Mobile Customers

T-Mobile takes first place for customer satisfaction among the UK's mobile phone retailers, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Among other findings, more than half those upgrading their handset in the last 12 months had switched to a different brand.

The 2004 UK Mobile Phone Retailer StudySM study measures customer satisfaction among the country's seven leading network-owned and independent mobile phone retailers.

The three factors driving customer satisfaction with mobile retailers are offerings and promotions (39%), staff (39%) and the store (22%). T-Mobile's score of 801 out of 1,000 is primarily influenced by high ratings for the last two of these. O2 (794) and independent retailers Phones 4U (786) and The Link (785) are next in the rankings.

Browsers at mobile phone stores (754) are significantly less satisfied overall than buyers (805), while customers in the North/Scotland area are more satisfied than those in the London/South area.

The study finds that the main reason customers choose a particular store is location (28%), followed by good previous experience (22%) and special offers (18%). Sales staff can have a significant impact on a customer's experience, with customers waiting an average of 2.4 minutes before being served, and spending just under 9 minutes speaking to a staff member.

The latter has a significant impact on customer satisfaction, according to Gunda Lapski, Director of Telecommunications and Utilities Services at J.D. Power and Associates. 'For example, customer satisfaction is generally much higher among customers who spend more than 7 minutes with a salesperson compared with those who talk with the sales staff for less time. However, if the salesperson spends that time pressuring the customer to make a purchase, it can be detrimental to the customer's perception of the sales experience'.

Although the percentage of customers feeling pressurised is small (4%), sales pressure has a considerable influence on the likelihood of visiting the store again - 40% of those who experienced pressure say they would definitely / probably not visit the store again.

The average customer spends £36 per month on mobile phone service. In the past 12 months, 51% of customers have upgraded their handset or switched their mobile phone service, and among those who upgraded, only 46% selected the same make / brand.

The study is based on face-to-face exit interviews with 1,095 consumers, split between both browsers and buyers at mobile phone stores across the United Kingdom. J.D. Power and Associates' European headquarters is located in Guildford, UK and its web site is at www.jdpower.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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