Cable, Wireless Satisfaction Survey Finds High Distrust Levels

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Less than half (42%) of cable TV subscribers and only a little over half of wireless customers (54%) trust their service provider, according to a new cable and wireless satisfaction survey from Salesforce.com.

Other highlights from the research:

  • Four in 10 Millennial cable subscribers (41%) and 40 percent of Millennial mobile phone owners said monthly bills are too confusing.
  • When it comes to post-sales customer service, 40 percent of mobile phone owners and 56 percent of cable subscribers said they got better customer service when they threatened to switch.

Harris Poll surveyed 2,210 U.S. adults in gathering the data for Salesforce.com – 2,067 were mobile phone owners and 1,703 were cable subscribers.

Cable, Wireless Satisfaction Survey

Fortunately, the Salesforce.com research also noted ways that cable and wireless providers can improve their customer satisfaction.

Researchers noted, for example, that 17 percent of young adult Millennials (age 18-34) said too much paperwork was involved in buying a mobile phone. The Millennials also were three times more likely to cite additional or hidden fees during the mobile sign-up process than Baby Boomers 55 and older: 21 percent as compared to 7 percent.

Noting that T-Mobile continues to attract subscribers from competitors, at least in part because of clear pricing plans, researchers advise wireless providers to offer pricing plans with no hidden fees. Approaching half of mobile phone owners surveyed said they would be more satisfied if their service providers would do that.

Other opportunities: 44 percent of Millennial cable subscribers and 40 percent of Millennial mobile phone owners said that discounted OTT services, such as streaming TV and music, would make them feel more satisfied with their service providers. One-quarter of Millennial mobile phone owners (26%) said they would like to see personalized interaction based on customer data.

The upshot for wireless/mobile carriers is that they need to make the mobile phone and service purchasing process as easy and good as it is to purchase a book on Amazon, hire an Uber driver or order food online if they want to attract and keep Millennials as customers.