Canadians’ trust in telecom companies is on the rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study conducted by the University of Victoria.
The study notes that past results had carriers showing signs of trouble, as nearly all of the companies saw a decline in their brand trust scores. However, results from this year depict that several telecom companies are showing improvement after the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
Researchers at the university measured 7,800 Canadian consumers’ opinions about well-known brands between January 8th and February 10th. In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, the research team mobilized a follow-up study to understand how consumer trust has shifted amid the pandemic.
The project manager for the study provided MobileSyrup with specific statistics, which revealed that Rogers and Bell’s overall brand trust scores increased by eight points between the results from the main survey fielded in January and the follow-up survey conducted in April.
Similarly, Shaw Communications’ trust score increased by five points. These statistics outline that consumers’ trust in their service providers increased amid the pandemic.
Telus’ overall brand trust score declined slightly by three points between the two surveys. However, the carrier remained the most trusted telecom company, according to the study.
The findings from this study are similar to that of a recent one conducted by global communications firm Edelman. The study also found that Canadians’ trust in the telecommunications sector increased amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study examined the change in Canadians’ trust towards the sector from January to May. It outlined that the telecommunications sector saw a 19 point jump in trust among Canadians, from 52 percent to 71 percent.
Canadians’ increase in trust towards telecom companies could be due to the measures that several carriers have taken amid the pandemic to help customers. For instance, many carriers waived internet data caps and roaming charges in March. Some carriers also say they are offering flexible payment options to their customers.
