CONSUMER AWARENESS AND SATISFACTION SURVEY 2014

Transcription

1 CONSUMER AWARENESS AND SATISFACTION SURVEY 2014 October 2014 Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore 10 Pasir Panjang Road #10-01 Mapletree Business City Singapore Tel: (65) Fax: (65) Website: Copyright 2014 IDA All rights reserved. No part of this material may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, photography, magnetic or other record, without the prior agreement and written permission of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. Notwithstanding the above, part or parts of this publication may be used with the proper acknowledgement of its source without having to first obtain the prior agreement and written permission of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION... 4 SURVEY METHODOLOGY... 4 SURVEY FINDINGS FIXED LINE TELEPHONE SERVICES Subscription Attitude towards Fixed Line as a Necessity Satisfaction with Fixed Line Telephone Services MOBILE TELEPHONE SERVICES Subscription Awareness of Terms and Conditions Ability to Replace Fixed Line Telephone Services Satisfaction with Mobile Telephone Services FIXED BROADBAND SERVICES Subscription Awareness of Terms and Conditions Satisfaction with Fixed Broadband MOBILE BROADBAND SERVICES Subscription Awareness of Terms and Conditions Satisfaction with Mobile Broadband Ability to Replace Fixed Line Broadband Services Data Usage Bill Cap Excess Data Usage Charges Switching to WIFI at Home INTERNATIONAL ROAMING Awareness and Usage Satisfaction with International Roaming Mobile Roaming Charges Alternatives to International Roaming Data Roaming PAYPHONE SERVICES Usage of Payphone Services Frequency of Usage Attitude towards Payphone as a Necessity CUSTOMER CARE SERVICES Satisfaction with Operators Customer Care Services Suggestions for Improvement

3 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1 : Fixed Line Telephone Subscription... 5 Figure 1-2 : Fixed Line Telephone Subscription by Housing Type... 5 Figure 1-3 : Agreement on whether Fixed Line was still a Necessity by Housing Type... 6 Figure 1-4 : Satisfaction with Fixed Line Telephone Services (Mean Score)... 6 Figure 2-1 : Mobile Telephone Services Subscription... 7 Figure 2-2 : Mobile Telephone Services Subscription by Age... 7 Figure 2-3 : Mobile Telephone Services Subscription by Housing Type... 8 Figure 2-4 : Awareness of Terms and Conditions for Post-paid and Pre-paid plans... 8 Figure 2-5 : Ability to replace Fixed Line with Mobile Telephone Services... 9 Figure 2-6 : Satisfaction with Mobile Telephone Services (Mean Score)... 9 Figure 2-7 : Satisfaction with Mobile Telephone Services (Mean Score by Service Provider) Figure 3-1 : Fixed Broadband Services Subscription Figure 3-2 : Fixed Broadband Services Subscription by Housing Type Figure 3-3 : Reasons for Not Subscribing to Fixed Broadband Service Figure 3-4 : Awareness of Terms and Conditions for Fixed Broadband Service Figure 3-5 : Satisfaction with Fixed Broadband Services (Mean Score) Figure 3-6 : Satisfaction with Fixed Broadband Services (Mean Score by Service Provider) Figure 3-7 : Satisfaction with Fixed Broadband Speed (Mean Score by Service Provider) Figure 4-1 : Mobile Broadband Services Subscription Figure 4-2 : Mobile Broadband Services Subscription by Age Figure 4-3 : Mobile Broadband Services Subscription by Housing Type Figure 4-4 : Reasons for Not Subscribing to Mobile Broadband Service Figure 4-5 : Awareness of Terms and Conditions for Mobile Broadband Service Figure 4-6 : Satisfaction with Mobile Broadband Services (Mean Score) Figure 4-7 : Satisfaction with Mobile Broadband Services (Mean Score by Service Provider) Figure 4-8 : Satisfaction with Mobile Broadband Speed (Mean Score) Figure 4-9 : Ability to Replace Fixed Broadband with Mobile Broadband Services Figure 4-10 : Top Reasons for Being Able to replace Fixed Broadband Services Figure 4-11 : Top Reasons for Not Being Able to replace Fixed Broadband Services Figure 4-12 : Awareness of local data usage bill cap Figure 4-13 : Awareness of the amount charged for excess mobile broadband data usage.. 21 Figure 4-14 : Do you switch to Fixed Broadband via WIFI on mobile devices when at home?. 21 Figure 5-1 : Awareness and Usage of Conventional Roaming Services Figure 5-2 : Awareness of Conventional Roaming Services by Age Figure 5-3 : Usage of Conventional Roaming Services by Age Figure 5-4 : Satisfaction with International Roaming (Mean Score) Figure 5-5 : Awareness of and Likelihood to Check International Mobile Roaming Charges Figure 5-6 : Awareness of Alternatives to International Roaming Figure 5-7 : Awareness of Ability to Disable International Data Roaming Figure 5-8 : Awareness of Data Roaming Plans with Flat Rates for Data Usage Figure 5-9 : Awareness of Ability to Activate Data Roaming Cap Figure 6-1 : Usage of Payphone Services Figure 6-2 : Usage of Payphone Services by Age Figure 6-3 : Usage of Payphone Services by Housing Type Figure 6-4 : Frequency of Payphone Usage Figure 6-5 : Opinion on whether Payphone was Still a Necessity Figure 6-6 : Opinion on whether Payphone was Still a Necessity by Housing Type Figure 6-7 : Reasons for Payphones still being Necessary Figure 6-8 : Reasons for Payphones Not being Necessary Figure 7-1 : Hotline Waiting Time to speak to a Customer Service Officer (Mean Score) Figure 7-2 : Time Taken to Resolve Complaint (Mean Score) Figure 7-3 : Competency of Customer Service Officer (Mean Score) Figure 7-4 : Customer Care Suggestions / Improvements

4 INTRODUCTION The Consumer Awareness and Satisfaction Survey 2014 (CASS 2014) is a study that aims to measure and track shifts in the perception of selected telecommunication services in Singapore. Local consumers were asked about their awareness, as well as subscription or usage patterns, of the telecommunication services. In addition, they were queried on their satisfaction with the services that they had used, specifically in terms of the quality of service, price competitiveness of the service offerings, variety of services available given the range of products and services currently offered in the market, and customer service rendered by the service providers. CASS 2014 is the fifth survey carried out by IDA since the full liberalisation of the Singapore telecommunication market in year The last survey was conducted in Comparisons with the previous survey findings are provided where available and appropriate. New services such as mobile broadband Internet services are also included in this round of survey given their growing popularity. The scope of the telecommunication services surveyed includes: A. Fixed Line Telephone B. Mobile Telephone C. Fixed Broadband D. Mobile Broadband E. International Roaming F. Payphone G. Customer Care Services Feedback on newer operators such as MyRepublic and ViewQwest was also received during the survey, but due to the small sample sizes, they are omitted in this report. SURVEY METHODOLOGY In total, 1,500 individuals from households all across Singapore were surveyed through door-to-door interviews between 26 th December 2013 and 14 th March The selection of the 1,500 individuals was conducted using a two-stage stratified design: a) a sample of 1,500 households was selected from the Household Sampling Frame maintained by the Department of Statistics, and b) from each sampled households, an individual was randomly selected for the survey. To be eligible for the survey, the individual had to be a Singapore Citizen or Singapore PR, aged 18 and above, and a resident of the household. 4

5 of Respondents of Respondents SURVEY FINDINGS 1 FIXED LINE TELEPHONE SERVICES 1.1 Subscription Subscription to fixed line telephone services has declined over the last 9 years, with a significant drop in Nevertheless, subscription amongst the respondents remained high at 87.5 (Figure 1-1). Figure 1-1 : Fixed Line Telephone Subscription CASS 2005 CASS 2007 CASS 2010 CASS 2014 Figure 1-2 shows a breakdown of fixed line telephone subscription by housing type over the past 7 years. Subscription remained fairly consistent across most housing types since 2010 except among respondents staying in HDB 1-2 room flats, which saw a significant drop in fixed line telephone subscription (Figure 1-2). Figure 1-2 : Fixed Line Telephone Subscription by Housing Type CASS (N=8) (N=13) HDB 1-2-Rm Flat HDB 3-Rm Flat HDB 4-Rm Flat HDB 5-Rm or Executive Flat Condominiums or Private Flat Landed Property Others 5

6 Mean Satisfaction Score of Fixed Line Subscribers 1.2 Attitude towards Fixed Line as a Necessity Majority of respondents felt that fixed line telephone was still a necessity in their lives, although there was a slight reduction in this sentiment in As compared to 2010, respondents staying in HDB 1-2-room flats or condominiums were significantly less likely to agree that fixed line telephone was still a necessity in their lives, as shown in Figure 1-3. Figure 1-3 : Agreement on whether Fixed Line was still a Necessity by Housing Type Disagree Neutral Agree CASS: (N=25) HDB 1-2 Rm (N=6) (N=13) HDB 3 Rm HDB 4 Rm HDB 5 Rm Condominiums or Private Flat Landed Property Other 1.3 Satisfaction with Fixed Line Telephone Services Fixed line telephone subscribers were generally satisfied with the service. They were mostly satisfied with the service quality, which achieved a mean satisfaction of Also, satisfaction with price competitiveness was similarly high, scoring 3.82 (Figure 1-4). Figure 1-4 : Satisfaction with Fixed Line Telephone Services (Mean Score) Satisfied CASS Dissatisfied Quality of Service Price Competitiveness 6

7 of Respondents of Respondents 2 MOBILE TELEPHONE SERVICES 2.1 Subscription After a sharp increase from 2005 to 2007, the growth in mobile telephone subscription 1 has slowed down in the last 7 years, with 93.9 of respondents subscribed to mobile telephone services in 2014 (Figure 2-1). Figure 2-1 : Mobile Telephone Services Subscription CASS 2005 CASS 2007 CASS 2010 CASS 2014 Figure 2-2 provides a breakdown of mobile telephone subscription by age over the past 7 years. Since 2007, subscription remained close to 100 for respondents below 40 years old. In addition, whilst subscription for those 40 years or older was not as high, it had continued to increase in particular, compared to 2010, respondents 60 years or above had a significant increase from 68 to 76 (Figure 2-2). Figure 2-2 : Mobile Telephone Services Subscription by Age CASS years years years years years years years years years 60 years and above 1 Subscription is by respondent, rather than by number of lines. Hence, subscription rates will not exceed 100 in this survey. 7

8 of Mobile Telephone Subscribers of Respondents Figure 2-3 shows the breakdown of subscription of mobile telephone by housing type. Compared to 2010, there was a significant increase in mobile telephone subscription among respondents who stayed in HDB 1-2 room flats and a significant decrease among those who stayed in landed property (Figure 2-3). Figure 2-3 : Mobile Telephone Services Subscription by Housing Type CASS (N=8) (N=13) HDB 1-2-Rm Flat HDB 3-Rm Flat HDB 4-Rm Flat HDB 5-Rm or Executive Flat Condominiums or Private Flat Landed Property Others 2.2 Awareness of Terms and Conditions In general, mobile telephone subscribers displayed a high level of awareness regarding the terms of the service. Regardless of whether they were using post-paid or pre-paid plans, subscribers awareness for each aspect exceeded 75 (Figure 2-4). Figure 2-4 : Awareness of Terms and Conditions for Post-paid and Pre-paid plans Post-paid Plan Pre-paid Plan CASS 14: Yes CASS 14: No CASS 14: Yes CASS 14: No Contract Expiry Date Early Termination Charge Expiry Date Early Termination Charge 8

9 Mean Satisfaction Score of Mobile Telephone Subscribers 2.3 Ability to Replace Fixed Line Telephone Services There was a substantial increase in respondents who felt that they could completely replace their fixed line telephone with mobile telephone, and, correspondingly, respondents who felt they could not replace their fixed line telephones declined significantly compared to 2010 (Figure 2-5). Figure 2-5 : Ability to replace Fixed Line with Mobile Telephone Services CASS 14: of Yes = Yes, completely Yes, to a great extent Yes, slightly No, not at all 2.4 Satisfaction with Mobile Telephone Services Respondents were mostly still satisfied with quality of service despite the significant decrease in mean score of satisfaction from On the other hand, satisfaction with price competitiveness and variety of services remained fairly consistent compared to 2010 (Figure 2-6). Figure 2-6 : Satisfaction with Mobile Telephone Services (Mean Score) Satisfied CASS Dissatisfied Quality of Service Price Competitiveness Variety of Services Available 9

10 Mean Satisfaction Score Satisfaction with quality of service for M1 dropped significantly from 2010, while satisfaction with price competitiveness of SingTel increased significantly compared to 2010 (Figure 2-7). Figure 2-7 : Satisfaction with Mobile Telephone Services (Mean Score by Service Provider) Quality of Service Price Competitiveness Variety of Services Available SingTel Mobile StarHub Mobile M1 SingTel Mobile StarHub Mobile M1 SingTel Mobile StarHub Mobile M1 10

11 of Respondents of Respondents 3 FIXED BROADBAND SERVICES 3.1 Subscription Subscription to fixed broadband service 2 continued to increase significantly over the past 9 years, with almost 85 of respondents subscribed to fixed broadband in 2014 (Figure 3-1). 100 Figure 3-1 : Fixed Broadband Services Subscription CASS 2005 CASS 2007 CASS 2010 CASS 2014 Figure 3-2 provides a breakdown of fixed broadband subscription by housing type. Subscription was observed to be highest among respondents staying in condominiums, which had increased substantially from On the other hand, subscription was lowest among those living in HDB 1-2 room flats (Figure 3-2). Figure 3-2 : Fixed Broadband Services Subscription by Housing Type CASS (N=8) (N=13) HDB 1-2-Rm Flat HDB 3-Rm Flat HDB 4-Rm Flat HDB 5-Rm or Executive Flat Condominiums or Private Flat Landed Property Others 2 Subscription is by respondent, rather than by number of lines. Hence, subscription rates will not exceed 100 in this survey. 11

12 of Fixed Broadband Subscribers of Non-subscribers Among respondents who did not subscribe to fixed broadband, their reasons for doing so remained fairly consistent compared to 2010, with majority citing lack of need as the reason (Figure 3-3) Figure 3-3 : Reasons for Not Subscribing to Fixed Broadband Service CASS No need Do not know how to use the Internet Too expensive Prefer to use mobile broadband internet service 3.2 Awareness of Terms and Conditions Almost 80 of fixed broadband subscribers were aware of early termination charges, whereas only 55 knew about the expiry date of the service (Figure 3-4). Figure 3-4 : Awareness of Terms and Conditions for Fixed Broadband Service CASS 14: Yes CASS 14: No Contract Expiry Date Early Termination Charge 12

13 Mean Satisfaction Score 3.3 Satisfaction with Fixed Broadband From 2010 to 2014, satisfaction with service quality and variety of fixed broadband increased significantly. Overall, close to 2 in 3 respondents expressed satisfaction with the 3 surveyed aspects of the service (Figure 3-5). Figure 3-5 : Satisfaction with Fixed Broadband Services (Mean Score) Satisfied CASS Dissatisfied Quality of Service Price Competitiveness Variety of Services Available In 2014, satisfaction levels were broadly similar across the service providers. However, compared to 2010, SingNet saw significant increases in satisfaction with service quality and variety, while M1 had significant increases in satisfaction with service quality and price competitiveness (Figure 3-6). Figure 3-6 : Satisfaction with Fixed Broadband Services (Mean Score by Service Provider) Quality of Service Price Competitiveness Variety of Services Available SingNet StarHub Online (N=28) (N=28) (N=27) M1 SingNet StarHub M1 SingNet StarHub M1 Online Online 13

14 Mean Satisfaction Score In terms of satisfaction with the speed of their fixed broadband service, SingNet and M1 saw substantial increases in satisfaction scores compared to 2010 while StarHub s satisfaction score remained fairly consistent (Figure 3-7). Figure 3-7 : Satisfaction with Fixed Broadband Speed (Mean Score by Service Provider) Satisfied Dissatisfied (N=28) SingNet StarHub Online M1 14

15 of Respondents of Respondents 4 MOBILE BROADBAND SERVICES 4.1 Subscription Subscription to mobile broadband services 3 was moderately high, with close to 65 of respondents subscribed to mobile broadband on mobile phone (Figure 4-1). A breakdown of subscription by age and by housing type is provided in Figure 4-2 and Figure 4-3 respectively. Figure 4-1 : Mobile Broadband Services Subscription Mobile Phone Data Dongle Mobile Phone Data Tablet not surveyed previously Dongle 3.5 Tablet 6.8 CASS 2010 CASS 2014 Subscription to mobile broadband services was generally high amongst younger respondents above 80 for those aged years old. A fall in subscription was observed as the age of the respondents increased (Figure 4-2). Figure 4-2 : Mobile Broadband Services Subscription by Age CASS years years years years years years years years years 60 years and above 3 Subscription is by respondent, rather than by number of lines / devices. Hence, subscription rates will not exceed 100 in this survey. 15

16 of Non-subscribers of Respondents Subscription was highest among private property dwellers and generally lower for those staying in HDB 1- to 3-room flats (Figure 4-3) Figure 4-3 : Mobile Broadband Services Subscription by Housing Type CASS HDB 1-2-Rm Flat HDB 3-Rm Flat HDB 4-Rm Flat HDB 5-Rm or Executive Flat Condominiums or Private Flat Landed Property Others Among respondents who did not subscribe to mobile broadband services, almost 2 in 3 cited not having a need for the service as the reason (Figure 4-4) Figure 4-4 : Reasons for Not Subscribing to Mobile Broadband Service CASS I do not have a need for the services I do not know how to use the services The services are too expensive Others 16

17 Mean Satisfaction Score of Mobile Broadband Subscribers 4.2 Awareness of Terms and Conditions More than 80 of mobile broadband subscribers were aware of the expiry date and early termination charge of the service (Figure 4-5). Figure 4-5 : Awareness of Terms and Conditions for Mobile Broadband Service 86.6 CASS 14: Yes CASS 14: No Contract Expiry Date Early Termination Charge 4.3 Satisfaction with Mobile Broadband Respondents satisfaction with price competitiveness of mobile broadband was lower as compared to the other 2 surveyed aspects, which both achieved mean scores of about 3.6 (Figure 4-6). Figure 4-6 : Satisfaction with Mobile Broadband Services (Mean Score) Satisfied CASS Dissatisfied Quality of Service Price Competitiveness Variety of Services Available 17

18 Mean Satisfaction Score Satisfaction levels were fairly consistent across service providers, although SingTel scored slightly better than StarHub and M1 in service quality (Figure 4-7). Figure 4-7 : Satisfaction with Mobile Broadband Services (Mean Score by Service Provider) CASS 14 Quality of Service Price Competitiveness Variety of Services Available SingTel StarHub M1 SingTel StarHub M1 SingTel StarHub M1 In 2014, about 2 in 3 respondents were satisfied with the experienced speed of their mobile broadband in comparison to what was advertised, achieving a mean score of 3.55 (Figure 4-8). Figure 4-8 : Satisfaction with Mobile Broadband Speed (Mean Score) Mobile Phone Data Only Dongle Only All Mobile Broadband 18

19 of Mobile Broadband Subscribers of Mobile Broadband Subscribers 4.4 Ability to Replace Fixed Line Broadband Services 60.7 of mobile broadband subscribers felt that they could not replace fixed broadband with mobile broadband (Figure 4-9). Figure 4-9 : Ability to Replace Fixed Broadband with Mobile Broadband Services CASS 14 CASS 14: of Yes = Yes, completely Yes, to a great extent Yes, slightly No, not at all The most common reasons cited for being able to replace fixed broadband were the portability and convenience of using mobile broadband (Figure 4-10). Figure 4-10 : Top Reasons for Being Able to replace Fixed Broadband Services CASS Mobile broadband is portable so I can use it anywhere Mobile broadband is convenient and easy to use I am seldom at home / always on the move Mobile broadband speed is comparable to or better than fixed broadband I don't or seldom use, need, or subscribe to fixed broadband Mobile broadband's level of functionality is comparable to or better than fixed broadband I prefer mobile broadband and/or use it often or all the time 19

20 of Mobile Broadband Subscribers of Mobile Broadband Subscribers On the other hand, the faster speed of fixed broadband was the most cited reason for respondents inability to replace their fixed with mobile broadband (Figure 4-11). Figure 4-11 : Top Reasons for Not Being Able to replace Fixed Broadband Services 42.4 CASS Fixed broadband speed is faster Fixed broadband is cheaper / expensive when exceed mobile broadband cap Fixed broadband has a more stable and reliable connection I prefer to use fixed broadband at home / need it for other usage purposes Mobile broadband has data cap or low data capacity / fixed broadband is unlimited, can download more Poor coverage of mobile broadband Mobile device screen is too small 4.5 Data Usage Bill Cap 81.5 of mobile broadband subscribers were aware of the local data usage bill cap that was applicable to their mobile data services (Figure 4-12). Figure 4-12 : Awareness of local data usage bill cap CASS Yes No 20

21 of Mobile Broadband Subscribers of Mobile Broadband Subscribers 4.6 Excess Data Usage Charges 62.1 of mobile broadband subscribers were aware of the amount that they would be charged for excess data usage on their mobile broadband plan. Also, only about 5 of all mobile broadband subscribers were subscribed to an unlimited data usage plan (Figure 4-13). Figure 4-13 : Awareness of the amount charged for excess mobile broadband data usage CASS Yes Not Sure My plan comes with unlimited data usage 4.7 Switching to WIFI at Home About 80 of mobile broadband subscribers indicated that, when at home, they would switch to using fixed broadband via WIFI for Internet access on their mobile devices instead of continuing to use mobile broadband (Figure 4-14). Figure 4-14 : Do you switch to Fixed Broadband via WIFI on mobile devices when at home? CASS Yes No 21

22 of Respondents of Respondents 5 INTERNATIONAL ROAMING 5.1 Awareness and Usage From 2010 to 2014, both respondents awareness and usage of conventional roaming services such as roaming voice calls and SMSes declined. In 2014, about 3 in 4 respondents were aware of the service, and about 2 in 5 had used it in the past 1 year (Figure 5-1). Figure 5-1 : Awareness and Usage of Conventional Roaming Services Aware Used Awareness of conventional roaming services such as roaming voice calls and SMSes declined among respondents aged and years old (Figure 5-2). Figure 5-2 : Awareness of Conventional Roaming Services by Age years years years years years years years years years 60 years and above 22

23 Mean Satisfaction Score of Respondents In terms of usage of conventional roaming services such as roaming calls and SMSes, respondents aged 18 to 39 years old generally had large declines compared to 2010 (Figure 5-3). Figure 5-3 : Usage of Conventional Roaming Services by Age years years years years years years years years years 60 years and above 5.2 Satisfaction with International Roaming In 2014, mean scores for satisfaction with price competitiveness and service variety of international roaming increased significantly compared to Nevertheless, satisfaction mean score for service quality was highest at 3.92 (Figure 5-4). Figure 5-4 : Satisfaction with International Roaming (Mean Score) Satisfied CASS Dissatisfied This aspect not surveyed previously Quality of Service Price Competitiveness Variety of Services Available 23

24 of International Roaming Users of International Roaming Users 5.3 Mobile Roaming Charges In 2014, users of international roaming services were significantly more aware of the international mobile roaming charges for voice and data, and were also more likely to check the different charges before travelling (Figure 5-5). Figure 5-5 : Awareness of and Likelihood to Check International Mobile Roaming Charges Level of Awareness of international mobile roaming charges of telecom service provider who check the different international mobile roaming charges of service provider before travel Voice Data Voice Data 5.4 Alternatives to International Roaming Awareness of international roaming alternatives remained high in 2014, and had also increased significantly from 81.5 in 2010 to 86.1 in 2014 (Figure 5-6). Figure 5-6 : Awareness of Alternatives to International Roaming Yes No 24

25 of International Roaming Users of International Roaming Users 5.5 Data Roaming Showing a substantial increase compared to 2010, most respondents were aware that they could disable international data roaming service by manually switching it off or by contacting their service provider (Figure 5-7). Figure 5-7 : Awareness of Ability to Disable International Data Roaming Yes No Respondents awareness of data roaming plans with flat rates for fixed or unlimited data usage almost doubled in 2014 to 72.8, a substantial increase compared to 2010 (Figure 5-8). Figure 5-8 : Awareness of Data Roaming Plans with Flat Rates for Data Usage Yes No 25

26 of International Roaming Users More than 7 in 10 respondents were aware that they could contact their service provider to activate a data roaming cap so as to prevent bill shock (Figure 5-9) Figure 5-9 : Awareness of Ability to Activate Data Roaming Cap 71.8 CASS Yes No 26

27 of Respondents of Respondents 6 PAYPHONE SERVICES 6.1 Usage of Payphone Services Usage of payphones had declined sharply over the past 9 years, falling from 22 in 2005 to 8.4 in 2014 (Figure 6-1). 40 Figure 6-1 : Usage of Payphone Services CASS 2005 CASS 2007 CASS 2010 CASS 2014 Note: Usage = Usage of payphone services at least once in the last 6 months. Across all age groups, usage of payphones had mostly declined over the past 7 years. However, usage among respondents aged 50 years old and above was still higher compared to other age ranges (Figure 6-2). Figure 6-2 : Usage of Payphone Services by Age 28.4 CASS years years years years years years years years years 60 years and above 27

28 of Payphone Users of Respondents There was a steep decline in payphone usage for respondents staying in HDB 1-2 Room, 3 Room, and 4 Room flats (Figure 6-3) Figure 6-3 : Usage of Payphone Services by Housing Type CASS (N=8) (N=13) HDB 1-2-Rm Flat HDB 3-Rm Flat HDB 4-Rm Flat HDB 5-Rm or Executive Flat Condominiums or Private Flat Landed Property Others 6.2 Frequency of Usage Compared to 2010, frequency of payphone usage remained consistently low, with almost 70 of payphone users claiming to have used the service fewer than 5 times a year in 2014 (Figure 6-4). Figure 6-4 : Frequency of Payphone Usage CASS CASS 14: of Frequent Usage = rarely (fewer than 5 times a year) (N=17) Fairly often (at least once a month) (N=22) (N=11) often (at least once a week) (N=5) (N=3) (N=2) Most of the time (at least once a day) 28

29 of Respondents of Respondents 6.3 Attitude towards Payphone as a Necessity About half of respondents opined that payphones are no longer a necessity, a substantial increase compared to 2010 (Figure 6-5). Figure 6-5 : Opinion on whether Payphone was Still a Necessity Yes No In a breakdown of opinions on payphones necessity by housing type (Figure 6-6), respondents staying in HDB 4-room and 5-room flats as well as landed property were significantly less likely to feel that payphones were still necessary. However, a large majority of respondents staying in HDB 1-2-room flats, at slightly more than 70, considered payphones to still be necessary. Figure 6-6 : Opinion on whether Payphone was Still a Necessity by Housing Type Yes No CASS: HDB 1-2 Rm HDB 3 Rm HDB 4 Rm HDB 5 Rm Condominiums or Private Flat Landed Property (N=8) Other (N=13) 29

30 of Respondents of Respondents A majority (83.9) of the respondents who felt that the payphone was still a necessary service cited payphones function as a backup for unexpected situations as the main reason (Figure 6-7). Figure 6-7 : Reasons for Payphones still being Necessary This aspect not surveyed in CAS (N=22) (N=12) As backup for my mobile phone To access emergency services For other people without handphone, e.g. elderly, children, foreigners, tourists No mobile telephone service No residential fixed telephone line On the other hand, respondents who thought that payphones were no longer necessary primarily cited already having a mobile phone as the reason; almost 90 of them gave this reason (Figure 6-8). Figure 6-8 : Reasons for Payphones Not being Necessary Already subscribed to mobile phone Already have residential fixed line Not convenient to use Do not know locations of payphones Others 30

31 Mean Satisfaction Score Mean Satisfaction Score 7 CUSTOMER CARE SERVICES 7.1 Satisfaction with Operators Customer Care Services For the three major operators (SingTel, StarHub, and M1), respondents were generally least satisfied with hotline waiting times, as compared to the other aspects of customer care (time taken to resolve complaints and competency of customer service officer). Nevertheless, satisfaction with hotline waiting times for the three major service providers had actually improved since This is evidenced in the significant increase in satisfaction levels (Figure 7-1). Figure 7-1 : Hotline Waiting Time to speak to a Customer Service Officer (Mean Score) Satisfied Dissatisfied SingTel StarHub M saw substantial improvements in respondents satisfaction with time taken to resolve complaints for SingTel and StarHub. Significant increases in the mean scores of satisfaction were observed (Figure 7-2). Figure 7-2 : Time Taken to Resolve Complaint (Mean Score) Satisfied Dissatisfied SingTel StarHub M1 31

32 of Respondents Mean Satisfaction Score With regards to satisfaction with competency of customer service officers, SingTel enjoyed significant improvement in its satisfaction mean score compared to 2010; on the other hand, satisfaction levels for StarHub and M1 remained fairly consistent compared to 2010 (Figure 7-3). Figure 7-3 : Competency of Customer Service Officer (Mean Score) Satisfied Dissatisfied SingTel StarHub M1 7.2 Suggestions for Improvement When asked for areas where customer care services could be further improved, most respondents suggest a reduction in hotline waiting times, amongst other customer care improvements. It was still the primary suggestion despite a significant decrease compared to 2010 (Figure 7-4) Figure 7-4 : Customer Care Suggestions / Improvements Reduce hotline waiting time Prompt and effective follow-up to complaints Improve competency & product knowledge of CSOs Reduce number of transfers in hotline / connect directly to CSO Employ local CSOs / speak local languages fluently & clearly Streamline the routing directory of CS hotline Improve sincerity, politeness & interpersonal skills of CSOs 32