Businesses Want Converged Voice and Data

Telecommunication service providers that offer a full suite of products such as voice, data, Internet, and wireless mobility services stand a better chance of increasing their market share and financial outlook compared to providers that offer only one service, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Business Wireless Satisfaction Study.

Now in its third year, the study measures customer satisfaction of businesses with their wireless voice and data services in terms of call quality, sales representatives/account executives, customer service, billing, offerings and promotions, performance and reliability, company image, and cost.

Among other points, the research uncovered:

If given the opportunity to switch all current communications services to one provider, 40 percent of business decision-makers report they would likely do so. The desire to bundle is equally strong among small businesses (those with fewer than 100 employees) as well as larger firms. Forty percent of small businesses and 42 percent of large enterprises expressed an interest in bundled services.

Among businesses using wireless voice and data services, 9 percent currenty are already using one company for all their communication needs, showing a 33 percent increase from last year.

Customers who currently bundle their services also have significantly higher satisfaction levels and are four times less likely to switch providers in the near future compared to those using multiple providers.

"It is clear from both a revenue and customer loyalty perspective that providers offering multiple services to meet client communication needs can almost immediately experience a positive financial impact," says Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. "Given the recent run of mergers in the telecommunications industry, it's evident that providers are increasingly bundling communications options to provide a single-solution service platform for business customers, both domestically and internationally."