19 July 2019

Other reasons provided for a decline in overall customer satisfaction scores include commoditisation, market maturity and a lack of visible differentiation

 

The South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi) for mobile operators recorded a drop in satisfied customers among all operators.

Vodacom came top in the 2018 survey of customer perception, with a satisfaction score of 74.8. The figure is down 4.4% from 2017, where the company scored 79.2. MTN came second with a score of 71.8, which is down from the 74.2 it achieved in 2017.

Meanwhile, Cell C saw its score drop to 71.4 from the 76.7 it recorded the previous year. Both MTN and Cell C’s 2018 scores place them below the industry average of 73.3.

The SAcsi is a measure of customer perception, as opposed to network quality or speeds.

“While mobile networks have focused on technical and infrastructural delivery and handset upgrades in terms of capturing customer loyalty, customers have indicated via the SAcsi that the seemingly softer perceptual drivers such as perceived value for money, quality of relationship and service levels and competent complaints handling are what matter most to them,” said professor Adré Schreuder, SAcsi chairperson. “All networks are highly concerned with acquisition, infrastructure and competing, however none are making a clear value proposition around customer-centricity.”

Other reasons provided by SAcsi for the three major companies showing a decline in overall customer satisfaction scores in the past 12 months, include commoditisation, market maturity and a lack of visible differentiation.