Bharti Airtel has today announced that it has crossed the milestone of 100 Company-Owned-Company-Operated (COCO) Airtel retail outlets opened across India over the last 14 months. The company claims that they ventured into its COCO stores with the opening of the first Airtel stores at South Extension (New Delhi) in February, 2013. In a span of 14 months, this retail footprint has been extended to 35 cities and towns across 14 states. Airtel stores employ a total of over 1,000 staff members who have been trained to address customer service requests and guide customers looking to buy a new device to suit their needs. The new Airtel stores also has outlets that will be run as well as managed by women employees, and will focus on addressing the needs of female customers across the country especially tier 2 and 3 cities.
Commenting on the launch, Srini Gopalan, Director – Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel said, “With 200 million plus customers across India, we at Airtel are constantly thinking of new ways of delivering the best service experience for customers. Aside our commitment to providing customers with the best and latest technology – customer relationships are at the very core of the Airtel experience. The all new Company-Owned-Company-Operated Airtel stores leverage the best of retail practices and technology to offer a superior service experience to customers walking into our outlets.”
As a one-stop-shop for all customer needs, Airtel stores will also offer an exhaustive collection of devices including phones and tablets to help customers choose from the latest in mobile technology. “Devices are today an inherent part of the customer lifecycle. Given the plethora of options available in the marketplace, customers in need of guidance on which device to buy can leverage the know-how of our data experts who are trained to stay tuned on the ever changing data and devices ecosystem”, added Srini. Additionally, new customers can walk into their nearest Airtel stores to get activated instantly and enjoy a seamless onboarding experience.
According to the company, all new stores will have a universal look & feel across all outlets in the country. Existing Airtel Relationship Centers (ARC) will also be transformed to offer similar service experience as the Airtel Stores. Franchisee stores have also been provided infrastructure and training to be able to equip themselves with enhanced customer service delivery mechanisms. All Airtel stores are conveniently located at key recreational hubs across the country providing easy access to customers.
