iPhone users are most satisfied with their handsets, followed by Samsung, and then Nokia users. BlackBerry users feature at the other side of the scale, being the least satisfied with their devices.
This is according to the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi), released today. The report indicates diaparities in satisfaction among the various smartphone brands, including Apple, BlackBerry, Nokia and Samsung.
Although SA's mobile handsets industry has changed substantially over the past decade, with manufacturers competing fiercely to keep customers satisfied, the local mobile handsets industry received an overall satisfaction score of 76 out of 100.
Breaking down the total, Apple is the clear winner, with a score of 83 - 9,7% higher than the industry average. Apple is followed by rival Samsung, which scored 2.1% above the industry average; and Nokia - which scored on par with the industry.
The challenges Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry faces are evident in its below-par score - 8.7% below industry average.
Apple vs BlackBerry
SAcsi says the extremes of satisfaction between Apple and BlackBerry show that Apple pulls the average up and BlackBerry pulls it down.
"It is not unexpected that Apple scored the highest customer satisfaction score considering that they did so in the USA, UK and most recently in South Korea - Samsung's home turf," says Professor Adr'e Schreuder, founder and chair of SAcsi.
"Blackberry has had a rough time with their market share lately and the challenges they face reflect in their customers' levels of satisfaction. BlackBerry's satisfaction score is influenced strongly by the fact that their customers show low levels of customer loyalty in the SAcsi model."
SAcsi holds a licence with the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and forms part of a growing number of ACSI-licensed partner countries worldwide, which allows SA to compare its industries' customer satisfaction with this global community.
The ACSI has shown an economic link between customer satisfaction and market value added. SAcsi points out that the scores recorded for Apple and BlackBerry may be an indication of Apple's continued growth and BlackBerry's recent economic losses.
Relative to the international ACSI scores, The UK is the international benchmark with a score of 78 out of 100 followed closely by Turkey (77). Customer satisfaction with SA's mobile handsets industry ranks third together with the USA (76) followed by South Korea (72).
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