BPL Mobile Undergoes Major Restructuring Excercise

BPL Mobile, a cellular service provider, is in the midst of a major restructuring exercise. Instead of the usual system where the circle heads were responsible for their respective regions, the cellular service provider is now opting for a centralized system with various SBUs taking care of respective verticals such as customer asset management, acquisitions, networking and IT. BPL Mobile senior VP and COO Deepak Verma told CNS that this would bring about a unified way of working and would ensure that all divisions could draw synergies from a common thrust. He was in Pune to launch the new initiative offering special packages on handset and personal accident insurance along with a bundle of offerings in association with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd for its subscribers across Maharashtra and Goa. 

The restructuring exercise, which began around three months ago, is expected to be in place in the next three months. “This is not circle specific but an effort where all unite to offer `customer asset value’ There are similar systems functioning in Singapore and Switzerland. Most companies are now moving towards this trend in order to avoid duplication of work,” Verma maintained.

Unveiling the new initiative on Club Mobile Security, Verma said that BPL Mobile in association with Bajaj Allianz would offer three kinds of packages to its subscribers. The first is a personal accident insurance of Rs one lakh in case of death plus handset insurance upto Rs 10,000. The annual premium for the subscriber goes upto Rs 200. The second package offers an insurance of Rs one lakh in case of death plus hospital cash for 15 days at Rs 500 per day. The annual premium charged here is Rs 400. The third package offers a personal accident insurance of Rs one lakh in case of death plus hospital cash for 15 days at Rs 500 per day plus handset insurance upto Rs 10,000. The annual premium charged here is Rs 600.

Bajaj Allianz COO Kamesh Goyal said that the company is looking at minimum volumes at 20,000 customers per year. “BPL has a subscriber base of two lakh. We will first evaluate the handsets and offer a maximum insurance of Rs 10,000,” he added. The service would be available for BPL mobile subscribers through all the BPL Mobile galleries across Maharashtra and Goa. They can walk away with the insurance of their choice by making upfront payment and would be handed the insurance certificate on the spot. In case of the loss of the handset, the customer has to file a police complaint. Following this, the company blocks the identity number of the handset to prevent its misuse by an unauthorized person. According to Verma, at least 20 percent subscribers fear the loss of their handsets and therefore believed that this scheme would find a good response.