Katie MarsalCustomer satisfaction in the personal computer industry suffered another series of declines last quarter, though one standout was Apple, Inc., which defied the trend by recording its largest gain ever, according to a new consumer satisfaction survey.
By comparison, the Mac maker's rivals combined for the second consecutive drop in overall customer satisfaction with the PC industry, which saw scores fall a full percentage point to a rating of 74, surrendering all gains made since 2005.
Apple's 8 percent leap puts 10 points between the company and its nearest rival, one of the largest gaps between first and second in any industry measured by ACSI.
"It’s hard not to be impressed with Apple," said Professor Claes Fornell, head of the ACSI. "This is product extension at its best where the new products, iPod and iPhone, are helping bring new customers to existing computer products. The fact that Apple is not dependent on the Windows Vista operating system hasn’t hurt either."
The industry aggregate decline was largely a result of customer dissatisfaction with Windows-based machines, namely those from Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, and Compaq, Fornell added. Each saw a 4 percent falloff in satisfaction, dropping their respective scores to 73, 72, and 70. One exception was Dell, which saw its score inch up a point to 75.
Meanwhile, customer satisfaction with the e-business category of websites surged 6 percent to an all-time high of 79.3, largely a result of achievements on the part of Google.
After slipping behind Yahoo! for the first time last year, the search giant surged an unparalleled 10 percent to leave all rivals in its wake, according to the ACSI. Google's score 86 also set a new standard for e-businesses and opened a formidable nine-point gap between its nearest competitor, Yahoo!, which fell 3 percent to score a 77.
Marko Zivkovic
Wesley Hilliard
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Andrew O'Hara
77 Comments
So this survey was conducted before the MobileMe and iPhone 3G problems? Right?
That's an impressive score, but given Apple's problems it suggests to me that the consumers just have really low expectations of consumer electronics these days
So this survey was conducted before the MobileMe and iPhone 3G problems? Right?
That's an impressive score, but given Apple's problems it suggests to me that the consumers just have really low expectations of consumer electronics these days
Consumer satisfaction does only measure whether a company has had problems or not. It also measures how well companies handled problems when they occur and leave the consumer feeling the problem was properly resolved.
This could be another measurement of people switching from Windows machines
to Macs, and then being comparatively more satisfied.
Customer satisfaction in the personal computer industry suffered another series of declines last quarter, though one standout was Apple, Inc., which defied the trend by recording its largest gain ever, according to a new consumer satisfaction survey.
Certainly a good thing, but a leap that large suggests that there was some problem with the data.
It should, however, put into perspective the scope of the problems people tend to whine about incessantly on these boards. It becomes an echo chamber (both for praise and for discontent) but in the broader market, the problems are very minimal.
So this survey was conducted before the MobileMe and iPhone 3G problems? Right?
That's an impressive score, but given Apple's problems it suggests to me that the consumers just have really low expectations of consumer electronics these days
Mr. H . . .
Please, please try to remember this little aphorism, for it will help you with the rest of your life:
"The greatest enemy of EXCELLENCE is not MEDIOCRITY. It is PERFECTION." Perfectionists are forever doomed to a life of disappointment and gloom.
FYI: A nationally syndicated consumer advocate in Denver (Tom Martino) often reminds his listeners that ALL--I repeat, ALL--companies make mistakes. The larger the company, the larger the mistakes. (Witness Microsoft VISTA.) The important measure of those companies is how they deal with problems AFTER they are brought to light.
As Apple grows, mistakes will--necessarily--arise more frequently and with more impact on consumers. That is inevitable, for the company is no longer a boutique, cult operation appealing to a very small minority. As consumers we must focus on how they deal with their errors and how they "make good" on them. So far, I've been more than pleased with their service. 'Tis pity if you have not.