Bangkok--30 Jun--Ericsson
New Ericsson ConsumerLab report – Enhancing the Consumer Experience – investigates the overall satisfaction of smartphone owners in the US and Brazil in five “touch point” areas; in other words, areas where consumers interact with operators and their services. These are:
-initial experience – product selection and sign-up process
-billing and payment process – terms and conditions regarding bill payment
-account management – the ability to get, change or track account information either online, over the phone or in person
-service and support – customer service representatives’ ability to solve technical or performance issues
-loyalty building – receiving ongoing personalized service and awards for being a loyal customer.
The results show that 59 percent of respondents in the US were completely satisfied with the initial experience, compared with 53 percent in previous year, and 56 percent felt the same about service and support, up 5 percent. The figure for those who were completely satisfied with loyalty building also increased by 5 percent, to 47 percent
The trend is very much the same in Brazil although starting from a lower level. Thirty-four percent of Brazilian respondents were completely satisfied with initial experience, compared with 26 percent in the previous study, and 25 percent rated service and support the same way, which was up 4 percent.
Bunyati Kirdniyom, Head of Communications and Regulatory Affairs, Ericsson Thailand, says: “The shift shows that operators have worked successfully during the last two years to improve consumer experience in the studied touch point areas. Compared with the previous study, we can see improvements in all areas, with the biggest improvements in the initial experience area.”
Looking at what determines consumers’ overall satisfaction with operators, network performance is the most important (chosen by 18 percent of respondents in the US and 13 percent in Brazil), followed by value for money (9 percent in the US and 11 percent in Brazil).
On the other hand, trust in the operator is mainly driven by rewards for being a loyal customer (chosen by 19 percent of respondents in the US and 10 percent in Brazil), and personalized service and attention (14 percent in the US and 18 percent in Brazil).
There is always room to improve customer satisfaction, and results show that operators need to continuously maintain and enhance the following capabilities:
-speed – provide customer service representatives with the ability to make immediate decisions that solve problems quicker
-simplicity – ensure that offerings are easier to understand
-24/7 customer support – maintain round-the-clock availability of customer support for troubleshooting
-customization – give consumers the opportunity to personalize services to meet their specific individual needs
However, securing a great user experience goes beyond just customer relationship management. Results show that the following areas can contribute to securing an optimal consumer experience also in the future:
-transparency – avoid hidden clauses in contracts and other communication with the consumer
•efficiency – guarantee that a problem will be resolved within a specific time period, and apply penalties when it is not
-proactivity – recommend cost savings based on past consumption
-consumers in control – offer consumers the tools they need to keep track of usage and spending in real time.