Tesco has the happiest mobile customers but Virgin 'dismal' on broadband

The positive side of the story comes from Juniper Research, which on Tuesday shared a list of the top mobile brands in the UK in terms of customer satisfaction, based on a consumer survey carried out in April.

Top of the pile is Tesco Mobile, with a 92% net promoter score (NPS), followed closely by GiffGaff at 91%. Interestingly, both run on the O2 network, the former being a joint venture between the Tesco supermarket chain and Virgin Media O2, and the latter fully owned by O2.

Network coverage has a part to play in the survey results, with Tesco Mobile customers coming in as the most satisfied with geographic coverage and the price paid for their services. As Juniper Research points out, the nature of an MVNO business means the potential for broad network coverage with the ability to offer low prices, the latter having become particularly important during the recent and ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

"The survey results show the economic downturns of the last few years in the UK have impacted how subscribers approach their connectivity needs," said Elisha Sudlow-Poole, author of the report and senior research analyst at Juniper Research, in a statement.

"It is evident that operators in the UK must reassess their offerings to address this desire for low-cost service in the face of changing consumer demands," she recommended.

Indeed, while EE scored highly in the survey, coming in third with an NPS of 88%, the other MNOs, including the parent of the strong MVNOs above, fared less well.

Three came bottom in overall customer satisfaction, its poor showing in customer service clearly having a bearing alongside poor network coverage and slow data speeds. Juniper Research notes that Three had the highest number of subscribers stating they have had a negative customer service experience with their operator.

Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone were also in the lower half of the table overall. And as the analyst firm points out, Vodafone is one of another three operators to have high numbers of customers claiming negative customer service experiences, the others being GiffGaff and Sky Mobile.

Customer service is a perennial issue in telecoms as a whole, not just in the mobile sector.

This week UK consumer association Which? hit out at Virgin Media for being the worst fixed broadband company in the country on customer service.

Specifically, the consumer group wrote to the CEOs of Virgin Media, Scottish Power and British Gas – all notably bad within their sectors on customer service – urging them to up their game.

Broadband and energy are the worst performing sectors in the UK for customer service, with net satisfaction scores of +52 and +51 respectively. To put that in context, the best performing sector, financial services, scores +72.

Virgin Media scored just +29, according to Which?, for overall customer service. And the consumer group did not mince its words when going into further detail.

"Virgin Media received dismal scores across the board - scoring just +18 for how long it took to get in touch with someone who could help and +38 for both how well customers' issues were dealt with and how well queries were resolved," it said.

Its survey showed that half of Virgin Media customers have experienced at least one customer service issue, the most common complaint being a long wait on the phone to speak to an advisor. One customer claims to have spent 10 hours over a period of several months trying to get a problem resolved.

"It is never OK for firms to provide sub-standard customer service, but in essential sectors providing vital services millions rely on every day such as energy and broadband, it is completely unacceptable," said Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy.

"We have written to all three firms about their consistently poor performance in our research. Which? is calling on them to give consumers the customer service they deserve and clearly communicate the steps they are taking to improve," Concha said.

As we all well know by now, telcos do a great job of talking up their customer care, but the reality does not always match the hype. But organisations like Which? and Juniper Research shining a light on customer experience can only help.