Case Study Discussion on

Home Solutions (India) Limited – Kitchen Section

Shitanshu Pokhriyal
Home Solutions (India) Limited, A Future Group Company
• Home Solutions - A venture of Pantaloon Retail India Limited, a Future group company
• Future Group is India’s leading business conglomerate
• Future Group Vision
– Everything, Everywhere, Everytime for every Indian customer in the most profitable manner
• Future Group Mission
– Customers to be served by creating & executing future scenarios in consumption space leading to economic
development
– Trendsetters in evolving delivery formats, retailing, affordable consumption for customer
– Efficient, Cost conscious & committed to quality
– Positive attitude, sincerity, humilty to be the driving force
• Future Group Core Values
– Indianesss – confidence in ourselves
– Thought & business Leadership
– Respect & humilty
– Introspection
– Open & receptive to new ideas, knowledge & information
– Valuing & Nurturing Relationships
– Simplicity & Positivity
Home Solutions (India) Limited – Kitchen Section
Fundamentals under the Rust & Oliver three – component model
• High visual appeal at the stores
• Creating high customer expectations - Service
provisions displayed as electrical fittings, plumbing,
interior decoration, modular kitchen, etc
• Store divided into sections as – Exhibition, Market
& Services
• Hometown positioned as an amalgamation of value
lifestyle propositions
Service Service
Environment Product
• Products from all major manufacturers of several
products as sanitary ware, bath fittings, fixtures,
furnitures, etc. displayed
• Customers given price, service & product guarantee
Physica • One year guarantee on workmanship of jobs
l undertaken from the date of job completed
Product • Every product or service provided backed by
reliable manufacturers and service providers
• Exchange / Refund option with customer in case of
any manufacturing defect

• Aggressive advertising with the USP of ‘Ab ghar

banana asaan’
• Full page advertisements, hoardings, Slogans used
Interaction
as part of the advertising and communication
Quality campaign
• What you see is what you get pitch used with the
customers
• Focus on pre sale engagement with use of software
to design fancy modular kitchens
• Commitments and guarantee of delivery and
installation within stipulated timelines
 Home Solutions (India) Limited – Kitchen Section
Service Quality (SERVQUAL)
Dimension Description
Reliability Home Solution’s ability to deliver the
promised service dependably and
accurately
Assurance Knowledge & responsiveness of
employees who are able to inspire trust
and confidence
Tangibles Physical delivery against order,
equipment and appearance of personnel
Instances
• Mrs. Dogra’s trust on the big big brand name of home town/future
group
• Already placed an order for bathroom items and jacuzzi giving her
higher conviction to go with Home solutions for kitchen
• Substantial time spent during pre sales with the design incharge &
technician giving further assurance to customer
• Initial fee also paid by Mrs. Dogra after commitments given by the
design incharge to deliver by the stipulated date
• Multiple assurances provided to Mrs. Dogra on the initial design chosen
but the final product delivered was different
• Timelines of 30 day delivery never met and rather a 90 day to and fro
with total service failures from the company , hence never kept
assurances on timelines
• False assurances by Mr. Vipin and unsurity of delivery creating total
ambiguity for the customer
• Unprofessional acts by Mr. Vipin of not taking the customer calls, hiding
away from face to face discussions with the customer
• Customer asked to review his product specifications as the earlier
ordered product stock was no more available with the company and to
get the same stock customer will have to wait for over 3 more months
• The kitchen material later supplied was also short supplied
•Also the plumbing work though approved by the technical team of Home
town was still not in order
• Work was finished will the plumbing problem still unattended
• Material supplied finally was also different from the one selected by the
customer as an alternative to the earlier specifications
• Replacement material supplied to customer after several days from the
commitment date , still customer was waiting for someone to come and
refix the shutters and rectify the defects that still existed
 Home Solutions (India) Limited – Kitchen Section
Service Quality (SERVQUAL)
Dimension Description
Responsiveness Willingness of Home town to help
customers and provide prompt service
Empathy Giving individual attention to customers;
understanding and caring for the
customer
Instances
• Mr. Vipin consistently ignored the customer’s phone calls, dismay to the
customer on such ill treatment
• No pro active communication to the customer on delivery delays
• Auto generated messages to customer complaints with no response for
days together despite repeated reminders
• Callous attitude of the employees towards committments to complaint
customers
• Multiple escalations to reach out to the senior employees in the
hierarch for resolutions
• Ineffective display of empathy to the customer despite repeated follow
ups and reminder sent from the customer
• Indifferent attitude of employees post sales
• Ineffective management of escalations and no considerations to
customer’s agony of dismantling her kitchen and alternatively using the
bathroom as kitchen in the given state
Home Solutions (India) Limited – Kitchen Section
Key Factors Leading to Provider Gap

• Gap 1 – Inadequate understanding of customer requirements and limited / no

focus on service quality

• Gap 2 – Lack of communication

– Between management and customers
– Between contact employees and managers

• Gap 3 – Insufficient Relationship Focus

– Focus on transactions than relationships
–
• Gap 4 – Inadequate Service Recovery Process
– Lack of encouragement to listen to customer complaints
– Failure to make amendments
– No appropriate recovery mechanism for service failures
Thank You