| Contents - Introduction
- Summary
- Price, quality
of service, company image, products & services
- Quality of service indicators
- Issues
CPI redesign |
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Introduction
During September 1999, a sample of 1055 UK
residential consumers were asked by research agency IPSOS-RSL about information they would
find useful when selecting a company to supply their fixed line telephone service at home.
This included their information on price, company image, product and service range, and a
variety of quality of service measures.
The purpose of this research was to examine the
factors which consumers consider important when selecting a fixed line supplier at home.
These results will assist in the review and redesign of the comparable performance
indicators.
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Summary
- All of the performance indicator measures were considered important
by at least 3 in 5 consumers when selecting a fixed line supplier.
- Price and quality of service were considered equally important
and was the information that consumers considered most important when selecting a
fixed line supplier. Range of products and services, and company image were considered
slightly less important.
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Price, quality of service, company image, products & services
- 9 in 10 consumers said that price and quality of service was
important to them, including 7 in 10 who said it was very important, when selecting a
fixed line telephone supplier at home. Range of products and services, and company image
was considered by only a third of consumers as ‘very important’.
- Tabloid readers, the lower social grades (DE), in rented households,
with children, and more-so in Scotland and the north than elsewhere, tended to consider
all the factors more important than their peers.
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Quality of service
indicators
- All the quality of service measures were considered important by at
least 8 in 10 consumers. Information on bill presentation and accuracy was considered most
important, probably because it directly relates to money, and their ability to check they
have been charged correctly. Information on complaint handling and faults was considered
‘very important’ by over half of consumers, both the estimated fault repair
times, and the frequency of faults. Installation information was slightly less important
than the other measures, although only marginally.
- Consumers were asked what other information they would find useful
when selecting a fixed line supplier. Three-quarters of consumers said there was nothing
else they would find useful. Of the remaining quarter, small numbers (less than 3% in
every instance) mentioned that information on company tariffs and special offers, contract
terms and details, and after sales services, amongst other things, would be useful.
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Issues
- Consumers claim that all the current quality of service information
(produced in the CPIs) would be important to them when selecting a fixed line supplier.
Given the low rate of switching however, and whether or not consumers would actually refer
to this information, understand it, and use it when selecting a supplier is another
matter.
- Given that consumers claim that they would consider this information
important, two important issues arise:
(i) It should be publicised that this information does exist and can
assist in comparisons between suppliers.
(ii) It should be produced in a user-friendly format, that they find
easy to understand and interpret.
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