AT&T Wireless Communications - Essay Example

12 November 2008 AT&T Wireless Wireless communication that is done with signals through air or space devoid of any physical tether has emerged as an important alternative to tethered transmission channels such as twisted wires, coaxial cable, and fiber optics. Today, common uses of wireless data transmission contain pagers, cellular telephones, microwave transmission, communication satellites, mobile data networks, personal communications services, personal digital assistants, and smart phones (Kenneth, 1998). In this research paper I am going to discuss the AT&T Wireless and its Micro-environmental factors. I have selected following Micro-environmental factors: competitors, customers, and marketing relationships. I will also evaluate the marketing strategy of the AT&T Wireless. In this paper I will try to analyze the current market trends and AT&T Wireless marketing strategy to cater these trends. The main aim behind this research is to perceive and gain an insight into the organization Micro-environmental factors and resultant marketing strategy with accordance to those organization Micro-environmental factors changes and developments This section of the paper presents a brief introduction of AT&T Wireless and its organization framework. AT&T Wireless is the major independently traded wireless mover in the US. AT&T Wireless covers one of the biggest digital wireless networks in North America. AT&T have around 18 million subscribers, and complete-year 2001 revenues of 13.6 billion dollars, AT&T Wireless is committed to being amongst the preliminary to bring the next generation of wireless goods and services. Nowadays, AT&T Wireless presents customers high-class wireless voice and data communications facilities and services in the United States, and worldwide. AT&T Wireless consumers’ advantage is the companys assurance to make sure that customers have the correct equipment, the correct calling arrangement, and the correct customer services options these days and tomorrow.1 For additional services and information, please visit us at www.attwireless.com. The previous may hold "forward-looking statements" which are footed on managements viewpoints in addition to on an amount of suppositions regarding future actions made by and information at present obtainable to management. With greater than 1 million vigorous customers are taking part in a accounted $7 to $8 in average profits per month, AT&T Wireless Services Inc.s mMode giving is observed by a number of industry analysts as a practical accomplishment in the early on phases of wireless data services. Readers are concerned not to put too much dependence on comparable advanced statements, which are not declarations of routine and are focused to an amount of doubts and other factors, a number of which are external AT&T Wireless control that may possibly reason definite results to change materially from such statements. AT&T Wireless filings with the Securities and trade Commission: AT&T Wireless denies aim or compulsion to revise or modify any forward-looking statements, whether as a upshot of latest information, potential proceedings or otherwise.2 Now I will discuss the AT&T Wireless Micro-environmental factors and resultant marketing strategy after the crises that AT&T Wireless has faced, the discussion regarding those crises is out of focus from this topic so I will try to look at Micro-environmental factors and resultant marketing strategy in this section. After the crises AT&T Wireless has planned to move to a latest network that would recover its status from a shoddy network eminence and customer service. However the move now added fuel to the fire. Here I will discuss the first Micro-environmental factor that is customer. Which steps are taken by AT&T Wireless to enhance their customer confidence and how they have extended their network and services to provide better services? At this stage I want to mention the statement of AT&T Wireless companys president and CEO Mr. Lowell McAdam, he said that the companys most recent bandwidth provisions speed and performance which will append to a enormous platform for concerning digital video recorders or DVRs, smart-phones, gaming machines, home monitoring devices, and a lot of other sorts of customer electronic equipment. So the AT&T Wireless is trying to present their customers the latest technology that is really famous and used nowadays. By providing these type of services company hops to augment their customer-shop. 3 An important technology introduced to offer customers innovative services is release of 4G network that will as well as connect "people and places, now it is important to mention that this technology also facilitates Wireless connectivity among business customers, too. AT&T Wireless has newly upgraded its online electronic bill presentment and imbursement system to Edocs Inc. By this action AT&T Wireless has doubled the amount of customers utilizing the online payment alternative to 3 million. By this AT&Ts business customers are at the present capable to administer their workers cellular carry out and inspect roaming and long-distance charges online. The innovative version also permits customers sort their statements of bills by charges or phone numbers. If a consumer is not familiar with a number, they are able to click on it and find out the identity of the caller. These are few steps those are taken by AT&T Wireless to enhance their customer confidence and provide them enhanced and innovative services. These all steps are aimed to facilitated and offer more better services to user, so AT&T Wireless has developed its enhanced strategy to enhance there customer-ship. 4 Next I will discuss the second Micro-environmental factor that is “marketing relationships”. AT&T Wireless has established new policy to have better and economic relationships with there associated companies and organization. In the section below I will discuss the Micro-environmental factor “marketing relationships” and the strategy tat it has adapted to augment these relationships. AT&T Wireless Developer Alliance Program: AT&T works directly with top software suppliers, tools producers and consultants to carry thrilling inventive products and services to marketplace. By joining dev-Central, the AT&T Developer Program AT&T hops that its dealings with other companies will boost and there are more chances of better working relationships and marketing relationships. The dev-Central Program Details consist of the AT&T Developer Program that will chain the subsequent groups of developers and producers those are joined to AT&T. Enterprise Software Developers those are affiliated to AT&T program permits there and also AT&T sales force and business customers to experience confident. Then Equipment Manufacturers those are connected to AT&T works with foremost tools and equipment manufacturers to proffer consumers with a extensive assortment of devices that hold up precise business requirements. Then the Consumer Software Developers those are connected to AT&T by the dev-Central will determine all the resources they are required to create money on the mobile internet.  AT&T offers immense chances for developers building applications in the wireless customer part. So these are few steps taken by AT&T to help their affiliated groups and organizations this will help AT&T to build more successful relationships with them and also augment the marketing relationships. The final Micro-environmental factor that I will discuss is AT&T Wireless competitors. The business like AT&T Wireless the Technological is main competitive edge. The company that offers better technological support will win the customers confidence and loyalty. In this era the technology is everything. Nowadays mobile and wireless technology turned out to be compulsory for every person and he prefers that company that facility him with more recent and effective technology. 5 To tackle this area the AT&T Wireless has introduced new GPRS technology that will make possible the mobile internet, remote ecommerce and a number of others present age facilities. AT&T Wireless establishes the policies to offer up to date and valuable technology for the organizational business and also for the ordinary mobile consumer. By employing these policies AT&T Wireless pioneered Digital One Rate, that program offered it a strong benefit over its competitors. There are also lots of other new-fangled technological innovations adopted by the AT&T Wireless.6 This section of the paper will present the marketing stagey that AT&T has developed to enhance and augment its customer’s confidence on services and loyalty to brand. For this purpose AT&T has prepared a marketing and investment policy with extraordinary necessities, in a challenge to contest with its Bell competitors. Facts comprise franchising the AT&T brand name for the initial time, in addition with the marketing wireless and local telephone services to franchised link. Vice Chairman and COO Mr. John D. Zeglis and senior administration equipped the plan. AT&T would diminish 1998 capital outflow to as small as $7 billion, compared to protrusion of $9 billion to $10 billion. Latest pricing strategy would purpose the peak 20% of communications services customers who buy goods vary from Internet services to cell phones. AT&T attributes 80% of its $6 billion yearly revenue to this high-end section. The pricing policy would depend on calling amount, somewhat than residency or space. AT&T, the major US telecom firm with 90 million consumers, will face strong opposition in wireless and local telephone services by 1998.7 In an insistent strategy to illustrate consumers, AT&T Corp. whispered it will present free local phone service for a promotional era in 10 U.S. marketplaces where it at the present offers telephone service on the cable television wires. Suggested strategic marketing plans by the senior management group division, present, list and inventive strategy urbanized customer Direct Marketing Communications Strategy to get hold of latest consumers and report accessible consumers of latest products and services by means of printed material and website contact. Shaped complete color brochures, newsletters and bill interleaves. Direct agency assortment, marketing briefs, execution and movement reporting. Direct the national vision database, praise pre-screen, list revolving strategy, and mail schedule. AT&T nowadays revealed what it’s calling the foremost calling society in the U.S., offering free of charge limitless domestic calling to 100 million of its AT&T wireless and AT&T wire-line customers nationwide. The arrangement is the primary salvo in AT&T’s procedure to antagonism subsequent its amalgamation by means of BellSouth, and the consolidation of the possession of Cingular Wireless. 8 This technique of advertising phone service to latest and on hand consumers could offer AT&T a enhanced competitive position next to cable companies, those are drawn off voice consumers by means of cheaper VoIP services. By presenting free of charge calls in-network, AT&T echoes one of the additional thriving marketing policy of its previous long-distance competitor, MCI, with its associates and Family policy. 9 The service takes benefit of AT&T’s extensive track which currently includes 22 of the 50 U.S. states. AT&T Unity consumers would be able to call or distinguish calls from every AT&T wireless and wire-line phone statistics on the cross the U.S. at no cost, as well as no wire-line practice fees in conditions with local calculated service and no use of wireless “Anytime” minutes. 10 This marketing strategy will support AT&T struggle with the cable telephone corporations: supposed Jeffrey Kagan, telecom analyst. More than the previous few years the cable companies have succeeded lines from the phone corporations. The telephone companies are generating their own competitive package. This offer will aid AT&T for the reason that it does incredible that the cable companies can not do. Its packages wire line and wireless services jointly. It offers them one more weapon in the battle. 11 The AT&T agreement plan is accessible to fresh and existing AT&T inhabited and little business consumers, who give to AT&T unlimited local and long isolation calling plans, on a mutual bill, and signup for AT&T’s wireless service. For calling outside the AT&T consumer base, though, customers and little businesses have to come to a decision from a multiplicity of service strategy based upon the amount of anytime minutes. Those sums consist of long-distance, itinerant, voice mail, call advancing three-way calling and Caller ID. There are disconnecting costing plans for what AT&T calls Family-Talk, which comprises two lines shared anytime minutes beneath that plan form at 700 for $69.99 and go up to $299.99 for 6000 minutes. “The AT&T Unity arrangement is the great method to bring in our consumers to the indisputable power of uniting wireless and wire-line services interested in an appealing contribution that delivers worth, suppleness and handiness,” said Edward Whit acre, chairman and CEO of AT&T, in a ready statement.12 The Online Liberation Movement,” with its “make things easier. arrange: unshackle.” motto, is a anthology of fictitious those who look for cyber-liberation by means of from side to side at&t’s online billing method. Assessing the exposure disturbed with inventive projects, strategies and marketing strategies is serious for commerce big and little. Nowadays, large players in the telecommunications business are beneath amplified force to make the most of income and diminish risks. As a consequence, they are continually discovering innovative marketing policies though keeping a secure eye on customer retention data. 13 In recent times, AT&T revealed most up-to-date marketing strategies in viewed to consumer billing. Unlike the mass businesses, extended distance transporters normally comprise their bill with the imperfect phone bill, taking away them from straight contact with the consumer. Bearing in mind straight consumer get in touch with is valuable, AT&T set out to test a straight billing policy to monitor whether it greater than before or creates a risk to customer maintenance.14 Conclusion I have presented the three Micro-environmental factors for AT&T Wireless. Then I have discussed the more depth study of each Micro-environmental factors like for the competitors, customers, and marketing relationships. Then I have evaluated the marketing strategy. Here I have found out that good marketing strategy helps organization to boost its customer’s retention and economic advantage. In pervious few years the AT& T Wireless has faced numerous difficulties by having bad administrative and marketing strategies. But now they again got momentum by implying better and enhanced product and services marketing strategies. So the whole conclusion is that “better and solid marketing strategies always gain customer attraction and augmenting economic boost. Work Cited 1. Kenneth C. Laudon. Management Information System Sixth Edition, New York. Addison Wesley Publishing Company. 1998. 2. Retrieved on November Retrieved from: http://resources.bnet.com/topic/AT%2526T%2BWireless.html?tag=col1;tc-artpagekw 3. Retrieved on November Retrieved from: http://www.insightful.com/services/successstories.asp 4. Retrieved on November Retrieved from: http://www.faqs.org/abstracts/Business-general/ 5. Retrieved on November Retrieved from: http://www.betanews.com/ 6. Retrieved on November Retrieved from: http://www.wireless.att.com/about/doing-business/index.jsp 7. http://www.free-press-release.com/news/20070912/ Read More