Apple, Dell slip in latest customer satisfaction rankings

***AppleInsider*** · 08-14-2007, 01:01 PM

Overall customer satisfaction with the PC industry fell slightly during the second quarter of the year, with the majority of the decline coming as a result of new problems at system manufacturers Apple and Dell, according to a new report.

In its annual rankings, the University of Michigan cited American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) data that showed overall customer satisfaction with personal computer systems to have slipped 3 percent to a score of 75.

Apple and Dell contributed equally to the decline, according to the report, having each dropped 5 percentage points. Despite its fall, however, Apple still emerged as the the industry leader in customer satisfaction with a score of 79.

"Apple has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years," said Professor Claes Fornell, head of the ACSI at the University of Michigan. "As Toyota can attest, it’s not easy to manage quality and customer satisfaction when a company quickly has to increase production or provide service to a larger number of customers."

After last year’s improvement, Dell’s continuing customer service problems have the company back near the bottom of the PC rankings with a score of 74, according to the report. Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard’s HP division improved 1 percent to 76, though its Compaq division is the worst in the industry at 73.

In regards to portals and search engines, Yahoo! improved 4 percent to 79 to take the lead over Google. The firm made a number of design changes and enhancements are paying off in higher customer satisfaction, according to Fornell, who says the moves will be critical to turning around this year’s lackluster financials.

Google fell by 4 percent from a year ago to a score of 78, but remained the most popular search engine. "Its home page has not changed much, and some users say it looks stale compared to Ask.com, which has a very different display of search results," the report states.

The refresh over at Ask.com may have helped juiced its ACSI score, which increased more than any other search engine -- up by 6 percent to a score of 75. The spike over at Ask may also be a factor behind the falling Google scores, according to the report, as some users compare the two.

Unsurprisingly, beleaguered AOL suffered the largest plunge in customer satisfaction during the second quarter, down 10 percent to the lowest score in the industry (67).

2007 customer satisfaction rankings for PC manufacturers | Source: ACSI

The ACSI measures a different set of industries each quarter. Industries in the consumer durables and e-business sectors are measured every second quarter, including automobiles, personal computers, appliances, portals and search engines, and news and information websites.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

trevorlsciact · 08-14-2007, 01:06 PM

Google looks refreshingly crisp and clean-lined!

Abster2core · 08-14-2007, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Overall customer satisfaction with the…

Scanning the site (http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?opt...d=18&Itemid=33) it is interesting to see that Apple's customer satisfaction is similar to the Tobacco industry (78), but significantly better than Wireless Telephone (68), Newspapers (66), Cable TV/Satellite (62) and Broadcasting TV News (67).

However, based on the scores, perhaps it might be a good idea for Apple to give out a case of Coor's (83*) with every new iMac. At the end of the day, who would care about whether the screen only comes in glossy. Or at least be in a condition that one couldn't whine.

*http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?opt...55&i=Breweries

Bacillus · 08-14-2007, 01:58 PM

http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?opt...onal+Computers

Apple better look out... HP's star is ascending.

Abster2core · 08-14-2007, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bacillus

http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?opt...onal+Computers

Apple better look out... HP's star is ascending.

Both divisions, i.e., HP 75 to 76; and Compaq 72 to 73

I guess it is a little too early, but one might wonder what Apple's score would be if they separate out the iPhone the next go around. And the hardware from the software.

Uh Gillis · 08-14-2007, 02:26 PM

Haha, or maybe they should stop charging $250 for decent warranties. It seems like all computer companies do that to some degree I guess though.

applestockholder · 08-14-2007, 02:44 PM

I was just saying in a post about iMovie 8:
"And the guy at Apple (800 number) trying to help me was 1. Unaware of the issue, 2. arrogant, 3. would not help me without knowing the serial number of my iMac at home, and 4. would not let me talk to someone else (e.g. escalate the call). Basic POOR customer service, as far as I am concerned.

I am getting seriously concerned about the customer service, and as a stock holder that is a concern about MY money that Apple is being irresponsible with..."

Apparently I am not the only one noticing...

Hello Steve Jobs, are you noticing?

**Marvin** · 08-14-2007, 03:31 PM

What do the numbers actually represent though? I find that Mac users are quite forgiving to what Apple do so if it's the opinions of end users then I don't think they are particularly meaningful. Also, I don't see that much difference in the values from the top to the bottom.

If on the other hand it measures say repairs needed to be done and compares repair times as well as number of repairs per machine, it may be more representative of how satisfied a customer would be.

ckelly · 08-14-2007, 10:15 PM

"Be careful what you wish for..."

For years, the Mac faithful have been bemoaning the Mac market share and preaching about Apple's vastly superior OS and hardware experience (as well we should).

Well the market share is starting to increase and it's only going to get better. So NOW is the time for Apple to execute. From the Genius Bars, to the salespeople, to the support lines, to the manufacturing facilities, etc. It's a lot easier to provide good products and services when you're small (relatively speaking) and fighting for market share. Well Apple has won, and now is when quality matters more than ever. So stay sharp Apple!

bobmarksdale · 08-14-2007, 10:40 PM

Waaaaa... Apple won't tell me when their next product is coming out.

public class CustomerSatisfaction
public ComputerSatisfaction
{
public void Apple(Double Satisfaction, String Consumers)
{
Satis=Satisfaction-5;
Cust=Customers+" are stupid";
}

public Double getSatisfaction()
{
return Satis;
}

public String getIntelligence()
{
return Cust;
}

private Double Satis;
private String Cust;
}

Stupid not recognizing spacing... I spent time indenting that correctly.

anantksundaram · 08-14-2007, 11:29 PM

What I'd like to know is how these indexes are measured and constructed (I know, I could probably look up University of Michigan's website, but I am too lazy).

For starters, I'd like to know how many times a Dell (or more generally, PC) owner calls, say, during the first three years of ownership, compared to a Mac owner.

An index of "satisfaction" that measures the the aggregate number of calls per unit sold in the first X months/years sold, would be the most sensible (inverse) metric of customer satisfaction, IMHO. (Sort of similar to the J D Powers metric of vehicle quality as measured by the number of defects mentioned by buyers for every X thousand units sold.)

BenRoethig · 08-15-2007, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by applestockholder

I was just saying in a post about iMovie 8:
"And the guy at Apple (800 number) trying to help me was 1. Unaware of the issue, 2. arrogant, 3. would not help me without knowing the serial number of my iMac at home, and 4. would not let me talk to someone else (e.g. escalate the call). Basic POOR customer service, as far as I am concerned.

I am getting seriously concerned about the customer service, and as a stock holder that is a concern about MY money that Apple is being irresponsible with..."

Apparently I am not the only one noticing...

Hello Steve Jobs, are you noticing?

The company (and community) is taking on Steve's personality traits. I've said it before, he's a double edged sword and a very sharp one at that. He usually deals in either spectacular successes or dismal failures.

BenRoethig · 08-15-2007, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckelly

"Be careful what you wish for..."

For years, the Mac faithful have been bemoaning the Mac market share and preaching about Apple's vastly superior OS and hardware experience (as well we should).

Well the market share is starting to increase and it's only going to get better. So NOW is the time for Apple to execute. From the Genius Bars, to the salespeople, to the support lines, to the manufacturing facilities, etc. It's a lot easier to provide good products and services when you're small (relatively speaking) and fighting for market share. Well Apple has won, and now is when quality matters more than ever. So stay sharp Apple!

There' also the increasingly popular belief that Apple can do no wrong and if there is a problem it's the user fault and not theirs.

08-14-2007, 01:01 PM	#1
*AppleInsider* Kasper's Automated Slave Join Date: Nov 1997 Posts: 6,152	Apple, Dell slip in latest customer satisfaction rankings Overall customer satisfaction with the PC industry fell slightly during the second quarter of the year, with the majority of the decline coming as a result of new problems at system manufacturers Apple and Dell, according to a new report. In its annual rankings, the University of Michigan cited American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) data that showed overall customer satisfaction with personal computer systems to have slipped 3 percent to a score of 75. Apple and Dell contributed equally to the decline, according to the report, having each dropped 5 percentage points. Despite its fall, however, Apple still emerged as the the industry leader in customer satisfaction with a score of 79. "Apple has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years," said Professor Claes Fornell, head of the ACSI at the University of Michigan. "As Toyota can attest, it’s not easy to manage quality and customer satisfaction when a company quickly has to increase production or provide service to a larger number of customers." After last year’s improvement, Dell’s continuing customer service problems have the company back near the bottom of the PC rankings with a score of 74, according to the report. Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard’s HP division improved 1 percent to 76, though its Compaq division is the worst in the industry at 73. In regards to portals and search engines, Yahoo! improved 4 percent to 79 to take the lead over Google. The firm made a number of design changes and enhancements are paying off in higher customer satisfaction, according to Fornell, who says the moves will be critical to turning around this year’s lackluster financials. Google fell by 4 percent from a year ago to a score of 78, but remained the most popular search engine. "Its home page has not changed much, and some users say it looks stale compared to Ask.com, which has a very different display of search results," the report states. The refresh over at Ask.com may have helped juiced its ACSI score, which increased more than any other search engine -- up by 6 percent to a score of 75. The spike over at Ask may also be a factor behind the falling Google scores, according to the report, as some users compare the two. Unsurprisingly, beleaguered AOL suffered the largest plunge in customer satisfaction during the second quarter, down 10 percent to the lowest score in the industry (67). 2007 customer satisfaction rankings for PC manufacturers \| Source: ACSI The ACSI measures a different set of industries each quarter. Industries in the consumer durables and e-business sectors are measured every second quarter, including automobiles, personal computers, appliances, portals and search engines, and news and information websites. [ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

08-14-2007, 01:58 PM	#4
Bacillus Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 313	http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?opt...onal+Computers Apple better look out... HP's star is ascending. Report employers of illegal aliens at (866) DHS-2ICE

08-14-2007, 10:40 PM	#10
bobmarksdale Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Apple Fantasy Land Posts: 738	Waaaaa... Apple won't tell me when their next product is coming out. public class CustomerSatisfaction public ComputerSatisfaction { public void Apple(Double Satisfaction, String Consumers) { Satis=Satisfaction-5; Cust=Customers+" are stupid"; } public Double getSatisfaction() { return Satis; } public String getIntelligence() { return Cust; } private Double Satis; private String Cust; } Stupid not recognizing spacing... I spent time indenting that correctly. Serving humanity one sarcastic comment at a time.

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08-14-2007, 02:26 PM	#6
Uh Gillis Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 7	Haha, or maybe they should stop charging $250 for decent warranties. It seems like all computer companies do that to some degree I guess though.

08-14-2007, 02:44 PM	#7
applestockholder Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 40	I was just saying in a post about iMovie 8: "And the guy at Apple (800 number) trying to help me was 1. Unaware of the issue, 2. arrogant, 3. would not help me without knowing the serial number of my iMac at home, and 4. would not let me talk to someone else (e.g. escalate the call). Basic POOR customer service, as far as I am concerned. I am getting seriously concerned about the customer service, and as a stock holder that is a concern about MY money that Apple is being irresponsible with..." Apparently I am not the only one noticing... Hello Steve Jobs, are you noticing?

08-14-2007, 03:31 PM	#8
Marvin Global Moderator Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 5,251	What do the numbers actually represent though? I find that Mac users are quite forgiving to what Apple do so if it's the opinions of end users then I don't think they are particularly meaningful. Also, I don't see that much difference in the values from the top to the bottom. If on the other hand it measures say repairs needed to be done and compares repair times as well as number of repairs per machine, it may be more representative of how satisfied a customer would be.

08-14-2007, 10:15 PM	#9
ckelly Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8	"Be careful what you wish for..." For years, the Mac faithful have been bemoaning the Mac market share and preaching about Apple's vastly superior OS and hardware experience (as well we should). Well the market share is starting to increase and it's only going to get better. So NOW is the time for Apple to execute. From the Genius Bars, to the salespeople, to the support lines, to the manufacturing facilities, etc. It's a lot easier to provide good products and services when you're small (relatively speaking) and fighting for market share. Well Apple has won, and now is when quality matters more than ever. So stay sharp Apple!

08-14-2007, 11:29 PM	#11
anantksundaram Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,219	What I'd like to know is how these indexes are measured and constructed (I know, I could probably look up University of Michigan's website, but I am too lazy). For starters, I'd like to know how many times a Dell (or more generally, PC) owner calls, say, during the first three years of ownership, compared to a Mac owner. An index of "satisfaction" that measures the the aggregate number of calls per unit sold in the first X months/years sold, would be the most sensible (inverse) metric of customer satisfaction, IMHO. (Sort of similar to the J D Powers metric of vehicle quality as measured by the number of defects mentioned by buyers for every X thousand units sold.)

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