Client Description

Top 10 Wireless Provider.

Background

Provider was experiencing higher rate of customer switching than in prior years, despite having improved upon customer satisfaction ratings for customer service over the prior year. Customer service had been identified as a weak point in the overall brand experience and it was assumed that this was a strong contributor to customer switching.

Objective

Gain insight into customer behavior driving recent switching behavior to isolate actionable retail strategies for improvement.

TPG Approach

• Customer Journey Map – from device purchase to end of plan contract.
• Telephonic and digital survey of customers whom had switched away from the provider in the last 6 months as well as a sample of current customers; sample sets established by age and key demographics as well as geographic location.
• Plan benefit stratification analysis – what plan features and provider benefits were most important and least important to target audience age groups.

Impact/Results

• Research revealed that customer service was ranked as the least important benefit regardless of carrier or plan.
• Customer service and “hand-holding” was ranked very high at the front-end of the purchase of a cellular device, but was not considered important after the purchase was complete and the customer was familiar with the device.
• Highest ranking drivers of loyalty were overall plan cost, network quality and plan structure (how much data).
• Plan assortment adjustmetn and shift in pricing structure succeeded in decreasing the rate of customer shifting.
• Company value increased over the following two years, positioning it to become a stronger MA target.