Our Wireless Carriers: What We Love And Hate

Smartphones. Ubiquitous, necessary, entertaining, and the way we connect to our world. Behind those smartphones are our wireless carriers who provide the infrastructure that allow us to make calls, download data, watch videos, play games, and read the news. So what kind of customer experience do the wireless carriers provide—and what do we love and hate about them?

Market Force has just released the results of its CX competitive benchmarks for wireless carriers in both the US and the UK. In addition to identify category winners the research pointed to some key themes:

What We Hate:

1. Contracts. Consumers gave much higher ratings to non-contract providers (vs. full service) across the board. In the US, seven brands scored higher than any of the four full service providers, led by Consumer Cellular. Non-contract providers are disrupting full service providers—as evidenced by T-Mobile’s dramatic changes to no longer require contracts.
2. Dropped calls and poor connection quality. In the US, 12% of consumers (17% in the UK) planned to switch providers in the next 12 months—with value being the top driver. And what do consumers say is a source of poor value? Dropped calls, poor quality connections, and slow data transfer rates—all related to connectivity. 

What We Love:

1. Great sales associates. Great sales associates create great customer experiences. They ask about what we really need and make pertinent recommendations. In the US, 40% of consumers (33% in the UK) buy what the sales associate recommends.
2. Self service. We need and want a good website with the right information and content. It’s much better to do it yourself online than haggle with reaching the contact center, online chat, or going to the store. In the UK, a great website predicted both customer satisfaction and value ratings.  

With the big four carriers there are limited options for consumers. Many of us are opting for non-contract providers who focus on network quality, great sales associates, and a self-service model. Find out more about what makes us choose one carrier over another by scheduling a briefing. We’d be glad to walk you through the research.