Virgin Mobile dominates the “2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study”

The 2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study by J.D Power opening paragraph starts by stating that the evolving wireless technology and new wireless providers (WIND Mobile, DAVE Wireless & Public Mobile) are making customers less loyal and less likely to recommend their current service providers.

Lubo Li at J.D. Power and Associates in Toronto said “The anticipation of new entrants into the Canadian wireless market has led consumers to develop more of a ‘wait and see’ mentality, making them less willing to commit to their current providers. Also, the continuing evolution of new technologies has provided customers with more choices than ever before. As more applications and capabilities become available, customers are increasingly basing their purchase decisions on devices and their features, rather than on service providers.”

The study was conducted between September & October 2009 of 15,000 mobile phone users found the following:
- 32% of customers in Canada own a smartphone
- 70% indicate they use their devices for personal purposes
- 30% indicate for business reasons
- Wireless customers report downloading apps: 32% are social media apps; 32% are games; 29% travel tools (maps & weather services); 28% are business/professional programs
- 34% of smartphone users report experiencing a problem with their device
- 18% traditional mobile phone users reported problem that the device “freezes” and needs to be rebooted

The study also goes into great detail about carriers and devices. Based on a 1,000-point scale, rankings are provided for postpaid service providers, prepaid service providers, and mobile phone brands.

The Customer satisfaction with postpaid service and prepaid service is measured in five factors: call quality; billing; service plan options; cost of service; and customer service. The Mobile phone satisfaction (not including smartphones) is measured based on customer ratings in four factors: features, physical design, battery and operation. The Smartphone satisfaction is based on customer ratings in five factors: features, physical design, battery, operation and operating system. J.D. Powers study found:

Postpaid Wireless Service Provider Rankings
Virgin Mobile ranks highest with a score of 758 and performs particularly well in the customer service and service plan options factors. Following Virgin Mobile in the segment rankings are Koodo Mobile (755) and Sasktel (716). Koodo Mobile performs particularly well in the billing, call quality and cost of service factors.

Prepaid Wireless Service Provider Rankings
Virgin Mobile ranks highest among prepaid wireless service providers for a fifth consecutive year and achieves a score of 752. Virgin Mobile performs particularly well in all five factors driving prepaid wireless customer satisfaction.

Mobile Phone Brand Rankings
Of all manufacturers, Sanyo took top spot and ranks highest in customer satisfaction among traditional mobile phone brands with a score of 709 on a 1,000-point scale. LG follows in the ranking with a score of 698 and performs particularly well in the operation factor. Sony Ericsson ranks third in the segment with a score of 690.

Smartphone Brand Rankings
Apple ranks highest in customer satisfaction among smartphone brands with a score of 803 and performs particularly well in the features, physical design, operation and operating system factors. Nokia follows in the ranking with a score of 732 and performs particularly well in the battery factor.

Check out these charts below for complete results:

Related posts:

1. Sony Ericsson ranked highest among wireless mobile phones brands in the J.D. Power and Associates Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study.
2. Fido awarded Wireless Canadian Customer Satisfaction Award
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