Customer satisfaction with wireless service overall climbs 3% to
a score of 76 (out of 100), according to the American Customer
Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Wireless Phone Service and Cell Phone
Study 2023-2024.
Mobile network operators (MNOs) and full-service mobile virtual
network operators (MVNOs) improve 3% to 76 each, while value MVNOs
increase their lead over the other wireless categories after rising
4% to an ACSI score of 80. Customer satisfaction with cell phones
jumps 3% to 81.
“As 5G networks expand nationwide and new affordable 5G devices
become available, consumers are finding even more reasons to
reevaluate their mobile options,” says Forrest Morgeson, Associate
Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of
Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “Customers want providers that can
deliver on the promise of next-generation connectivity through
competitive plans and excellent service — not just empty hype about
speculative 5G speeds. Traditional carriers must reassess how they
can better meet these needs or risk losing consumers to competitors
that can give them more bang for their buck.”
Samsung catches Apple in cell phone manufacturer lead, takes
top spot among 5G phones
The arms race continues between Apple (up 1%) and Samsung (up
3%) as both up their game to tie for highest overall satisfaction
at 82.
Motorola moves up 3% to meet Google at 77 after the latter dips
1% year over year. The smaller cell phone manufacturers finish last
despite improving 1% to an ACSI score of 72.
Industrywide ACSI improvement reflects the increasing popularity
of 5G phones, which outpace legacy technology for customer
satisfaction by nearly 10 points (82 to 73). Among 5G customers,
Samsung pulls ahead of Apple by a score of 83 to 82. Google and
Motorola are each at 78.
AT&T maintains stranglehold over MNOs
AT&T stays in first place in the MNO category after surging
4% to an ACSI score of 78. T-Mobile is a close second, up 4% to
77.
Despite making the category’s biggest leap at 6%, U.S. Cellular
and Verizon (up 1%) share the bottom at 74. The latter’s position
in last place should not be surprising as it has lost subscribers
in four of the last five quarters. Verizon hopes to rectify this by
adding more customization to its wireless plans.
While MNOs see year-over-year improvements in each customer
experience benchmark, ACSI data show they fall behind when it comes
to customer perceptions of value and have the lowest level of price
tolerance in the industry.
AT&T earns top marks for call quality and network
capability
In addition to measuring customer satisfaction for MNOs, the
ACSI also measures call quality and network capability.
AT&T leads the way in both, scoring 82 for call quality and
83 for network capability. T-Mobile scores 80 in each category,
while Verizon notches 80 for call quality and 79 for network
capability. U.S. Cellular finishes last in both categories, scoring
77 for call quality and 76 for network capability.
Consumer Cellular, once again, outperforms value MVNOs and
all other carriers
Across the three wireless categories, value MVNO Consumer
Cellular is the customer satisfaction leader after gaining 4% to
match its previous record-high score of 85. The carrier continues
to serve customers well by consistently adding affordable offerings
to its burgeoning product lineup.
Mint Mobile (recently acquired by T-Mobile) is next, up 5% to
83, followed by Tracfone (up 5% to 80) and Straight Talk (up 3% to
79). Google Fi sits in last place despite increasing 1% to an ACSI
score of 77.
For value MVNOs, all aspects of the customer experience improve,
including notable gains in call quality, call reliability, network
coverage, and data speed. The enhanced network capabilities now
available to value MVNO customers, combined with aggressive
pricing, is proving to be a winning combination, particularly
against the backdrop of recent inflationary pressures.
Spectrum Mobile leads full-service MVNOs
Spectrum Mobile moves to the top of the full-service MVNO
category after soaring 5% to an ACSI score of 79. Xfinity Mobile,
which also improves 5%, is next at 78. After sharing the lead in
2023, Cricket Wireless finishes third (up 1% to 77).
Last year’s co-leader Metro by T-Mobile (unchanged) and Boost
Mobile (up 4%) are at 76 and 74, respectively.
Customers feel that full-service MVNOs have boosted their
overall quality and value. However, unlike for MNOs and value
MVNOs, certain aspects of the full-service MVNO customer experience
decline, including courtesy and helpfulness of store/service center
staff, speed of store/service center transaction, and call center
satisfaction.
The ACSI Wireless Phone Service and Cell Phone Study 2023-2024
is based on interviews with 12,414 customers, chosen at random and
contacted via email between April 2023 and March 2024. Download the
study, and follow the ACSI on LinkedIn and X at @theACSI.
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data
and information in this release without the express prior written
consent of ACSI LLC.
About the ACSI
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) has been a
national economic indicator for over 25 years. It measures and
analyzes customer satisfaction with approximately 400 companies in
about 40 industries and 10 economic sectors, including various
services of federal and local government agencies. Reported on a
scale of 0 to 100, scores are based on data from roughly 200,000
responses annually. For more information, visit
www.theacsi.org.
ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of American Customer
Satisfaction Index LLC.
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Denise DiMeglio 610-228-2102 denise@gregoryfca.com