TORONTO – Telus’ Koodo Mobile and SaskTel ranked highest in customer satisfaction with wireless providers in their respective regions for a second year in a row, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study.
The study, based on responses from 14,000 mobile phone users between October 2011 and March 2012, examines the perceptions of wireless customers with their service, mobile phone (for both traditional mobile phones and smart phone devices) and retail experience. Satisfaction is measured across network quality, cost of service, account management, offerings and promotions, customer service, handset, and sales process. Carriers are ranked in two segments, full-service and stand-alone providers, which are differentiated by the range of products and services offered, as well as the ability of customers to bundle wireless services with other offerings.
SaskTel ranked highest in customer satisfaction among full-service carriers with a score of 699 index points (on a 1,000 point scale), and performed well in network quality, offerings and promotions, and customer service. Telus Mobility (693) followed in the full-service rankings.
Koodo Mobile ranked highest in customer satisfaction among stand-alone carriers with a score of 752, and scored high in cost of service and offerings and promotions. PC Mobile (730) and Virgin Mobile (725) followed in the rankings.
While more than half (54%) of wireless customers in Canada currently own a smart phone, up from 36% in 2011, the study finds that the brands they select are shifting. Among smart phone owners in this study, 33% of their devices are Blackberry, down from 42% last year, while Apple (30%) and Samsung (13%) have each increased their share by four percentage points from 2011.
Overall wireless satisfaction in 2012 improved by 37 index points to 685, up from 648 in 2011, the study determined. This increase is primarily due to significant satisfaction increases in cost of service (+51 points), as well as in account management and offerings and promotions (+38 points each).
In addition, study findings also indicate carriers are improving communications to provide customers with billing clarity that enables them to better manage their accounts. In some cases, this is achieved through unlimited data plans – overall satisfaction among customers with unlimited data plans (733) is higher than among customers with tiered plans (700). While penetration for unlimited data plans remains low (12%), 31% of wireless customers indicate a preference for this type of plan.
Other highlights from the study include that, on average, wireless customers:
– Send and receive 26 texts in a 48-hour span, up from 19.5 in 2011;
– Conduct nine incoming/outgoing calls in a 48-hour span, down from 10 in 2011;
– Have used the same device for more than 20 months, up from 18 months in 2011; and
– Experience hold time of 6.7 minutes before speaking to a representative via the carrier's call centre.
In addition, on average, smart phone customers spend $3.20 per month on apps, and use an average of 3.7 apps per week. They also chose text messages as the preferred communication means (47%).
