Sales Tracking and Customer Relations Analyses

Aims

To analyse a set of data (in Microsoft Excel), and write a brief report (in Microsoft Word), identifying and explaining your insights into the operation of “The FedFone Co.”.

Learning Objectives

In the process of this assessment task you will:

• plan, schedule and execute project tasks with a view to improving your personal productivity;
• gain awareness of some typical issues related to the operation of a small-to-medium size business;
• use the functionality of Microsoft Excel 2007/2010 to manipulate data, analyse it and visualise it in tabular and chart form; and
• use the functionality of Microsoft Word to write a brief report of your business observations and recommendations.

Introduction

The FedFone Co. (FFC) sells mobile phones and accessories at three shops in the Ballarat area (i.e. High Street, Mall, Suburb) seven (7) days a week. The company also organises repairs for phones they sold but which have been damaged or become faulty. These activities are co-ordinated by five (5) FFC Sales Representatives (John, Paul, Ringo, George, Stuart). The company’s founder, Ms Georgie Martyn, like all small business owners, is always interested in finding ways to increase revenues and decrease expenses.

Ms Martyn has hired you as a business analyst and poses some operational-level questions about the performance of her business. She is also eager to hear your thoughts and ideas on how to improve the business and requires you to make several recommendations on how to improve the company’s performance, especially in relation to the following business objectives:

• improving the sales strategy;
• improving internal efficiencies and effectiveness; and
• building strong lasting relationships with its customers.

Ms Martyn has provided you with last year’s sales information in the “itech1005-5005 2014-27 assignment data.xlsx” file. The data needs to be analysed and visualised to help observations related to the business operation and its shortcomings.

The data worksheet “Sales” contains collected information of the consultancy’s operations in the first three months of the year. These details included:

• Date (of sale)
• Shop (where sale completed)
• Staff (i.e. Sales Representative name)
• Phone Model
• Phone Plan
• Phone Cover (accessory sold)
• Spare Battery (accessory sold)
• Charger Pack (accessory sold)
• Repair Details (type of problem with phone returned for repair)
• Repair Date (date received from customer for repair)
• Return Date (date returned to customer after repair)
• Software Update (service fee income)
• Training Time (hours spent training customers in phone use – service fee income)
• Insurance (service fee income)