Verizon Wins J.D. Power and Associates Customer Care Report
J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
Owners
of 4G-Enabled Phones Are Far More Likely to Contact Their Wireless
Provider for Customer Service than Are Owners of Less Technologically
Advanced Devices
Verizon Wireless Ranks Highest in Wireless
Customer Care Performance among Full-Service Providers, While Virgin
Mobile Ranks Highest among Non-Contract Customers
WESTLAKE
VILLAGE, Calif: 2 February 2012 — Wireless customers who own a
4G-enabled device contact their provider for customer service
considerably more frequently than do owners of less technologically
advanced devices, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S.
Wireless Customer Care Performance Full-Service StudySM—Volume 1 and the
2012 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Performance Non-Contract
StudySM—Volume 1, both released today.
Now in their 10th year,
the semiannual studies provide a detailed report card on how well
wireless carriers provide service to their customers via three contact
methods: telephone calls with customer service representatives (CSR)
and/or automated response systems (ARS); visits to a retail wireless
store; and via the Web. The studies measure satisfaction and processing
issues in each contact method, such as problem-resolution efficiency and
hold-time duration.
Among customers who currently own a 4G (4th
Generation)-enabled device—which uses a faster, more efficient
network—60 percent report having contacted their current wireless
service provider during the past six-month period. In comparison, only
47 percent of a non-4G smartphone and 35 percent of traditional/feature
phone owners contacted their provider for support.
Owners of a
4G-enabled device have a much greater propensity to contact their
carrier due to network-related problems (18%) than do owners of a
traditional phone that uses less advanced networks (11%). One of the
main factors contributing to the higher contact rate among owners of
4G-enabled devices may be that higher network speeds are available only
in limited areas, while slower 3G technology is offered in more areas of
the country.
“It’s not unexpected that customers who use new
technology or services would be more likely to contact their carrier
with questions or problems, particularly with the 4G network rollout
that began in 2011,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless
services at J.D. Power and Associates. “What is important to understand
is that investment is needed in support services to not only handle the
increase in customer interactions, but also to provide service
representatives with the necessary training and information across all
contact channels in order to offer a timely and superior service
experience. In fact, it takes approximately five minutes more per
contact, on average, to resolve issues pertaining to 4G-enabled devices,
compared with issue resolution times for traditional phones.”
According
to Parsons, creating a superior customer experience leads to a higher
propensity for customers to spend more on services and a lower
likelihood they will switch providers in the future. This is especially
true among customers who own a 4G-enabled device, as they report
spending $36 more per month and are more likely to say they “definitely
will recommend” their current carrier than are customers who own a
traditional mobile phone.
Verizon Wireless ranks highest in wireless customer care performance among full-service providers
with an overall score of 762 on a 1,000-point scale. Verizon Wireless
performs particularly well in phone contacts that originate in the ARS
channel and are then transferred to a live service representative, and
in phone calls made directly to a CSR.
Virgin Mobile ranks highest in overall customer care satisfaction among non-contract service providers
with an overall score of 735. Virgin Mobile performs particularly well
in phone contacts that originate in the ARS channel and are then
transferred to a live service representative, and in phone calls made
directly to a CSR.
The study also finds several key wireless customer care patterns:
More
than one-third (38%) of full-service wireless customers who resolved
their issue via the online channel say they used their carrier’s online
chat function for customer service, an increase of two percentage points
from July 2011. In addition, satisfaction is higher among customers who
use the online chat function (749) than among customers who research
information on their carrier’s website (734); email their carrier
directly (721); or utilize online user forums (664).
Satisfaction
averages 100 points higher (733) among non-contract customers who are
initially addressed by a representative with the experience and
understanding needed to resolve their issue, compared with customers who
are transferred or referred to another representative (633).
Approximately
40 percent of smartphone customers who contacted their carrier with a
problem did so because they had a device malfunction or were
experiencing repair-related issues.
The 2012 Wireless
Customer Care Full Service Study—Volume 1 is based on responses from
9,098 wireless customers. The 2012 Wireless Customer Care Non-Contract
Study—Volume 1 is based on responses from 2,840 wireless customers. Both
studies are based on the experiences of current customers who contacted
their carrier’s customer care department within the past six months.
The study was fielded from July through December 2011.
A
new firmware update has been released for CloudCams, which add push
notifications to your mobile devices (iPhone/Android). This allows you
to quickly get alerts if your CloudCam detects any type of motion in the
cameras view. Features like this can be incredibly useful if you'd like
to know when your kids got home from school, if somebody is in your
home, and more! The video below shows you exactly how this feature
works.
The first thing you'll need to do is launch Camview (Windows users), mCamView
(Mobile Users) or via IP address if you're a Mac user. Once in the
interface you'll need to follow these steps in order to update your
CloudCam for push notifications.
Step 1:
From CamView (PC Software):
Press Control Key and click on the camera name from the Camera List
Select Firmware Upgrade
Goto Step 2 Below
From mCamView:
Double
check that you are running the latest version, which is 1.3.0, click on
"info" at bottom right of app, if not upgrade to latest version
Open mCamView
Click blue arrow next to camera from camera list
Camera Settings
Admin
Upgrade
Goto Step 2 Below
Direct From IP Address:
Requires that you know IP Address of Unit - For advanced users who can look at DHCP Reservation of their current Router
Enter http://x.x.x.x (where x.x.x.x = IP Address of CloudCam)
Enter Username "Admin", Password leave blank (Or enter what you changed it to)
Click Admin Link
Goto Step 2 Below
Step 2:
Enter the following info:
FTP Server: ftp.cloudcam.biz
Username: cloudcam
Password: cloudcam
Firmware filename (enter 3495 or 3496 or 3497, see below for correct 4 digit number to enter based on the camera that you have.
Click
Upgrade Button and you see a series of messages that indicates:
Download -> Erasing flash ->Writing Flash -> Finished.
The upgrade process will take a few minutes and then your camera will reboot.
According
to screenshots from TmoNews, T-Mobile will be implementing domestic
data roaming caps set to go live on April 5, 2012. This will only affect
customers that leave T-Mobiles native coverage and will be notified via
text when they reach 80% and 100% of their allotted domestic roaming
data. Here's a breakdown of the off network domestic roaming:
Domestic Off Network Data Roaming Usage Limit:
Plan (1 - 199 MB) - 5MB Data Roaming
Plan (200 MB - 1.99 GB) - 10MB Data Roaming
Plan (2 - 4.99 GB) - 50MB Data Roaming
Plan (5 - 9.99 GB) - 100MB Data Roaming
Plan (10 GB or more) - 200MB Data Roaming
“Domestic
data roaming will not be subject to data speed reduction. The allotment
will be reset with each bill cycle. After the allotment is reached, the
customer will no longer have data roaming access until they return to
the T-Mobile network or connect via Wi-Fi if they have a Wi-Fi capable
device.”
DataJack Signs Comprehensive Distribution Agreement
Agreement Could be Worth Over $25 Million in Revenue This Year
DALLAS, Jan 30, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Quamtel's subsidiary, DataJack, Inc QUMI +11.94%
, and Prouty Company LLC announced today a long-term, comprehensive
distribution agreement that will deliver nationwide Mobile Broadband
services powered by DataJack through ProutyCo's extensive network of
over 100,000 carriers, service providers, strategic partners and retail
locations across the U.S.
Under the agreement, DataJack will
provide the following services through its mobile broadband platform:
order processing, automated activation, usage tracking and
notifications, device acquisition, custom branding, inventory
management, logistics, fulfillment and second tier technical customer
support.
"We worked hard over the past several months to reach
an amicable agreement with Quamtel which would afford ProutyCo
exclusivity in the retail distribution sector. We thoroughly tested
Quamtel's activation platform via their Web and retail point-of-sale
API, activated production devices, distributed them throughout our
network, and successfully completed real-world testing under various
actual and simulated conditions. Now that our contract has been fully
executed and demand for wireless broadband service has been stimulated
within our network, we feel that our initial goal of 100,000 subscribers
will be easily surpassed within our original timeframe, and anticipate
placing our first substantial equipment order the first week of
February," stated Phil Prouty, CEO, of ProutyCo.
"Quamtel's
mobile broadband services platform is designed to be economical and
efficient, allowing companies to offer a unique portfolio of products
without a substantial capital investment," stated Stuart Ehrlich, CEO,
Quamtel, Inc. "Our platform greatly improves time to market and allows
companies, like Prouty Co, to focus on increasing revenue through sales,
marketing and distribution."
"For the past two years we have
been focusing on enhancing our back-end business and operational support
systems to allow us to leverage the opportunities that exist with large
scale distribution agreements," stated Andrea Munoz, Vice President of
Operations, Quamtel, Inc. "We are very excited ProutyCo has selected
DataJack and look forward to capitalizing on their distribution
expertise."
About: Prouty Company is a global provider of
financial and telecommunication products and services supporting over
100,000 retailers and strategic partners worldwide. Two of ProutyCo's
divisions have revenues that exceed $1 billion annually (
www.proutyco.com ).
About: DataJack is one of Quamtel's prepaid
brands that offers customers control, flexibility and connectivity
through DataJack's prepaid mobile broadband data plans. With the lowest
cost plan available on the market today, DataJack's service can be used
with either a USB or MiFi device.
Congressman Edward Markey released a draft
(pdf) of a new cellphone privacy bill called "The Mobile Device Privacy
Act." This bill is aimed to give the FTC the authority to monitor phone
software and give consumers clear information about the software on
their devices. According to Markey's website "Consumers have the right
to know and to say 'no' to the presence of software on their mobile
devices that can collect and transmit their personal and sensitive
information," Markey said. This bill is a direct result of the CarrierIQ
scandal late last year that secretly recorded everything consumers did on their cellphones.
According to Engadget
images have been leaked indicating shared data plans may be coming to
Verizon soon. This screenshot may be part of the training manual for the
internal account management application labeled "account level data
plans." There are no official details at this point, but it looks like
there will be different options for data allowances and a $9.99 charge
per line. This could be an exciting option for Verizon customers that
have multiple lines paying $30/mo for each phone.
3Gstore is now able to setup a static IP address on the Verizon 4G LTE network.
This does involve a $500 one time setup fee, which may seem like a lot,
but allows you to have up to 500 Verizon devices linked to the account!
This means if you plan to deploy several Verizon modems under one
account you won't have to worry about additional fee's for more static
IP's.
However, there are a few additional steps (after receiving
your modem) you'll need to do to configure the modem for a static IP.
If you need a static IP on Verizon 4G LTE, 3Gstore is now including a
custom tipsheet with step by step instructions on how to get the static
IP activated. If you have questions about a static IP on Verizon 4G feel
free to give us a call at 866-347-8673 option 2 for more information.
With a static IP the previous issues with a private (10.) IP address
will no longer be an issue, which prevented port forwarding and DynDNS
setup for remote activities. This will allow you to create IPSec VPN
tunnels, use remote IP Cameras, M2M applications and more. Most people
won't need a static IP, but if you need a dedicated IP address Verizon
4G is finally an option!
EVDO News, Tips, Products, Reviews, Verizon and Sprint Experts.
Welcome to the #1 source for EVDO Information. Search our EVDO forums, read our EVDO Blogs, check EVDO coverage and when ready, buy your EVDO products from us, your EVDO Experts. Call us @ 1-866-3GSTORE.
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