A new study from Pitney Bowes Business Insight shows that just 45% of consumers in the USA and the UK trust their mobile provider.

The most important factors for establishing good trust according to UK consumers were front-line employees (26%) and marketing communications (23%), while US consumers put management policies (25%) first.

In addition:
only 40% of customers trusted their mobile provider’s communications,
only 31% of mobile customers felt they’d  receive a caring response if they shared their problems with a service provider, and
only 24% of respondents believed their mobile network operator was doing a good job at implementing management policies and practices that governed customer interactions.

Overall, 42% of customers said they were satisfied with the treatment, relationship and services they received from their mobile network operators.

David Newberry, Chief Marketing Officer of Pitney Bowes Business Insight, said “Today, competition in the telecommunications industry is fierce, making it one of the most challenging markets in the world for ensuring customer satisfaction and building relationships. When it comes to their mobile network providers, customers’ satisfaction with their previous experience has a lot more influence on overall trust than in other industries. The challenge, as illustrated in this study, is to align customer communications management so that mobile companies can more easily address these crucial customer concerns”

The banking and insurance industries were ranked above the mobile industry when it comes to establishing trust through interactive channels, self-service technologies, management policies and overall customer satisfaction.

Consumers who’d been survey said mobile companies could build more trust by improving the quality and clarity of communications, increasing transparency and providing advance information for better deals. They also said they look for companies that provide high-quality customer care, a sense of being ‘looked after’ and a high level of competency and conduct from employees.

The study was commissioned by Pitney Bowes Business Insight and conducted by ECSP. It contacted 20 senior marketers, 1,000 UK residents and 1,000 US residents.

[Whitepaper]