A recent survey by global analyst firm Ovum of more than 500 multi-national corporations has found that ICT (information and communications technologies) services buyers want much more from their global telecom service providers when it comes to network performance and customer support. David Molony, principal analyst at Ovum, suggests that the “big six” telcos with dedicated global enterprise services – AT&T, BT, Orange, T-Systems, Verizon, and Vodafone – are rated hardly any better than the many regional service providers in emerging telecoms markets.
Ovum’s new report, based on its Enterprise Insights survey of ICT decision-makers and influencers, provides analysis of CIOs’ and telecoms managers’ ratings of their primary telecoms operators. The respondents were asked to rate their main supplier across a range of performance criteria and their replies indicate the following:
· The effective operation and management of an efficient, reliable, and secure global network is still the most important thing that MNC users want from their telecoms suppliers, by a wide margin. Yet the top-scoring telco service providers scored poorly on criteria such as problem resolution, geographic coverage, and delivery to SLAs.
· The big six need to improve in account management, co-innovation with customers, and delivering value for money, three areas in which their customers gave these suppliers their lowest scores.
· Challengers (regional telecom providers) recorded some high scores, rewarding their investment efforts in customer service organizations and advanced networking.
“Our research highlights the challengers’ achievements, and we feel it sends a particularly strong message to the big six,” says Molony. “Service providers in the telecoms industry should be treating existing contracts as if they are in continuous competitive tender. They should be looking to improve overall service performance across a range of criteria, and not just to address or improve on shortcomings.”
Overall, the big six achieved an average performance rating of 105 in global services, compared to an average score of 104.5 for all other service providers (maximum score 200). Among the largest telcos in global services, BT Global Services and AT&T Business Solutions get the highest ratings from their customers.
“AT&T and BT might be most satisfied with their ratings, at least in terms of their standings against their immediate tier-1 rivals. However, all the big six global service providers should be concerned that they do not stand out from the pack that is following them,” Molony says.
At Simplicity VoIP and Comtel Communications, service is our number one priority. Our customers know that we will provide the best service possible throughout the life of their contract. Available 24/7 and just a text, phone call or email away. Our performance rating is one of the highest in the industry, and our customer retention rate cannot be surpassed.
Adapted from an article by IT Online