Cable operators managed to crack the top five of a recent J.D. Power telecom technician satisfaction survey, with Charter Communications’ Spectrum brand placing second behind Dish Network.
The survey -- the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Telecom In-Home Service Technician Study -- looked at a wide range of satisfaction touch points, including ease of making appointments, the use of social media, the web and apps for follow-up and others.
FREE WEBINAR: Pay TV Customer Care: Managing The Customer Life Cycle, March 27
“It’s not enough for a telecom service technician to simply show up on time, exchange pleasantries and fix the problem,” J.D. Power said in a press release, adding that providers with “stand-out levels of customer satisfaction are executing a well-choreographed, multi-channel communications campaign that incorporates web, mobile and social media, in addition to traditional phone and in-home service call interactions.”
Dish Network finished first in the rankings with a score of 889 points out of a possible 1,000. Charter placed second with a score of 867 and AT&T/DirecTV was a close third with a score of 865 points.
According to the study, some of the key components of a good score was punctuality -- overall satisfaction was lower (750 points) for providers that arrived early or late to appointments vs. those that appeared on time (874 points). Customers also valued the ease of making appointments. While the phone was the most common way to schedule an appointment (83% of those surveyed did it that way) it was the least satisfying (765 points). Scheduling via web site or mobile app scored highest (845 and 831, respectively).
Customers that received service notifications via their mobile app also were more satisfied (876) than those that received notifications through email (836), text message (809), phone representative (799), or automated phone message (795). J.D. Power added that only 5% of customers receive notifications via mobile app and 11% receive them via e-mail. The phone remains the most common means of receiving notifications (86%).
J.D. Power noted that follow-ups after service calls go a long way to improving overall satisfaction. According to the study, overall satisfaction increases by 74 points when the provider contacts the customer after a tech visit to ensure everything is running smoothly. When the tech offers to schedule a follow-up visit to fix any outstanding issues, overall satisfaction increases by 90 points.
“Service technicians are critical front-line ambassadors for their brand, but securing high customer satisfaction with the service experience requires a lot more than just a capable technician,” said J.D. Power managing director Ian Greenblatt said in a press release. “The brands that are most effectively managing the in-home service customer experience are communicating in advance with customers across multiple communications platforms. They make it easy to request service, accurately project the technician arrival time and follow up to address outstanding issues. Doing all of this well requires an enterprise-wide commitment to service.”
