Vodafone launches initiatives to focus on medium units

Vodafone Business Services (VBS) - the enterprise arm of Vodafone India - has launched three key initiatives to spur the growth of Indian businesses, specifically focusing on medium-sized businesses with annual revenues of between Rs 50 crores and Rs 500 crores.

These initiatives leverage the latest advances in technology-led communication and will enable businesses to increase productivity, reduce costs and improve customer-responsiveness.

The initiative, titled 'Ready for the Big League' - an engagement platform to connect and engage fast-growing medium-sized businesses - is a sequel to the 'Vodafone Drive into the Big League', which was rolled out in October 2011.

Deepak Pande, Vodafone India's executive vice-president and head - SME business, told Business Standard that feedback from the market indicated that mid-sized businesses can benefit more through this initiative. The company will send its representatives to 14 tier-II towns to drum up participation.

The first step for participants is a web-based diagnostic tool - Business Readiness Scorecard - which will help businesses measure their competitive efficiency and take stock of their capability to deal with volatility in the business environment.

The scorecard has been designed after a nation-wide survey to understand real-life business problems faced by businesses in India, covering issues such as culture and management, IT and communication fundamentals, policies and processes.

Based on a readiness score after having administered the online tool, the Business Readiness Scorecard identifies the pain points and challenges that need to be addressed by the business. It helps prepare the business for future challenges and develop more operational agility.

The second initiative is Ready Business, a solution that seeks to empower Indian businesses to overcome today's challenges and take advantage of future opportunities. It helps provide answers to business problems, and is designed to make businesses more agile in taking on future challenges.

The top ten scores would get handholding from Vodafone in the form of advertisements in the print and electronic media. They will also get consultation services to upgrade and streamline their businesses.

Medium enterprises form the core of Indian industry. A faster-growing medium enterprise segment will help accelerate India's economic growth, Pande said.