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Study Finds Wireless Customer Care Satisfaction Highest in Online Mobile Channels
Wireless companies have had a spotty service record over the years when it comes to customer support. It’s important to remember, however, that wireless carriers are not a uniform group. Some customers have contracts, and others operate via the pay-as-you-go model with no contracts. It’s a given that these two groups would have different experiences from one another.
There is now evidence that customer satisfaction – both with contract and non-contract customers – varies wildly according to the channels customers use to reach out for customer service. This is according to the 14th annual edition of a study conducted by research group J.D. Power.
The J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Full-Service Performance Study—Volume 2, and the J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Non-Contract Performance Study—Volume 2 were released recently. Both studies examine how well wireless carriers are servicing their customers via a variety of channels, including telephone, which consists of two subchannels (automated response system [ARS] followed by live customer service representative [CSR (News - Alert)]; and ARS only); walk-in (retail store); and online (Web site, online chat and social media). The studies sought to measure satisfaction with each contact channel while also analyzing processing issues, such as the efficiency of problem resolution and the duration of hold times. Satisfaction was calculated on a 1,000-point scale.
The studies found that with both groups of customers, online mobile customer self-service is at an all-time high. Nearly half (47 percent) of customers who had a customer service contact during the previous three months used the channel, compared with 42 percent just six months ago. It also revealed that wireless customers today are more satisfied when using online customer care channels via their mobile devices. Online satisfaction was considerably higher when using a smartphone or tablet for online care, compared with using a desktop or laptop computer (835 vs. 766, respectively). Online satisfaction was found to be especially high when a customer used a mobile device associated with their account (840) to seek service.
“Given the number of dedicated contact channels available, the self-service channels generate the largest increases in contact volume over time and represent a growing trend among customers who prefer that experience vs. more in-person contact,” said Kirk Parsons (News - Alert), senior director and technology, media & telecom practice leader at J.D. Power, in a statement. “Some of the main influences contributing to the frequency gains in self-service channels are the proliferation of mobile device usage and the improved experience in user interface and technology that allow for multiple inquiries, faster response and higher overall satisfaction.”
J.D. Power analysts noted that, as customer care usage patterns continue to change, it's important for wireless carriers to meet or exceed the service expectations of the growing self-service channels and the different platforms and devices that can access customer information and help assist when problems arise.
The study also found that while customer satisfaction has improved the most in online mobile channels, it has also improved across other channels, including social media, which earned a score of 836, email (827), carrier Web site (826) and online chat (813).
Edited by Alicia Young