Managing Customer Satisfaction Using the Customer Sentiment Score
The Consumer Access Segment had 14.83 million contracts as of the 2020 year-end (2019: 14.33 million; 2018: 13.54 million). Of this number, 10.52 million (2019: 9.99 million; 2018: 9.20 million) were attributable to the mobile internet business and 4.31 million (2019: 4.34 million; 2018: 4.34 million) to broadband connections. The topic of customer sentiment is firmly anchored within the enterprise and a key part of our daily work, both for our 1&1 premium brand and for Drillisch Online’s discount brands.
We capture and manage customer sentiment in the Consumer Access Segment using the customer sentiment score. Customer Experience is the key unit involved in managing customer satisfaction at 1&1, establishing customer needs by conducting customer surveys and observing the market and competitive environment, and then actively making the results known within the organization. At Drillisch Online, Business Process Management (BPM) and Quality Management (QM Development) are the units responsible.
The scores produced are more than mere figures for us: they are core values that we use to guide our daily work. Satisfied customers are the basis for our success and spur us on to do our best every day. Our core goal is to increase customer satisfaction and create compelling customer experiences.
We constantly measure customer sentiment for all relevant customer contact points and customer journeys throughout the customer life cycle. These measurements are mostly event-driven, i.e., they are made immediately after a customer journey (e.g., a change in tariffs) or following some other form of contact with the organization (e.g., Customer Service). In total, roughly 84,000 customer feedback items per month are received for 1&1 and 20,100 or so for Drillisch Online’s brands. We use this information to identify potential for improvement and to develop measures designed to specifically increase customer satisfaction.
In addition, we track external assessments and awards such as the broadband and fixed network test run by specialist magazine “connect.” 1&1 again won this premier telecommunications sector test – its third victory since 2015. The annual test examines the “voice,” “data,” “web services,” and “web TV” categories. The results of crowdsourcing analyses conducted by the Bundesnetzagentur (the Federal Network Agency) are also included in the overall assessment. 1&1 had compellingly short phone connection times, while its high-speed internet offering provided “excellent performance.” The company’s web services also displayed optimal performance in the areas of website access, data uploads to photo book services, and video on demand.
In addition to its fixed network offering, 1&1 has the most satisfied mobile telephony customers of all network operators, at least according to the well-known specialist magazine “connect.” It received particularly good evaluations for its customer service. 1&1 won all eight subcategories here, and clearly outstripped other participants on friendliness and quality. The company is also ahead of the competition in the tariff & invoicing and brand/provider categories. For example, 1&1 is the provider with the best price-performance ratio.
What is more, 1&1 took third place overall in the Internet and Triple Play Provider 2020 award. This survey by the Deutsches Institut für Service-Qualität (DISQ) and n-tv also put 1&1 in second place for its triple play offering. The jury’s analysis revealed the 1&1 solution’s attractive pricing: according to the study, costs could be cut by up to 28.8% compared to competitor offerings.
Drillisch Online also commissions TÜV Saarland every two years to perform customer surveys and obtain satisfaction ratings. The most recent representative TÜV survey (2020) for all Drillisch Online brands resulted in an excellent price-performance ratio and a high level of customer satisfaction.
In addition, smartmobil.de took first place in the review of discount mobile providers conducted by “connect,” based on a survey of tariff and network quality, and a hotline test. The service app test performed by “connect” also yielded a highly positive assessment. Functionality, handling, and service were all rated “very good.” Both the smartmobil.de and the yourfone brands were included in the service app test.
Customer satisfaction doesn’t stop at departmental boundaries, which is why teams drawn from different areas work together to permanently enhance it.
Clear responsibilities for improving customer sentiment exist for all customer journeys and contact points. Measures designed to enhance customer experience are developed together with 1&1’s Customer Experience unit, and their impact on customers is then assessed. Drillisch Online includes customer ideas and suggestions in ideas management activities by its quality management and project management units. Both units are continuing their work to enhance customer satisfaction and enable customers to get even stickier with their Personal Service World. Suggestions are reviewed and then introduced, and modifications to IT projects are documented and implemented.
Trends in customer sentiment, the status of measures, and new ways of enhancing customer satisfaction are discussed in a range of regular group meetings at 1&1 Drillisch, up to and including at Management Board level.
We focus squarely on customer needs in order to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction. One way in which we do this is to test and evaluate the impact on customers of ideas for new products, campaigns, service concepts, and the like before they are introduced using qualitative and quantitative market research. A total of 55 ad hoc market research studies were performed in 2020. In addition, we actively engage with our customers on a variety of topics using quarterly dialogs and focus groups. This allows us to ensure we remain close to our customers and understand their needs even better across departmental boundaries.
Our Customer Guidelines help staff to think and act in a customer-oriented way during their daily work, and hence to anchor this perspective permanently within the Company:
The introduction of the 1&1 Service Card in the summer of 2020 did not replace the well-known 1&1 service principle: on the contrary, 1&1 is expanding its service promise to customers yet again. The 1&1 Service Card is another driver for customer satisfaction, as well as a way of differentiating ourselves in the market. Our customers receive a 1&1 Service Card with each order. This lists all the 1&1 services that customers can use free of charge.
These include e.g., the 1&1 trade-in bonus and our 24-hour Replacement Service.
We aim to always offer our customers the best possible experience and to do our best for them at all times. This is why we constantly develop new service products that add value for our customers. These include:
Drillisch Online also aims to delight customers with its exceptional service: our motto here is “One customer, one contact, one solution.” Even though they are price-sensitive, our customers are not prepared to compromise on a first-rate, award-winning customer service that focuses on their needs:
We tell the world how proud we are of our daily successes and our customer service, and have these confirmed by independent external auditors – our brands have been tested by TÜV SÜD (s@fer-shopping seal of approval), while our customer service activities have been certified as complying with the ISO 9001:2015 quality management standard.
Links
Downloads
