Recently we interviewed Karan Sharma who is Head, Marketing at Matrix Cellular. Here are the excerpts from the interview.
MG: What sets Matrix a class apart from its competitors?
Karan Sharma: Matrix has been the market leader in providing International Telecom Solutions to Indians travelling abroad for over 2 decades. Started in 1995, we were the first to start out such a service in India. Our USP is our Network Partnership with the most extensive International Operators across the world that helps us provide the best International Telecom solutions to Indians travelling abroad. Also, Matrix is a one stop solution for all the travel needs of an International Traveler. Our extensive product range that not only includes International SIM Cards but also includes Internet Cards for Laptops, Smart phones, iPad/Tablets, Forex Cards and International Travel Insurance, is our major strength that sets us apart from the competition.
MG: How do you plan to target leisure and business travellers?
Karan Sharma: Matrix boasts the widest range of partners spread across sectors such as Airlines, Banking, Travel Agencies,Online Travel portals to benefit International travelers. We try to reach more and more leisure and business travellers through our partnerships and alliances which is our strength in more ways than one. To make sure we have targeted maximum number of International Travelers, we have a widespread network of Channel Partners across various cities in India,so that we are never too far away for the customers.
MG: How is the product positioned against travellers who want to buy local SIM cards for their cellular needs overseas
Matrix products and services are competitively positioned in today’s dynamic market. We offer Local SIM cards of the country one is traveling to, so the customer gets the SIM Card at local rates when still in India. With Matrix the travelers enjoy the convenience of getting the SIM Card before their departure from India which allows them to distribute their number among colleagues,family and friends before they fly abroad.
With a wide range of tariff plans, the customers can chose the plan as per their needs. With Matrix one can enjoy Free Incoming Calls in most countries and Free Calls to India from countries like USA and the UK. So using Matrix can help International travelers save big on their International Roaming expenses.
MG: What are the growth plans for the year 2014?
For this year, we plan to introduce more products in Data to offer a variety of options to our customer. We just launched Mobile wi-fi Services for USA and Japan and would launch many more new products in the coming year that would help customers access emails, internet and apps when abroad at 1/10th the cost of International Data Roaming charges.
MG: Many consumers feel the process of obtaining a Matrix SIM card may also be a bit more complicated vis a vis a local SIM card. What are your thoughts on the same?
Getting a Matrix SIM Card is easier than getting a local SIM card when one is travelling abroad. In some countries, if one wants to buy a local SIM card,they would be required to submit credit history amongst other things that can be quite cumbersome, especially when you are in a new country. With Matrix, one can get the SIM of the country they are travelling to in the most convenient and hassle free manner as they do not need to submit credit history to get the SIM Cards. Along with this one can get their number before departure,get the SIM card delivered at their doorstep, enjoy 24×7 Customer Care in case a need arises. Matrix products are for someone who is looking for easy and smart solutions that offer great convenience.
