REPORT

on

REVAMPING THE BUSINESS STRATEGY OF 1298-AMBULANCE

BY Akshay Rao Harsh Shethia Rishit Parikh

PREFACE
Ziqitza healthcare Limited (ZHL) runs the 1298 ambulance service, the essence of which is to provide emergency ambulance services to the people in urgent situations with the best ambulance facilities in the country. The motivation came from the fact that the founder realized the poor and inefficient ambulance services in the country which had deplorable hygienic conditions and would not reach on time leading to casualties and therefore felt the need for an improved ambulance service in the country at an affordable price. This motivation lead to the founding of Ziqitza healthcare services in 2004 and 1298 ambulance service in 2005. Ziqitza also operates a 108 system which works on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model with several state governments in case of any medical emergency. Over the past seven years, the 1298 service has expanded to seven states and plans to expand to top 8 metros by 2013. ZHL prides itself in providing the best ambulance service in the country with the latest medical equipments, 24*7 and 365 days availability and are strategic partners with London Ambulance Service (LAS), New York Presbyterian Emergency Medical Service (NYP-EMS) and Life Supporters Institute of Health Sciences (LIHS). This project involved designing the business strategy for the 1298 Ambulance Service so that people are aware of the good quality, emergency service being provided to the extent that 1298 becomes at par with 911 of US and 999 of UK. It is especially important to ensure that people are aware of an organized, efficient service in case of emergency situations to the extent that the number 1298 becomes second nature. A good Marketing Strategy is imperative in modern days to properly communicate the benefits of 1298 Ambulance service and hence ensure a good visibility among the public. This required a special effort since an ambulance service is something that is take for granted to by the people and its importance is not realized until there is an emergency which made it even more important to devise a marketing strategy which would create a lasting impression in the minds of the people without losing out the essence of the service provided.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Target Market............................................................................................................................4 Unique Selling Point..................................................................................................................5 Current Market Analysis of the Ambulance Services................................................................6 Solutions to the Shortcomings..................................................................................................11 Other Strategies........................................................................................................................13 Conclusion................................................................................................................................18 References................................................................................................................................19 Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................20

TARGET MARKET
Based on our meetings with the staff and understanding the business structure, we have found that the predominant earnings of the 1298 service comes from Hospitals and doctors.1298 has tried to get into contracts with hospitals to get them to outsource their ambulance service to us as we are better qualified and can provide better quality services. Most of the ambulance services have signed up a variable contract with us and only 4 have signed up with fixed contracts with an overall conversion rate of less than 3%. Target Audience for the variable calls would be customers from upper-middle class and upper class who would want a better service in terms of a better conditioned ambulance, welltrained staff, necessary emergency gears as well as faster service and would not mind paying a higher price for all the above. Shifting our focus to the lower segment of the population is not viable as it will mean degrading quality of service that can hamper the reputation of the brand 1298. Now, in addition to targeting hospitals, the main focus should be to target such customers, since having a good image before the customers would make it imperative for several hospitals as well to get into contracts with us as a necessary requirement as the hospital customers would expect a superior ambulance service such as ourselves and the hospitals can consider it as an asset. However, due to shortage of fleet and therefore limited area of operation we have not been able to aggressively market our brand to the target customers. Hence we recommend that in the coming financial year, we undertake structural and expansionary changes in the Operations, which could help us reach the target market.

Unique Selling Point

1298 is the first organized ambulance service in the country. Being in a brand in itself, we have the state of the art facilities which is and will drive customers to opt for this service. Also 1298 has a staff who has undergone an extensive training to handle crisis situations which could avoid a casualty which is not the case for local operators. For example there has been a case a couple of days ago in Bangalore where the local operator removed the oxygen mask of a patient while transferring her to the ICU, which resulted in a casualty. Also 1298 is the only four-digit number which is easy to remember, hence it is one of the "top of the mind recollections" during panic situations. Also 1298 offers products based on the customer's requirements like the fixed and the variable contracts suiting their business needs. A better quality coupled with flexibility has instilled a sense of trust amongst the customers which makes them do business with 1298 on a continuous basis. However, we feel that the USP of the product lacks mass marketing which could help 1298 to serve many customers and gain substantial market share. We have provided recommendations for the same in the latter part of the report.

ANALYSIS OF THE INDUSTRY

The ambulance industry in Mumbai works in an unorganised way to large extent. The ambulance services provided to the customer are broadly classified under four categories. 1. 2. 3. 4. Private Operators(like Ziqitza, Topsline, New Life etc) Social Sector(political parties like MNS, etc) Hospitals Local Operators

Below, is provided the distribution of business to each of these sectors.

Chart Title
1-2% 5% Local Operators Private Operators Hospitals Social Sector 90% 4-5%

Now, the total number of calls services by the ambulance industry in Mumbai on a daily basis comes to approximate 90,000. Out of which Ziqitza services approximately 500 odd calls of which 220 calls go to ALS ambulances. Serving 500 calls is around 0.5% of the business which Ziqitza needs to improve on.

Competition Faced by Ziqitza in 1298

Ziqitza faces competition from some of the major ambulance service providers like Topsline, AmbuCare and Newlife. Some of these operators work with a different model than ours. Below is mentioned some of the basic revenue model they depend on:i. Topsline Works on the personal contracts model The key to their business is they get to choose the customers they serve and accordingly plan for any emergencies arising from their customers. This way they can reduce their response times and operate in their competent areas.

The model cannot be sustained if there are enough reliable service providers for ambulances.

ii.

AmbuCare and Newlife It works on the model as Ziqitza The key to their business model according to us is operations in concentrated areas like Vashi, Thane and Chembur in case of AmbuCare. The costing structure for AmbuCare is more or less the same as of 1298; Newlife however charges lesser as compared to 1298. Also it does not provide discounts the way 1298 does which can increase their profitability to a large extent. Newlife provides services in south Mumbai near residential areas like S.V.Road and along the highway; which are high rate residency and corporate localities.

P.S. :- Information on some of the characteristics are provided in the Excel file under the competition data sheet. However the industry faces certain inherent problems of operation which are listed below.

Current problems faced by the industry

Typically ambulance services are offered by hospitals, governmental agencies, NGOs, Charitable Trust and Private operators in the unorganized sector. But most of these are largely inefficient because 1. Ambulance personnel do not have the required first responder training and do not have the skills needed for administering pre hospital care that is required during emergencies. 2. Too much corruption and kick back system in India which leads to people not really trusting ambulance services and using alternate means of transport like autos, cars, taxi etc. Often times it has been observed that one rate is asked for at the beginning and once the patient is transported to the hospital a much higher rate is asked for. This is tantamount to extortion. 3. Also there isnt any established system of rates. People in different areas are charged differently, based on their perceived payment capacity 4. Response times are also a big problem. Response times for both 1298 ambulances and outside ambulances have varied from 15 to 50 minutes which is very high and not acceptable in emergency cases. 5. Poor conditions of the ambulances themselves. Most of the equipment is obsolete and in many extreme cases may not even be working properly. There have been many

documented instances where patients have died en route because of lack of basic equipment(shockingly sometimes a lack of an oxygen cylinder. 6. Most of the service providers do not have a single universal number, that centralizes the entire process. They have different numbers for different areas. Often times during emergencies when panic sets in it is very difficult to remember such long(10 digit) number. There is no top of the mind recollection of such numbers. This has created a huge lacunae in the ambulance industry that 1298 is trying to fill. However, 1298 has certain points of differentiation that sets it apart from the rest of the pack. 1. Ultimately the fact that 1298 has a single universal number(1298) puts it in pole position. To call various other service providers one needs to remember different numbers in different areas. Also no other ambulance service provider has a four digit number, add the ease of remembering 1298 and 1298 has on its hands a winner. 2. 1298 has the inherent advantage that all its ambulance personnel are already well trained. No extra cost, effort or time will be required to train them. This highly trained and skilled personnel will set it apart from the rest of the competition in the minds of the customers. 3. Also all of 1298 ambulances are state of the art. All of the equipment is new and in good working order and are unique to 1298. 4. 1298 being in the organised sector can charge a fixed rate, no matter what. This largely will eliminate any ambiguity and even the kick back system. While all of the above mentioned points are of vital importance, some of the shortcomings of 1298 service are listed below. Response Time The response time is the entire crux around which the entire marketing strategy must be built. A response time of under 15 minutes is an absolute must. The current response time for the 1298 ambulances has been 47.36 minutes.(an excel has been provided to justify the response timings using Activity Based Method). This is on a higher side and efforts must be put up to reduce the same. Heart disease is biggest cause of death so here the speed of emergency medical service response is vital. 1298 may have all the state of the art facilities and equipment but if its ambulances do not arrive on time it will lose out. For example the response time for the ALS-ALS 12 for servicing all calls within the city limits have been 93 minutes approximately.

Mumbai

02-Dec11

16:33:55

02 Dec 2011 17:04:52(97000)

17:04:52

00:30:57

ALS

ALS12

Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai

03-Dec11 07-Dec11 09-Dec11 09-Dec11 12-Dec11 12-Dec11 13-Dec11 15-Dec11 19-Dec11 23-Dec11 24-Dec11 27-Dec11 29-Dec11 05-Dec11

00:17:07 13:37:32 17:13:56 12:47:46 14:51:25 23:31:20 18:47:12 16:12:18

03 Dec 2011 13:35:04(97004) 07 Dec 2011 13:58:55(97156) 09 Dec 2011 17:24:10(97265) 09 Dec 2011 14:21:19(97241) 12 Dec 2011 15:40:27(97539) 13 Dec 2011 00:26:39(97570) 13 Dec 2011 19:47:11(97615) 15 Dec 2011 16:59:19(97717) 19 Dec 2011 18:38:02(97874) 23 Dec 2011 19:57:23(98116) 24 Dec 2011 19:11:49(98239) 27 Dec 2011 12:16:45(98487) 29 Dec 2011 21:28:16(98723) 05 Dec 2011 17:58:19(97129)

13:35:04 13:58:55 17:24:10 14:21:19 15:40:27 00:26:39 19:47:11 16:59:19

13:17:57 00:21:23 00:10:14 01:33:33 00:49:02 00:55:19 00:59:59 00:47:01

ALS ALS ALS ALS ALS ALS ALS ALS

ALS12 ALS12 ALS12 ALS12 ALS12 ALS12 ALS12 ALS12

Mumbai Mumbai

18:22:48 19:34:49

18:38:02 19:57:23

00:15:14 00:22:34

ALS ALS

ALS12 ALS12

Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai

18:42:05 11:51:07 20:43:37

19:11:49 12:16:45 21:28:16

00:29:44 00:25:38 00:44:39

ALS ALS ALS

ALS12 ALS12 ALS12

Mumbai

07:05:09

17:58:19

10:53:10

ALS

ALS12

Response Time

01:33:05

Losing out to traditional methods and local operators It will lose out to traditional methods of travelling like auto, taxis and even cars. It will also lose out to local ambulance operators, who may not be anything more than glorified transporters, but who will have a very short response time. This is largely due to the fact that these operators provide their service in only specified areas.

As specified earlier the contribution of local operators to the ambulance industry has been around 90 % which is substantially hurting the business Regulations and Compliance 1298 being in the ambulance service follows all the strict regulatory guidelines of driver recruitment, medical equipment, HR policies etc. The ambulances in the unorganized sector do not follow any such guidelines and use under handed tactics to gain cost competitiveness. Managing these activities is extremely time consuming and expensive. Also while interviewing the drivers, we realised that some of them were not satisfied with the compensation offered for the service, which met industry standards by and large. However Ziqitza has to comply with HR policies of providing a CTC which includes a provident fund and an insurance cover. These benefits are not effectively communicated to the drivers, who are majorly interested in the In-Hand salary they receive at the end of the month. Areas Covered To combat the problem of a very long response time, 1298 must take a page out of these local operators book. Given the current number of ambulances available and the current man power, it would be prudent to reduce the number of areas operated in. More than the service, 1298 is selling an idea to its customers. Call 1298 and you will be safe. By extending service to so many regions and having an average response time of 1:33 hours, this idea is getting nullified. It can aim at providing service to 6 main areas which can help it channelize its operations and create backup for other ambulances around the same area. We recommend some of the areas where ambulances can be parked which will help 1298 to serve a wide range of customers and reduce the response time. Unavailability of Service leads to bad reputation Due to fleet size or possible delay in service due to unavailability of service, there have been cases where an ambulance was requested and the request had to be turned down. Revenue is impacted, but the bigger impact is in terms of reputation. A customer not provided service in case of an emergency will not call back during another one. Also there have been cases where an ambulance was requested at 11.00A.M. and it reached at 11.56A.M. These glitches in operations hurt the reputation, ultimately losing out customers to competitors and hence an impact on revenue. Reputation at Stake when services are outsourced The ambulance industry is an experience based industry that runs largely on word of mouth. One bad experience gets magnified exponentially. In the current scenario when a call is made to 1298 and an ambulance is not near then, the call is transferred to another ambulance service provider like Bhairavnath Ambulance for example. In such a case the service provided by the said ambulance service reflects on 1298. So care must be taken while
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forming tie-up's with the other service providers about the quality of service to be in line with our's. Both the above scenarios are not desirable. The only way to solve this problem given the current level of resources is to reduce the regions covered.

03DecALS 03 Dec 2011 40 44163 Mumbai 11 11:56:03 22 15:36:08(43540)

Fortis

cardiac Ambulance req sharp 11.00 AM chembur PLz sebd gurmeet the (rtn) Hospital Ambulance

Table :- Delayed Response.

Solutions to the above problems

Reduction in Regions
Only those regions that have the demographic factors that ensure adequate revenues should be targeted. These regions will be the catchment areas. This will ensure that the ambulances
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will arrive on site on time. Studies have shown that during emergencies the response time is vital. With the reduction in the number of regions operated in the response time will undoubtedly go down. As a result majority of the calls received from the catchment region can be attended to, rather than being turned down or even transferred to another ambulance provider. Furthermore, studies have shown that the primary concern of customers is the speed at which they reach the hospital, the rest is secondary. Therefore, during emergencies, the cost factor also plays a less significant role more emphasis is placed on the response time. Thus, providing efficient and timely service will be the greatest marketing strategy of them all. In the ambulance industry customers are retained not through conventional means like after sales service and the like but by response times. For example Topsline on its website claims that it can reach its customers in 9 minutes. This leaves a very powerful message in the minds of the customer and ensures that all other shortcomings are excused. The following are the areas that we recommend to target due to feasibility and a possibility of increase in business.

Serial No 1 2 3

Area Near Andheri station Near Dindoshi, Goregaon/Malad Thane West , Eternity Mall

Logic Close to 3 hospitals and a prime residential area, commercial premises and many Bollywood studios 2 major hospitals in the area with film city close by Close to two major highways and two major hospitals 12

Serial No 4 5

Area Girgaon area Near Mumbai Central Railway station Near dockyard road station Parel Chembur Naka Near Milan mall, Santacruz

Logic Surrounded by three major highways and close to two hospitals Close to 3 hospitals

6 7 8 9

Close to two hospitals on the same highway Surrounded by two major highways and close to two hospitals Close to a highway and 4 major hospitals Close to two major highways and 4 major hospitals

Increase in operations in terms of Size

The ambulance industry is huge market especially in a city like Mumbai, hence increasing the manpower and number of ambulances will also reduce response times. Also those calls that are outsourced to other ambulances can then, be taken care by 1298. This will help 1298 serve majority of the calls made from the catchment area. Eventually, the thrust should be to increase the man power and fleet size so as to cover more regions. In line with the above, the number of sales persons must be increased. Currently there are only two sales persons covering 6 regions. With the reduction in the number regions the pressure on each sales person will slightly reduce. However, to more effectively reach and target the catchment areas more sales persons will be required. Also as the scale of operations will gradually be increased, a commensurate increase in the sales force is also required. Further, personnel for operations are required. As of now the two sales persons fill in for this role. This results in the sales force being over burdened and neither job getting proper
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attention. Thus a dedicated section of employees for operations is needed. These employees can ensure that the sales force will concentrate on their core functions and the ambulance operations can be managed in an effective manner.

OTHER MARKETING STRATEGIES SUGGESTED

Each specific target region must be looked upon as a catchment area, where the marketing strategies must be implemented. Mass marketing strategies like in television and newspapers must not be employed because 1). They are comparatively very expensive and the resultant increase in revenue will not be commensurate with the amount spent on these types of advertisements. 2). The service will be provided in only a few regions. But these forms of advertisement will reach regions that are outside the catchment areas. Thus, there could be many cases where customers from outside the catchment area will seek to avail these services. However, providing ambulances for them will not be possible. This will result in the creation of bad experiences and definite negative publicity. 3). Television and newspaper advertisements will need to be repetitive if they are to be effective. Studies are shown that only those advertisements that constantly appear, result in top of mind recollection. Such repetitive ads will no doubt be a financial drain. 4). There is a high likelihood of people filliping the channel or ignoring the advertisement on the newspaper, thus reducing the effectiveness of these two avenues. There is a lack of knowledge on the importance of ambulances and a lack of knowledge of 1298. A proper marketing strategy will alleviate these problems. However, as of now 1298 has not had much of a marketing strategy. This is largely due to lack of adequate revenues and marketing personnel. Thus, majority of the thrust has been on sales. While this in the short run may positively affect the bottom line, in the long run it is not a viable strategy. Thus certain different ways must be thought of to effectively market 1298 keeping in mind the resource crunch. To be a long term sustainable entity, detailed long term marketing plans are required that target the 3 main broad categories. 1) The direct individual customers. 2) Hospitals. 3) Referrals.

Direct individual customers:- These are customers that directly call for the ambulance services. What is interesting to observe is that out of the 3 months mentioned above about 4050% of the direct customers called the ambulances at the suggestions of the hospitals. We have already explored why conventional marketing strategies at this stage will not be apt. There are several other recommendations on how to increase visibility and attract new customers.

Tie-up's with Societies and Government Bodies

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Most co-operative societies and buildings have a notice board. 1298 can print notices to be put on these boards. These notices can contain the number for the local police station, fire brigade and other emergency services. It also must contain Call 1298 for ambulance. This notice can be in plain back and white and also can be in colour. Also 1298 should be displayed prominently. The possibility of a tie in must also be looked into. Just as branding was done on the ambulance (TATA AIG and MTS), this sheet of paper can also be branded. This will be in the form of third party endorsements. The key here is the way the entire concept is packaged and sold to the respective parties. The concept must be sold to the societies of the buildings (or the builder directly) and to company whose name 1298 wants to put on the notice. In the terms of the builder and/or societies, the notice will be provided free of cost to them and hence will not require much persuasion. The company with which the tie in is done will benefit by lending its name to a socially relevant cause. It will help generate goodwill for both that company and 1298. Since going to individual buildings may be time consuming and out of the reach of 1298 given the current man power, a tie in with major builders will be advisable. But care must be taken to choose only those buildings that are in a catchment area. This will also lead to valuable word of mouth publicity. Compared to the cost of printing the notice the benefit accrued would be far greater. If there is a tie in with another company then that company would cover for the cost of printing and also pay a reasonable amount for having their name displayed prominently on the notice. The possibility of a tie-in with various government bodies like the BMC, government hospitals, railways etc. must also be explored. For example whenever there is an emergency the 1298 ambulances should the first ones to be called on the scene.

Chemist Shops
In the catchment areas there will be many chemist shops located near hospitals and large residential areas. These days due to new laws being in force, most shops charge a certain nominal fee for bags from their customers. Also, the bags are required to meet certain standards. 1298 can provide these bags to the chemist free of charge. If a large verbose message is written on the bag, in all likelihood it will not be read and assimilated. Therefore a simple call 1298 for ambulance in case of emergency should be printed prominently on the bag. It will be simple, effective and enable the potential customer to retain the number in their mind. Again a third party tie in can be looked into. The fundamental premise here is this form of marketing is relatively inexpensive and will also lead to word of mouth publicity.

First-Aid Workshops
In many residential areas and schools to a lesser extent many medical drives (of varying nature) take place. 1298 can sponsor one of these drives. The main objective here is to get visibility and top of the mind recollection. 1298 has all of the expertise to conduct a
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workshop on basic first aid training and on First responder First aid training. This will be a good opportunity to extol the virtues of the 1298 ambulance especially its new and improved low response time, its well trained crew and state of the art facilities. 1298 must attend local health fairs and medical conferences. Many communities have health fairs with various vendors who provide health services. This is the chance to market to the general public who may need a transport to the hospital. Doctors and Hospitals can also be reached without much effort by taking part in medical conferences.

Contracts with Doctors

As mentioned earlier that 40-50% of the direct calls were made on the recommendation of the doctors, hospitals etc. Therefore, 1298 must enter into an understanding with the local doctors (running their own private clinics) in the catchment areas, whereby 100% of all their patients that require emergency medical assistance will be sent to 1298. It would be prudent to enter in actual contracts with these Doctors. A fixed remuneration or a variable remuneration (based on commission) can be offered. Also we can contact directors of local nursing homes, assisted living facilities, old age homes, homes of the handicapped, physically and mentally challenged and rehabilitation centres. Many times residents of these facilities will need to be transported to the hospital for non life-threatening or even life threatening reasons. This is where 1298 can come in. This may not be a great source of revenue, but it will result in good publicity as it is a socially relevant cause.

EVENTS
During sporting events especially cricket matches; marathon runs etc, 1298 can contact the organisers. Organisers will need ambulances on standby in case of emergency. A meeting should be set up to talk about a contract to provide the service. In fact such a proposal is an added benefit for the organisers. For example 1298 can be the official emergency medical service provider for an event such as The Mumbai Marathon, or some other event along these lines. This will ensure a large amount visibility and hence top of mind recollection of 1298. Communities have events that need ambulances on standby such as, festivals, concerts etc.

Referrals
Out of the 97 referrals in November, 52 were active referrals. The rest were first time referrals. The key here would be to convert first time referrals into active referrals. The referral providers must be retained. It is a lot easier and far less expensive to retain old referral providers than to constantly look to create new referral providers. At present 1298 offers 30% commission for any referral made. While on average the other ambulance service providers offer 40%. In our view the commission must be increased to 40%. This increase will no doubt result in an increase in active referrals. But, one thing that must be noted here, the referrals unlike the direct customer and the hospital calls do not depend on the quality of the service provided nor
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does it depend on the response time. The people who make the referrals (the ward boys, nurses and the like) are not concerned about such matters. They are more interested in any benefits (monetary and non monetary) that will accrue to them. Thus they must be targeted in a completely different manner. Next certain benefits such as complimentary calendars, diaries etc. must be provided to the regular referral providers. The referral providers must be assigned a specific identification number. All the details related to a particular referral provider can be assigned to this number. It will thus enable systematic storage of information. When they call 1298, they must provide this number. This will enable the creation of a complete record of who provides how many referrals. This will facilitate prompt payment of the commission. Prompt payment of the commission is also another factor that can set 1298 apart from the competitors. Many of the ward boys whom we spoke to complained about how many of the ambulance service providers were less than prompt in payment of the commissions. No matter how high the commission is, it is useless unless it is paid when needed. By making payment on time, 1298 will go a long way in retaining the referral providers.

Hiring Sales Force in a matter that reduces Linguistic Barriers

Most of the nurses ward boys etc are Marathi speaking individuals. They are a lot more comfortable speaking their native language and hence are more inclined to do business with people who speak their native language. Thus the sales representatives who approach them must be versed in at least functional Marathi. While it is not a prerequisite to be a Maharashtrian to become a sales representative, a functional knowledge of Marathi is required to build a rapport with the referral providers. Building a rapport and a personal relationship with the referral provider will create certain level of comfort that is more conducive to doing business.

Bonus
With every 10 referrals given in a month, a certain specific bonus can also be given. This bonus system is something that most other vendors do not provide. In fact most other vendors by virtue of not being organized do not have a proper record of all their referral providers. 1298 with its organized structure and highly capable man power can use this to its advantage. By appreciating the contributions made by the referral providers (and by providing a bonus) 1298 can create a long lasting relationship with them.

Improvements on the Website Front

One aspect which 1298 must improve upon is its website. In its current state Ziqitzas website is in its most nascent stage. Topsline, 1298 biggest competitor in comparison has a

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very professional looking website. We believe that this should be the blue print for any and all upgrades made to Ziqitza website. 1. First of all Ziqitzas website must be divided into two parts-1) 108 and 2). 1298; each part must deal exclusively with the service that each of them provide. A micro website of sorts should be then created for each. 2. A list of all the hospitals and doctors in and around the catchment area must be provided. Along with the names, contact and emergency numbers must also be provided. 3. There must be a 'How to' section. Here procedures and methods must be listed to deal with various forms of emergencies. For example the procedure to be followed when a person suffers an heart attack etc. This will be useful while the patient waits for the ambulance or any other assistance to arrive. Also certain basic first person first aid procedures must also be explained. Furthermore such instructions can also save lives. 4. There should be a page on 'The success stories'. With the permission of the concerned patients, stories of how the '1298' ambulance and its crew successfully saved the lives of countless patients must be mentioned. This will create a feel good factor and hopefully engender trust and confidence in 1298. Stories of how the ambulance responded to an emergency in good time and transferred the patient to the hospital quickly should be mentioned. Also the expertise of the medical staff in the ambulance must be played up, by showing how lives were saved by the emergency treatment provided en route. 5. The rate card must be displayed as well. This will ensure that the potential and future customers have complete knowledge of the rate that would be charged in different slabs. One aspect to be taken under consideration here is that the rate card must be competitive in the current market dynamic. If it is not, then such a rate card must not be printed. 6. An option of booking ambulance service also must be provided. In emergency situations it is highly unlikely anybody will book online. However, this service is more for the people who need perodic ambulance requirements. For example cancer patients needing treatment etc

While it is understood that a professional and information heavy website doesn't necessarily guarantee sales, it is none the less a very powerful augmentation to the marketing strategy. Another vital point to be considered here is that such an undertaking will not have a very high cost. Ziqitza already has a website, only certain upgrades are needed. Also all the knowledge and expertise needed is already available to Ziqitza in the form of its capable state.

Conclusions:These are the broad proposed changes if incorporated should help us see an increase in revenue and total visibility of the brand "1298" service, thus improving brand reputation and a continuous increase in business.
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References http://adrates.timesofindia.com/IMcititimes.html https://topsline.com/ http://www.bestmediainfo.com/2011/06/irs-q1-2011-top-10-dailies-in-mumbai/

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank all of the 1298 staff who were very cordial in greeting us and patiently answered all our queries . Special thanks to Ms Priyanka Bose, our mentor from Ziqitza and Mr Anuj, the Business head of the 1298 Ambulance Service who guided us throughout the project with their own ideas and recommendations which helped us to create a framework for the project. The Sales Staff(Tony) was also kind enough to provide with on field sales experience which helped us understand the different factors that come into play and understand their importance.

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