Customers happier with JT’s service

Wednesday 02 March 2016

It seems JT have been ringing the changes since customers have had the option to switch their fixed line operator but a third of them say they are still likely to hang up on the company in the future if they want a better deal.

The majority of both JT and Sure customers surveyed said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the service they are getting according to the competition watchdog but a lot of them would still make the switch if they weren't stuck in a contract or if they had more choice over operator.

The Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities (CICRA) hired Island Global Research to find out what we think of the service we are getting, the way we are billed, the level of customer service and whether we are likely to change our provider in the future.

Fewer than half rated JT"s billing as satisfactory or highly satisfactory compared to 68% of Sure customers but the results show that JT 's billing service is better than it was, and the operator is showing signs of closing the gap with Sure - with a 43% rating in the this survey compared to only 22% in May 2014.

Almost half of customers rated their experience of JT's customer services as satisfactory or highly satisfactory but more JT customers than Sure's say they are likely or very likely to change provider in the future to get a better deal - 36% say they would if they could get out of their contract and 32% say they haven't because they don't feel there is a better or suitable alternative.

CICRA director Louise Read said: “JT is showing steady improvement to the point where in some cases it is comparable to Sure in Guernsey. For the first time we’ve also been able to measure Sure’s performance in Jersey for fixed lines and it’s clear that it is offering service levels comparable to JT with higher levels of customer satisfaction benefitting Jersey consumers.

“There is still room for improvement from both operators but we’re pleased with the upward trend that’s developed. In order to support customers, and as part of our work programme for the year, we will be reviewing the basis for telecom operators’ current service standards to ensure levels are appropriate for the island’s needs and engagement with customers will be key.

“As a result of the choice now open to customers in fixed lines services we anticipate that telecoms service providers will seek to improve both the quality and pricing of their services to win new customers and to persuade their existing customers not to switch away from them. We also expect to see improved engagement by the operators as they seek greater feedback from their customers and respond to that feedback.

“As usual we will provide all the (anonymised) data to operators and work with them to ensure their attention is focussed on the areas important to customers and that CICRA considers deliver the greatest improvement to customer satisfaction.

“The next survey is scheduled for May 2016. This will be the second survey to gather customer satisfaction results since the introduction of choice for fixed line telecoms services and will help customers make an informed choice of fixed line service provider and allow us to track the impact of that choice on customer satisfaction levels and track how the operators are performing in tackling underlying issues.”