Survey: Mobile Device Users Want Smoother Service Uptake

Though the market itself is expected to fall this year compared to last, making mobile applications and services less complex could steer some U.S. and U.K. consumers toward purchases and new technologies in the space, according to a new survey commissioned by an Edison, New Jersey-based mobile device management company.

 

Officials at Mformation (News - Alert) say their survey of 4,000 people showed that 95 percent of mobile users would use more data services if setup were easier.

 

According to Matthew Bancroft (News - Alert), vice president at the company, operators and device manufacturers need to remove barriers to service uptake and unlock the power of advanced mobile technology.

 

“The message from consumers is that phone setup is simply too complex,” Bancroft said. “Clearly, this needs to be addressed. ‘Up and running straight out-of-the-box’ means exactly that, and our research shows that improving this aspect of the mobile phone purchasing experience will help to improve profitability for many players in our industry.”

 

The profit would be welcome among mobile device and application makers.

 

As TMCnet reported, the world’s largest maker of mobile devices predicts that industry mobile device volumes will be down in 2009 compared to 2008, because of the continuing overall economic slowdown.

 

Officials at Finland-based Nokia say the financial crisis, combined with unprecedented currency volatility, has cut global consumer spending.

 

“The weaker consumer spending has impacted many industries, including the global mobile device market,” Nokia (News - Alert) officials say. “The mobile device market has also been negatively impacted by the more limited availability of credit, which has limited the purchasing ability of some of our trade customers.”

 

The company called for about 330 million mobile devices to be sold worldwide in the fourth quarter, down from initial projections.

 

It isn’t clear whether complex set issues are contributing to that decline as well, yet they’re preventing 45 percent of people from upgrading to new, more sophisticated mobile phones. Also, the survey found, 61 percent of mobile users say phone setup is as frustrating as changing a bank account.

 

Not surprisingly, part of what Mformation does is make those complex set issues less complex.

“The company’s research encompasses all aspects of management, from automation, configuration and diagnostics to firmware and software management, security, customer management and more,” Mformation officials say on their Web site.

 

In the company survey, 78 percent of respondents said they would change their handsets more regularly if the setup process was less painful. Basic services such as email (46 percent), Internet browsing (40 percent), instant messaging (30 percent) and picture messaging (29 percent) are among the top applications and services that people find don’t always work when they first switch on their phone, according to the company.

 

For Bancroft, though subscribers are clearly convinced of the value of mobile services, 85 percent of the people Mformation surveyed find it frustrating to have to go through a number of steps when they want to activate a service or application.

 

“It’s a bit like getting a new gadget, then finding that the batteries aren’t included,” Bancroft said. “Providing mobile subscribers with a more seamless experience will remove these pains.”