A press release says that the new services for HP Gas subscribers include HP Home Perk programme - first ever loyalty programme for LPG consumers in the country with medical insurance upto Rs 15 lakh. The programme also seeks to empower customers across the country by giving them the option of weighing the cylinder at their door steps. These services will enable more than 18 million customers serviced through a network of 1,900 distributors to enjoy a hassle free experience.

The new initiatives are part of the ‘Ji Haan’ consumer campaign that was launched a year ago across the six metros, and extended to 690 markets covering 17 states. The release claims that the initiatives improved the HP Gas brand recall from 17th position to the fourth position (TOM Ad recall) and gained a strong association with reliability and quick service.

India's premier agency JWT will commence a multi platform communication campaign to publicise the effort and it was part of the earlier effort too.

“The new value added services are tremendously beneficial and are among the many initiatives that we have lined up for our customers,” HPCL director marketing NK Purie was quoted as saying, “Our consumer research has shown that customers have vital concerns such as the correct weight of cylinders and safety which precedes amongst other key findings which are becoming predominantly significant. Through these new consumer initiatives and our enduring customer friendly approach, we endeavour to raise the level of service we offer our consumers.”

The following are the salient features of the HPCL campaign:

Weight campaign – 15,000 HP Gas delivery boys across the country will carry portable weighing scales (both electronic and mechanical), which gives the customer the option of cross checking the weight of the gas at their door step. Research has highlighted the fact that almost one third of the customers are apprehensive of the weight of gas in the cylinders and this initiative will reassure consumers of the exact weight of HP gas cylinders, thus empowering customers and ensuring they receive what they are entitled too.

Loyalty programme – A customer can call the HP help line ‘1716’ and become a member of ‘HP Home Perks’ loyalty programme without any membership fee. Through this programme, members can purchase a range of household goods at attractive discounts ranging from 40 to 50 per cent at the HP Home Bazaar and accumulate loyalty points redeemable against products. Among various incentives offered is an opportunity to be eligible for a pyramid of prizes amounting to one crore through a mega draw on various regular promotions. The programme is being introduced in Mumbai and will be subsequently rolled out to other cities in a phased manner starting with Delhi.

Medical Insurance – Reinforcing its focus on customers, HP Gas has broken away from the traditional insurance policy and has come out with an enhanced umbrella insurance policy covering all consumers and third parties. This includes compensation of Rs 100,000 in case of demise, Rs 25,000 towards loss of property and Rs 15 lakh towards individual medical expenses in case of injuries due to an accident with an LPG cylinder.

HP Gas Rasoi Ghar - Making this environment friendly fuel available to the underprivileged section, who are unable to bear the high one time deposit, and recurring cost of refills, HP Gas introduced, Rasoi Ghar the concept of community kitchen. 350 Rasoi Ghars are currently operational and benefit’s more than 6,500 families by providing a common cooking platform in villages, where users pay on the basis of the time utilized for cooking. This initiative is a step towards improving the quality of life in this cross section of society.

To understand consumer needs on a continuous basis, a consumer satisfaction research was undertaken which enabled the company to launch its latest offerings. The research covered 494 distributors spread across 21 states covering a sample size of more than 15,000.

HPCL claims to be one of the first oil companies to computerise the entire distributor network to provide value-added services to consumers such as refill booking through IVRS and the Internet.

A special training module termed as ‘Millennium Distributor’ has been rolled out and more than 1900 distributors are being re-oriented to bring about a change in their approach to meet challenges in a competitive scenario. With the successful launch of services like the HP Gas help line ‘1716’; 8 am to 8 pm service seven days of the week; and refill delivery within 24 hours; various other initiatives were also undertaken which included new dealer signage at 1200 distributors; and face-lift for all bulk LPG tank trucks, packed trucks and distributor vehicles.