Users in Australia are becoming more satisfied with their telecommunications providers when it comes to understanding bills, receiving clear information about products, and avoiding unexpectedly high charges, according to a study by Communications Alliance.
The quarterly national survey, conducted by Roy Morgan Research, found that the proportion of customers who received an unexpectedly high bill has steadily declined across each wave of the study — falling from 34% in the first wave in 2013 to 26% in the most recent quarter.
The fourteenth installment in the ongoing quarterly series measured overall customer experience with Australian telco companies. Despite challenges associated with the NBN rollout, overall customer satisfaction remained stable: 66% of respondents reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the service they receive, unchanged from the prior survey and marginally up from 65% in the initial 2013 poll.
The study also found that 86% of respondents rated their experience as satisfied or neutral, an increase from 84% in the previous quarter and 82% in the quarter before that. Notably, the share of customers who said they were very satisfied with the information provided about telecommunications products rose markedly from 23% to 31%. Overall, 88% of customers reported being satisfied or neutral on product information, up from 86% in the preceding quarter.
On complaints handling, 61% of customers who lodged a complaint with their telecommunications provider in the past six months said they were satisfied or neutral with how the complaint was resolved. This compares with 66% satisfied or neutral in the previous survey.
In summary, the survey suggests gradual improvements in customer perceptions around bill clarity, product information, and unexpected billing, while satisfaction with complaint handling showed a modest decline compared with the prior quarter. The findings indicate a generally stable satisfaction level across the industry as providers work through the complexities of the NBN transition.