New Survey From CSG Systems Sheds Light on Cable and Telecom Service Usage and
Preferences of U.S. Consumers
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- While telecommunications
service providers are offering consumers a wide range of content and bundled
services packages, a survey commissioned by CSG Systems (Nasdaq: CSGS) shows
that many consumers have yet to take the bait.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020627/CSGSLOGO)
What's the key to driving adoption of convergent services and content
offerings? Consumers responding to CSG's survey say service providers need to
better tailor service packages to their individual preferences and tastes;
price those packages effectively; and better promote the availability of new
services such as content. In addition, consumers say they want more choice,
control and flexibility in how they interact with their service provider.
The survey asked 1,000 randomly selected consumers of telecommunications
services in the United States questions about their preferences and use of
cable/satellite TV, wireless, wireline and Internet services.
Key survey findings revealed:
* While 80% of consumers use three to four different telecommunications
services, less than one-third actually purchase all of those services
from a single provider.
* More than 67% said that providing a discount on bundled services was
the single most important factor in purchasing multiple services from
a single service provider.
* The majority of consumers cited "a better bundled package of services
tailored to personal interests" as the single most important step a
service provider could take to improve the customer experience.
* Nearly 40% have never downloaded content from any telecommunications
source, with the majority saying they were either intimidated by the
process or didn't know what content was available to them.
* While respondents indicated an interest in all forms of content,
64.5% said they would not pay more for content that was specifically
tailored to their personal interests.
* The majority of consumers say that saving time and having access to
current account information are the most valuable aspects of
monitoring their telecommunications services online, yet only 51% use
online self-care and bill payment tools from their service provider.
Recognizing that there is no "one size fits all" approach to supporting
customers, these results underscore the importance of operators having the
systems and best practices in place to seamlessly deliver a positive customer
experience that is truly tailored to the customers' individual preferences.
They must also provide multiple ways for their customers to interact with
them in order to meet consumer goals of saving time and having more control
over how and when they access information about their own account.
"Consumers are clearly looking for better packages of bundled services
that are tailored to their personal interests, and they are ready for their
service providers to up the ante on delivering a better customer experience
with packages that take personal preferences into account. In order to meet
these consumer demands, providers will need to know their customers at an
individual level like never before," said Darla Thompson, Vice President,
Product Management, CSG Systems. "Based upon our experience in working with
telecommunications companies around the world, the most successful service
providers put their customers at the center of everything they do, from the
way they package their services, provide support and ultimately bill them for
the services they use."
"These survey findings illustrate what we see as a key challenge and
opportunity facing the telecommunications industry today: Consumers want
bundled communication services, but service providers still have some work to
do in pricing, personalizing and positioning their offerings in order to
increase consumer interest and adoption," said Rob Rich, executive vice
president, Yankee Group. "Providers who manage a single view of their
customers and provide many ways to attract and retain customers will succeed."
The survey pool was statistically significant with a margin of error of
+/- 3.1%. For more survey results or download survey data, please visit
http://www.csgsystems.com.
About CSG Systems
With worldwide headquarters in Englewood, Colo., CSG Systems is a
subsidiary of CSG Systems International, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSGS). CSG and its
wholly-owned subsidiaries serve telecommunications service providers in more
than 40 countries. CSG is a leader in next-generation billing and customer
care solutions for the cable television, direct broadcast satellite, advanced
IP services, next generation mobile, and fixed wireline markets. CSG's unique
combination of proven and future-ready solutions, delivered in both outsourced
and licensed formats, empowers its clients to deliver unparalleled customer
service, improve operational efficiencies and rapidly bring new revenue-
generating products to market. For more information, visit our website at
http://www.csgsystems.com.
SOURCE CSG Systems International, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.csgsystems.com
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NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020627/CSGSLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Company News On-Call:
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CONTACT:
Elise Brassell, +1-303-804-4962,
elise_brassell@csgsystems.com, or Liz Bauer, +1-303-804-4065,
liz_bauer@csgsystems.com, both of CSG Systems
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