Bharti Airtel opens 100 retail stores over past 14 months

Bharti Airtel has opened 100 company-owned-company-operated (COCO) retail outlets across India over the last 14 months to support its mobile, dongle and broadband connections.

''Aside our commitment to providing customers with the best and latest technology – customer relationships are at the very core of the Airtel experience. The all new company-owned-company-operated Airtel stores leverage the best of retail practices and technology to offer a superior service experience to customers walking into our outlets,'' said Srini Gopalan, director (consumer business) at Bharti Airtel.

In Mumbai, Bharti Airtel opened eight stores in Fort, Prabhadevi, Santacruz, Vile Parle and Thane.

As a one-stop-shop for all customer needs, Airtel stores also offer an exhaustive collection of devices, including phones and tablets, to help customers choose from the latest in mobile technology.

''Given the plethora of options available in the marketplace, customers in need of guidance on which device to buy can leverage the know-how of our data experts who are trained to stay tuned on the ever changing data and devices ecosystem,'' added Srini.

Bharti Airtel ventured into its COCO stores with the opening of the first Airtel stores at South Extension (New Delhi) in February 2013.

In a span of 14 months, this retail footprint has been extended to 35 cities and towns across 14 states – thus complimenting Airtel's existing distribution span. Airtel stores employ a total of over 1,000 staff members who have been trained to address customer service requests and guide customers looking to buy a new device to suit their needs.

The new Airtel stores also has outlets that will be run as well as managed by women employees, and will focus on addressing the needs of female customers across the country, especially in tier II and III cities.

''We are confident that our all-women's will add another dimension of empathy and perspective to the way we deal with our customers,'' Srini said.