Bharti Airtel revamps customer programme promising users enhanced benefits

Amid sustained competitive pressure in the telecom industry, mobile operator Bharti Airtel on Thursday revamped its flagship customer programme 'Airtel Thanks', promising users enhanced benefits and offers including premium content, device and security services, and financial services. The move comes at a time when Indian mobile operators in the largely three player market now are pulling out all the stops to retain existing customers with differentiated offerings, and nudging subscribers into higher value plans.

Airtel has re-launched its customer programme 'Airtel Thanks' and said that the new enhanced programme, backed by partnerships, is geared to deliver more rewards and benefits. "The new programme is tiered in its offering Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each tier opens a whole new set of benefits for Airtel customers. The benefits are powered by Airtel's strong partnerships, which go from premium content brands like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Zee5 to Wynk music...," Airtel said in a statement.

The programme benefits entail a minimum recharge commitment from users' side and the gateway for availing the benefits is the Airtel app, which has now been re-named 'Airtel Thanks'.

In the three-tiered structure, Silver tier will provide access to basic content - AirtelTV, Wynk. With Gold, customers get access to add on telecom benefits, and value access on premium content or financial services. The top-rung Platinum tier will give customers access to premium content, e-books, device protection, and invites and priority access to events, the statement added.

The Silver tier entails minimum recharge of Rs 119 (prepaid), while the Gold tier benefits will require minimum recharge of Rs 199 (for prepaid) and plans below Rs 499 (for postpaid users). The Platinum tier would be applicable on Rs 499 and above postpaid infinity plans, the company said.

Airtel has also launched a new prepaid bundle at Rs 299 to offer 28 days of Amazon Prime membership along with 2.5 GB data/day, unlimited calls to any network and 100 SMS/day.

When contacted, Harsh Jagnani, Sector Head and Vice President - Corporate Ratings, ICRA, said that telecom operators would continue to focus on customer experience to retain the subscriber base.

"It is about differentiating your offerings from that of the competitor. Of course, the primary aim is to increase the data usage, and get people more hooked on to data and content...And Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) upswing will follow subsequently," Jagnani said.