They are less likely to recommend firms in this space, along with those in the energy sector, because of a poor customer experience
UK consumers have been found to be more likely to warn peers from using most major telecoms providers, rather than recommending them, according to a new research
A poll of over 2,000 adults from customer service consultancy firm EY-Seren found telecoms and energy were the only two sectors to see such a trend.
Other sectors saw positive reinforcement with consumers more willing to recommends brands in technology, retail, travel, insurance and banking, than not recommending.
BT, EE, TalkTalk, and Vodafone were the provided telecoms companies to be tested in the survey (see right). Only EE received more people saying they would recommend the brand, than actively discouraging it. The other brands saw more people discouraging friends and family from the brands.
TalkTalk received the most negative respondents out of the entire survey, even against energy companies.
Unwilling to change
Respondents also showed unwillingness to switch telecoms provider due to hassle, despite the dissatisfaction. Almost half (47 per cent) have not switched mobile phone providers in at least five years.
EY-Seren development director Ben Rubin said: “It’s clear that major telecoms and energy providers are failing to deliver the experience customers want. This could be anything from bad websites to annoying customer call centres, or just not being able to complete tasks quickly and simply.
“As competition increases, peer recommendations will become increasingly important and providers that don’t react quickly will find themselves on the back foot.”
