News: Tesco Mobile ranked best mobile provider, EE left trailing
The UK mobile market is undergoing huge changes at the moment, with consolidation rife and operators trying to attract more customers while also rolling out faster and more reliable 4G networks.
Last month, Carphone Warehouse announced its new iD mobile network, BT is in the process of buying EE, and Three is acquiring O2.
Meanwhile Satmetrix, the leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for managing and improving customer experience, released its UK Net Promoter benchmark reports ranking UK companies according to consumers’ likelihood of recommending them, covering 9 sectors and more than 60 well-known brands.
The survey found that Tesco Mobile ranked at the top of the customer loyalty charts in the mobile sector with a Net Promoter Score of +38. UK mobile operator EE unfortunately ranked bottom of the sector with a very poor score of -7. In terms of the other sectors in the Satmetrix report, First Direct, Santander and Freeview topped the charts, with MBNA bank also rising up the ranks.
Tesco Mobile tops the customer loyalty charts in mobile
“We are pleased to announce Net Promoter Benchmark reports for the UK this year, replicating our research in the US, which has become a crucial resource for companies looking to get ahead of the competition with their customer experience”, said Brendan Rocks, head of data science at Satmetrix.
“The Net Promoter leaders are more likely to enjoy high customer retention, lower customer acquisition costs, and ultimately benefit from more sustainable growth. Many of the companies at the bottom of the rankings have huge potential to improve, and Satmetrix’s research brings to light the areas of the customer experience where they lag competitors”.
The Net Promoter Score includes customer views on ease of use, access to support, company reputation, treating customers fairly and value for money. 11,000 UK customers were surveyed.
Highlights from the 2015 UK report
The top 10 Net Promoter Scores across all sectors are as follows:
- First Direct (+2)
- Nationwide Building Society (+43)
- Freeview (+38) / Tesco Mobile (+38)
- Plusnet (+37)
- LV (+34) / Hargreaves Lansdown (+34)
- Santander credit cards (+28) / Tesco Bank credit card (+28)
- Santander banking (+27)
It seems that Tesco Mobile is winning back customers’ loyalty with extra, value-added services. Tesco Mobile has the highest mobile industry score with +38, and furthermore its credit card offering also ranked highly, demonstrating that Tesco as a brand is rated highly in all areas by consumers.
Unfortunately, in terms of the UK’s other mobile operators, EE and Vodafone are bottom of the rankings for both mobile and Internet services. EE scored a dismal -7 for mobile and -17 for Internet, with Vodafone respectively scoring -1 and -18. Given the shifting market and the increased bundling of services in the mobile and media industry they face tough competition that’s only likely to intensify over time.
Full results of the Satmetrix survey saw Tesco Mobile rated first, Three came second, O2 third, Virgin Mobile fourth, Vodafone was fifth and EE sixth.
A Tesco spokesperson stated that “We go out of our way to push the boundaries of what people should expect from their mobile network; introducing 4G at no extra cost, helping customers avoid nasty bill shocks by capping their contracts and our industry leading tariff promise which protects consumers from mid-contract price hikes. “We’re extremely proud of our UK-based customer support team and praise from our customers is the best recognition we can hope to receive”.
“To see that Tesco Mobile is the leader in this comprehensive survey of consumer opinion is wonderful news and shows we are doing the right thing for our customers.”
Tesco launches Apple Watch app
Meanwhile, it appears that Tesco is embracing new consumer devices such as the Apple Watch. The company has just updated its mobile banking app to include “Balance Peek”, enabling customers to quickly and easily check their balance or add one of their accounts via Apple Watch.
The Mobile Banking App has also been updated to allow customers with an iPhone to view their balance in the Notification Centre on their phone.
Grant Bourbousson, digital and marketing director at Tesco Bank, said: “We aim to deliver a world-class digital banking experience for customers and we are delighted to offer one of the first banking apps on Apple Watch available in the UK”.
Customer will be able to peek at their selected balances by dragging down the Balance Peek draw on their smartphone, or by launching Tesco Bank on the Apple Watch (or in the Notification Centre on an iPhone).
It’s great to see Tesco leading the way when it comes to mobile banking and its mobile network. Let’s hope that in terms of mobile, EE and the other networks up their game…
You can find more information about the Satmetric benmchmarks here.
