THE world of telecommunications, especially the mobile phone, has stolen Ellianah Wati Setiady’s heart. It’s no wonder then that the 39-year-old technocrat loves her job at PT Trikomsel Oke Tbk. “Telecommunication technology develops very fast, and it is no exaggeration to say that mobile phones have become a primary need,” said Ellianah, the company’s operational director.
Established in 1996, Trikomsel is an official Nokia distributor. Since 1998 the public company has also handled Sony Ericsson and in 2007 it expanded the business by selling cell phones of several other brands even though Nokia continues to be its major brand.
Ellianah believes that cell phone market in Indonesia has great potential. She set a sales growth target for Trikomsel of at least 20 percent in 2010. To achieve this, the company plans to open five new branches early this year in different cities, including in Kudus and Purwokerto, Central Java. “This projection is based on potential customers. Kudus has great potential with more than 100 retailers and many direct consumers. Besides, it has high purchasing power,” said Ellianah.
Ellianah acknowledges that old brands like Nokia cannot rest on their laurels. Cell phones from China, with more than 80 brands, are flooding the low end market. Not only do they come with quite complete features, they are also selling at affordable prices. Some of them even have designs that are similar to famous brands. There are also new brands that attract the high end market such as iPhone and BlackBerry.
However, Ellianah is still optimistic that this year strong brands like Nokia, which continues to innovate, will still dominate the market in Indonesia. “This can be seen from the huge market share of Nokia in Indonesia, which is 57 percent-58 percent,” she said.
Ellianah acknowledged that the new brands would affect Nokia sales, albeit not significantly. “Even if it affects the market share, it will not be more than 5 percent. Because it only affects the high segment, which is not more than 10 percent,” she explained.
The company’s operational director since July last year, the Arkansas State University graduate is responsible for sales and distribution of Nokia products in the country. It is not an easy challenge. But with good management and by focusing on its core business, Trikomsel has grown significantly. Trikomsel has also expanded its business network, from being a distributor of cell phones and operators’ products to becoming a telecommunication provider with the OkeShop brand.
All of these, according to Ellianah, have made Trikomsel a leading multimedia solution provider that allows companies to improve the welfare of its stakeholders (customers, employees and shareholders). Thanks to its excellent operations and service, Trikomsel has seen dramatic growth and has established itself as a leading retail company.
Ellianah said that OkeShop is now the biggest cell phone retailer in Asia combining a multi-brand, multi-operator and lifestyle store concept in a new One Stop Service concept. “This is illustrated by the availability of the Oke Reload service for convenience in recharging electronic vouchers and Oke Plus for multimedia download,” said the mother of two boys, Ryan and Raymond.
Early in 2000, OkeShop had 40 shops and by 2004 the number of shops had increased to 400, while two years later it had 564 shops. At the end of 2007 the number had increased to 707 and at the end of 2008 it was 808. They are located in 141 cities throughout Indonesia, including the Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) and other cities in Java, Sumatera, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Bali, Lombok and as far as Papua.
With distribution line support in 141 cities and more than 800 outlets in strategic locations such as shopping malls, modern supermarkets and bookshops all over the country, Trikomsel stands out as a leading distributor, especially for wireless communication products and multimedia gadgets.
OkeShop’s success is reflected in the many national and international awards it has received, like “The Best National Distributor” from Indosat, “The Best Multimedia Sales Reward and The Best High End Product Sales Reward” from Nokia and “Superbrand Award” from Superbrand Indonesia.
As a distributor of famous brands, and also a service company, Trikomsel takes customer satisfaction seriously. Ellianah underscores Trikomsel’s commitment to give the very best to customers by providing original products with official guarantees. “Trikomsel has set a target that in 2010 it will develop more than 1,000 OkeShop outlets and expand the service to reach 225 cities in Indonesia,” she said.
Ellianah is aware that her company’s success is dependent on human resources as its most valuable asset. In the past few years, Trikomsel has introduced various retention programs for its staff and employees such as improved and transparent career development, various training programs and continuous improvement in compensation packages. “Trikomsel also has similar programs to attract new qualified employees to be stationed outside big cities and in remote areas where OkeShop is located,” she said. (Burhan Abe)
The Jakarta Post, February 24, 2010
