Thought leader
Digitisation and technological advances are central to the telecommunication and internet service provider (ISP) industries. Consumers expect to be connected 24/7 and technology allows for an immediate response to most queries. This mind-set of immediacy and on demand filters down to what is expected in terms of service delivery. Customers want instant gratification and a seamless service delivery experience that is delivered to them in a personalised, yet professional way.
Responsiveness becomes the new currency
“When the ultimate scarcity is time, responsiveness becomes the new currency. We live in the digital age of immediacy and on-demand. Customers want what they want, how they want it and when they want it. On top of that, they want life enhancing experiences. If all this can be achieved via mobile while cocooning at home, all the better. It’s about safety and control,” said Sarina de Beer, MD of Ask Afrika.
Technological advances have redefined our expectations of what speed and responsiveness mean, instant gratification is not a new concept, but consumers have less patience and ‘instant’ has become faster. Uber is a great example of this. Service delivery channels are often online or digitised, for example, social media, online orders, online chat customer service, or instant messaging. There are new expectations of access and availability and real-time delivery is expected. All service delivery needs to mimic the digital experience of ease and convenience. Agility is key.
People vs process
According to the most recent Ask Afrika Orange index which objectively ranks 33 industry sectors and 132 companies based on a sample that represents South Africa as a whole, treating customers as individuals, yet in a professional manner is what matters most.
“Touch point or channels are not optimally delivering on transactional experiences. Processes are letting us down and detracting from customer experiences, relationships, trust, reputation and loyalty,” said de Beer.
Transactional efficiency and getting processes right is essential and is almost, but not quite as important as creating positive emotional experiences for customers. Assurance drives customer satisfaction in the mobile industry. Reliability, trust, reputation, first call resolution (FCR), empathy and relationship with the customer are also vital.
Emotional Satisfaction
“Ask Afrika’s service model talks strongly to humanness, and at the heart of humanness is emotion. Emotions are also critical to understanding how consumers make decisions and behave. By measuring emotion we capture a more accurate response, undiluted by rationalisation. This helps us to fully comprehend why people think and act the way they do,” said de Beer.
Cognitive satisfaction alone does not build brand loyalty. Rather, humanness is a moderator
for the impact of emotional experience on loyalty. There is a relationship between emotions, attitudes, cognition, brand interest and purchase intent. Measuring emotion, provides a deeper and more holistic understanding of consumer behaviour and highlights the emotional connections that consumers have with brands.
These are just some of the top-line trends unpacked at the recent Ask Afrika Orange Index Service and Diagnostics Conference held at The Gordon Institute for Business Science (GIBS).
Company and industry rankings
Comparing the 2016 Ask Afrika Orange Index to 2015 scores, overall service levels have decreased slightly together with delight scores. Service levels have gone down as brands are not mastering the balance between overall satisfaction and emotional satisfaction. There were, however, improvements in certain industries with companies within the telecommunications sector showing some of the biggest increases in service delievery scores.
This was particularly true for internet service providers (ISPs) which as an industry, had the fourth biggest increase in the Ask Afrika Orange Index score in 2016. ISPs also made great advances in terms of emotional satisfaction, with companies in this industry garnering higher increases in emotional satisfaction scores than all other sectors. Certain industries have greater opportunity for eliciting positive emotions, and telecommunications and ISPs are both within the top 12 in this regard.
Telecommunications
Vodacom Mobile garnered first place in the Ask Afrika Orange Index telecommunications industry category in 2016 and 21st place overall, improving from 34th place overall in 2015. Cell C came second in the telecommunications industry category and Telkom Mobile third. Telkom Fixed Line showed the second biggest increase in emotional satisfaction out of all the companies measured. MTN won the telecommunication industry category in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Internet Service Providers
Cell C was the leading ISP in 2016 in the Ask Afrika Orange Index, providing the best service in this industry category and coming 68th overall, this was a great improvement from 140thposition in 2015. This jump was the fourth biggest improvement of the Orange Index score out of all the companies measured. Vodacom Internet secured second place in the ISP industry category and MWEB third place in 2016. Telkom Internet gained the biggest increase in emotional satisfaction out of 132 companies measured, Cell C Internet had the third biggest increase in emotional satisfaction and MTN Internet the fourth biggest. Vodacom Online won the ISP industry category in 2015, MWEB in 2014 and Vodacom internet in 2013.
Call Centre Index
Cell C was the overall Call Centre Index winner in 2016 and Vodacom came third for its call centre’s service delivery. Telkom garnered seventh place, MWEB 13th and MTN 14th position.
Background to the Ask Afrika Orange Index
The Ask Afrika Orange Index is one of the most widely-referenced service benchmarks in South Africa, measuring service within and across industry sectors. It measures customer and emotional satisfaction and loyalty and includes ten of the most relevant service benchmarks. The Ask Afrika Orange Index provides insights into the mass consumer social consciousness trends informing macro service strategy considerations. In 2016 it measured service performance across 33 industry sectors and 132 companies enabling a 360° view of the service performance of each company, as well as identifying service landscape changes. The robust sample of 15 000 interviewees is nationally representative and the data is independently audited by BDO and Dr Neethling.
The Ask Afrika Orange Index creates the platform to reflect societal changes, their impact and way forward to enable customers to re-align themselves to be customer centric and relevant. It measures beyond the transactional moment of truth and enables a future view. In addition, it creates opportunity to celebrate and reward dedicated service staff to keep focused on the journey.
To find out more or order Ask Afrika Orange Index research reports contact: (012) 428 7400 and speak to Dr Amelia Richards (amelia.richards@askafrika.co.za ) or Mariëtte Croukamp (Mariette.Croukamp@askafrika.co.za ).
About the Ask Afrika Group:
Ask Afrika Group is the largest independent South African market research company. The company focuses on local relevance, benchmarked against the global context, and is also a member of European, Market Research Organisation (ESOMAR). Apart from its South African footprint, Ask Afrika Group also operates in a dozen other African countries.
Ask Afrika Group is well known for delivering strategic and large-scale field projects and for creating benchmarks for industry.
Target Group Index (TGI) research, for which Ask Afrika Group owns the South African copyright, has an annual single source sample of 15 000 locally and 800 000 globally. It has a global geographic coverage of 70 markets, and measures services, products, media, and brands. Ask Afrika’s knowledge of brands is extensive and TGI is already used by the majority of Top 50 advertisers and media owners in South Africa. TGI complements local and global currencies. It has various integrated software modules and offers the most comprehensive insights into demographics, behaviour, product and brand use and attitudes.
The Ask Afrika Groups’ exclusive product suite includes the Ask Afrika Orange Index®, the Trust Barometer™, TGI, Ask Afrika ICON Brands™ and Ask Afrika Kasi Star Brands, the Digital Barometer and Gateway. Ask Afrika is known for its exceptional service delivery and innovation.
Website: www.askafrika.co.za
