Interview with Gaurav Suri, EVP & Head Marketing / Training at UTI Asset Management
PW: As a marketer what would you say are your current priorities?
GS: Today UTI boasts of by far the largest investor base amongst AMC’s. With recent pressures
on margins and cost of acquisition having gone up a clear priority area is leveraging this customer
base to cross sell/ up sell. For this better customer data management and analytics (on going and
predictive) would be an area of investment. Leveraging Social media for customer engagement
and harnessing the power of digital for reducing cost of keeping in touch are areas of focus for us.
Further we are trying to attempt behavior migration / inculcate customer self service attitude and
promote use of e commerce.
We have also started using De Dupe to arrive at strength of our relationships and unique
customer holdings, ascertain family holdings and then try to build a customer life time value
model.
PW: At UTI Asset Management, how has technology played a role in customer acquisition or
retention?
GS: Service is part of our fundamental product offering in mutual funds. As a result, technology
has helped us tremendously to reassure our customers and keep in touch more frequently. It has
also helped in reducing the fear related to managing one’s own money or taking decisions related
to investments. For acquisition analytics to figure out propensity to buy, using integrated digital
marketing to get a sharper sales funnel and using SEM has helped at our firm.
PW: How has technology played a role in new product development, market expansion or other areas?
GS: There is a small yet growing community of DIY ( do it yourself) customers who have started
transacting on- line , a lot of them are first time transactors and in their first jobs. Thus, helping us
acquire younger customers. Technology has helped create additional distribution infrastructure,
wherein we were the first ones to enable the NSE stock exchange platform for buying mutual
funds.
PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT component of marketing? And how aligned are the marketing and IT functions in the organization?
GS: While the digital activity which relies on technology infrastructure is part of the marketing
budget.( E mailing engine, Mobile platform, E commerce). The marketing team sits very
closely with IT to budget for additional investment into hardware or software required to enable
organizational goals.
[…] UTI Asset Management Company […]