Over one-fourth of wireless
phone customers have replaced landline connections at
home and are now using wireless service exclusively to communicate on a
daily basis, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 U.S. Wireless Contract Regional Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study-Volume 2 released today.
The
study finds that among the 27 percent of current wireless customers who
report replacing their traditional landline phone with wireless
service, 61 percent have completely disconnected their home landline
service. Additionally, 29 percent of wireless customers ages 18 to 24
report making this switch, compared with only 9 percent of subscribers
65 years or older. Customers who have used wireless longer are also
more likely to switch exclusively to wireless service. In particular,
customers who have used wireless service for 3 years or more report
higher land-line disconnection levels than those who have used wireless
for less than 12 months (19 percent vs. 9 percent, respectively).
Satisfaction levels are also much higher among those who have decided
to disconnect their landline (691 points) compared with those who still
have the service in their home (681 points). "The user
experience has steadily improved for wireless customers, and the number
of features and applications available for cell phones has increased
considerably during the past 2 years, so it is not unexpected to find
that many wireless subscribers are choosing to replace their landline
phone entirely with wireless service," said Kirk Parsons, senior
director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. "Wireless
service has truly improved to the point where quality and performance
are no longer barriers in the decision-making process around switching
to exclusive wireless service usage."
The
semiannual study measures customer satisfaction based on six key
factors that impact overall wireless carrier performance. In order of
importance, they are: call quality (32%); brand image (17%); cost of
service (14%); service plan options (14%); billing (12%); and customer
service (11%). Carriers are ranked across six regions in the United
States: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, North Central, Southwest
and West.
Volume 2 of the 2008 U.S. Wireless Contract Regional Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study is based on responses from 20,269 wireless users. The results are from the fielding period between February and June 2008.