MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple continues to lead Dell and HP in customer service quality for phone-based technical support, but Apple’s support satisfaction among surveyed customers dropped significantly over the past 18 months, according to the latest study conducted by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). In telephone interviews immediately following a support call, 54% of Apple customers were “Very Satisfied” with the experience during the last six months of 2011, compared to 44% of Dell customers and 49% of HP customers. Apple’s satisfaction score is down 19 points from the first half of 2010, while Dell and HP have generally held steady over the past two years.
Looking at common complaints in 2011, less than 1% of Apple customers surveyed complained about the language skills of the support technician; much fewer than the 8% of Dell customers and 10% of HP customers with similar issues. Many customers also complained about the extra cost of out-of-warranty tech support, but Apple saw fewer complaints here, too. About 1% of Apple customers volunteered a cost complaint in this study, as compared to 6% of Dell customers and 6% of HP customers.
“Despite its significant decline, Apple continues to lead our survey in overall tech support quality,” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “But where Apple used to be well ahead in nearly every measure of service quality, there are now areas where Apple is tied with, or even behind, its competitors.”
About This Research
The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS)
tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone
interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer
service experience. Statistics in this press release are based on 4,852
surveys completed between May 2008 and December 2011. The NCSS is
underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the
companies covered.
Download the Executive Summary by visiting www.Vocalabs.com/published-research. To subscribe to the full data set, contact Vocalabs at inquiry@vocalabs.com, 952-941-6580, ext. 201.
About Vocalabs
Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs)
specializes in building effective customer feedback programs designed to
measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of
immediate live interviews and panel research to collect customer
feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools
serve the entire client organization, from executives to front-line
customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement.
Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.
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