April 23, 2009

Competing Against Fiber In The Most Competitive Markets

US Customer Satisfaction Data Reveals Cable's TV And Broadband Vulnerabilities

by Doug Williams

with J.P. Gownder, Abe Garon, Dan Wilkos

Executive Summary (This is a document excerpt)

Cable operators are facing stiff competition from telcos that have upgraded their networks with fiber, enabling them to deliver pay TV and faster tiers of broadband service. Customer retention is now critical for cable operators, but where should consumer product strategists focus their efforts? Forrester analyzed consumer survey data on US online customers' satisfaction with their cable TV, broadband, and bundled services and uncovered vulnerabilities in each area — most notably around customer service (for both the phone and online channels) and the perceived value of the services. US consumers who bundle TV, broadband, and voice service from a cable operator are relatively more satisfied than those who do not, but cable bundlers are not as happy as consumers who purchase a bundle from a telco. In order to preserve the existing customer base, consumer product strategy professionals at cable operators should improve customer service, rapidly deploy DOCSIS 3.0 upgrades to lock up speed-hungry users before telco fiber upgrades take place, and make further inroads on feature and service integration to deliver better value.

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