Survey Results Outline Consumer Fears and Motivations for Buying Wireless
Service From Cable and Satellite Providers
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CSG Systems
(Nasdaq: CSGS), a leading provider of customer care and billing solutions,
today announced the results of a new consumer survey, designed to uncover the
factors that will entice consumers to buy wireless service from their cable or
satellite provider.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020627/CSGSLOGO )
CSG commissioned the survey with the belief that 2006 will mark the first
time that cable and satellite consumers will be able to purchase television,
high-speed data, digital phone and wireless phone service, all from the same
provider.
Survey results revealed that consumers would be willing to try wireless
service from their cable or satellite provider if the elements of price,
features, packaging and marketing aligned in new ways that play to the video
market's strength, without compromising the wireless pricing and features they
receive today.
Some key findings of the survey include:
* 53% of respondents did not know that cable and satellite companies
would soon offer wireless service.
* 54% of consumers thought that cable and satellite companies would be
able to offer content and functionalities that traditional wireless
companies could not.
* 67% of consumers responded that they would consider buying wireless
service from their cable or satellite provider if they could get the
service cheaper than purchasing it directly from a wireless provider.
* Consumers also want the features and quality of service they enjoy
today. Among the list of priorities: Competitive Calling Area, Friends
and Family Plans, Superior Customer Service.
* 55% of consumers polled said they would like to be notified that their
cable or satellite provider will offer wireless service via their
monthly statement or regular communication. Consumers preferred this
method over receiving emails, phone calls or other forms of
notification.
* 13% of respondents cited the ability to have all cable or satellite,
high-speed data and voice services reflected on one monthly statement
as a compelling reason to purchase wireless service from their cable
provider.
* 59% of consumers said that when experiencing a wireless service
problem, they would try to resolve the issue by placing a call to their
cable or satellite provider.
* 51% of consumers said that the ability to access home email via the
wireless phone was the most compelling capability, beating out the
ability to remotely program a home Digital Video Recorder (23%), the
ability to watch short news and weather briefs (15%) and the ability to
watch television programming (11%).
Results also indicated that cable and satellite providers have an
opportunity to compete with existing telecom and wireless service companies
and win market share if they can position themselves against several
myth-based fears about allowing a cable or satellite provider to manage
wireless voice services. For example,
* 40% indicated a fear of inferior service such as a smaller calling
area, a loss of wireless service if cable television service went out,
and that would be nothing new from today's wireless offers.
* 17% felt "locked in" to existing contracts or didn't want to lose
Friends and Family plans.
* 13% cited customer service as a roadblock, after receiving good service
from their wireless provider; they feared they would not receive the
same care from another provider.
"We are entering a new era where video-based communications and
entertainment over a variety of devices, on demand, is attracting consumers
from every age group. Cable and satellite providers are in a prime position
to make that video content a value-add to wireless consumers, changing the way
that we think of video services today," said Dwayne Ruffin, Vice President of
Broadband Product Management at CSG Systems. "Those providers that can not
only deliver wireless service, but deliver excellent customer care through a
wide variety of channels will take an early lead."
Through an independent survey company, CSG polled 1,025 U.S. consumers of
television and telecom services, age 18 and over with responsibility for cable
and satellite service decisions in their household. The vast majority of
respondents, nearly 8 out of 10, are already quad-play bundled services
customers using video, high-speed Internet access, landline voice and wireless
voice services.
The survey pool was statistically significant with a margin of error of
+/- 3.1%. For more survey results, to download survey data, or to view CSG's
recommendations for the top five steps that cable and satellite providers can
take to attract wireless consumers, please visit http://www.csgsystems.com.
About CSG Systems
Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, CSG Systems International
(Nasdaq: CSGS) is the leading provider of outsourced billing, customer care
and print and mail solutions and services supporting the North American cable
and direct broadcast satellite markets. CSG's solutions support some of the
world's largest and most innovative providers of bundled multi-channel video,
Internet, voice and IP-based services. CSG's unique combination of solutions,
services and expertise ensure that cable and satellite operators can continue
to rapidly launch new service offerings, improve operational efficiencies and
deliver a high-quality customer experience in a competitive and ever-changing
marketplace. For more information, visit our website at http://www.csgsystems.com.
SOURCE CSG Systems
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Related links:
http://www.csgsystems.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020627/CSGSLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Media, Elise Brassell, Corporate
Communications, +1-303-804-4962, or Investors, Liz Bauer, SVP,
Corp. Comm & IR, +1-303-804-4065, both of CSG Systems
International, Inc.
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