the oil companies have had to fight out in the realm of service. As the customers are the king, their needs have to be taken care of.

As such, the outlets have had to be modernised and turned into a `One stop shop' where almost all their needs become available, saving their time and labour. To attract them further, petrocards, smart cards, merit points, prizes, insurance, voluntary check up of vehicles etc. are undertaken. These outlets are also looked at as effective sources to convey social messages for the population. There are 40,000 retail outlets throughout the country, he added.

Speaking further, he said the problem of subsidy has been a major problem to the oil industry. A good amount of foreign exchange had to be diverted towards import and the country has been going through a crisis situation. As the sources of oil are estimated to last long only for 30 years, the need to find an alternative fuel has become strong, he observed.

About BPCL, he said it came into being in 1977, with the conversion of the erstwhile Burma-Shell Company. Its market share has been growing around 1.2 per cent and enjoyed a customer base of 12.7 lakh Petrocard owners and 4.5 lakh Smartfleet card owners.

Mr T. Murali, Regional General Manager, The Hindu, Prof K. Natarajan, Principal and Mr D. Ramkumar, Head of the department in-charge, were present.

More Stories on : Education | Customer Relationship Management

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page