Dell #1 in customer satisfaction again.
(I apologize for my lack of post formatting skills)
This article was found on TMF Dell message board
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article is found at
moneycentral.msn.com
Dell Holds Its Leadership Position forSixth Consecutive Quarter in 3Q99 Customer Satisfaction Ratings
October 19, 1999 12:08 PM Eastern Time
HAMPTON, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 19, 1999--
Hewlett-Packard Most Improved Vendor; Compaq Server Satisfaction Waning
The third quarter 1999 Corporate IT Buying Behavior & Customer Satisfaction Study, conducted by Technology Business Research (www.tbri.com), represents the eleventh consecutive quarter of tracking corporate end-user satisfaction with their desktop, Intel-based server, and laptop/notebook systems vendors. This quarter's study is based on 392 interviews with IT Managers at large U.S. corporations, conducted during August and early September, 1999. The quarter's results show Dell extending its lead in all three form factors, Hewlett-Packard making substantial gains in the Intel server and desktop ratings, Compaq losing the momentum built up in previous quarters, and Gateway and Toshiba remaining essentially unchanged.
Sample 3Q99 Score Rank % Change % Change
Size 2Q99 3Q99
Over 1Q99 Over 2Q99
Intel Servers:
Dell 58 89.06 1 0% +2.8%
Hewlett-Packard 50 87.01 2 0% +2.5%
Compaq 165 84.44 3 0% -1.6%
IBM 51 84.08 4 +3.3% +0.8%
Desktops:
Dell 103 87.52 1 +0.9% +2.1%
Hewlett-Packard 57 84.98 2 +2.1% +4.3%
Gateway 42 83.36 3 +4.4% 0%
Compaq 110 83.27 3 +1.5% +0.9%
IBM 74 80.99 4 -1.0% -0.6%
Notebook:
Dell 97 84.65 1 0% +0.8%
Compaq 69 80.56 2 +8.1% -2.2%
IBM 106 79.25 3 -1.1% -1.0%
Toshiba 49 75.91 4 -4.3% 0%
While Compaq CPQ customers in the previous quarter's sample boosted the vendor's ratings considerably over previous quarters, this quarter shows that a leveling off of these gains is in the works, particularly regarding notebooks. The most significant finding for Compaq is that it has lost its preferred position next to Dell at the top of the Intel server satisfaction ratings and also that experiences vary considerably from one customer to the next. Compaq's reputation as a server vendor suffers primarily in relation to inconsistencies in the delivery mechanism and in all areas of service and support. A common thread for Compaq across all three form factors is the higher rate of DOA incidences.
Dell DELL customer satisfaction scores this quarter show an increase across all three form factors. Dell is perceived as particularly strong in the areas of technical support response, replacement parts availability, total cost of ownership, and hardware reliability. Dell customers place higher importance levels on the various attribute areas than other customer groups as their expectations have been elevated over time due to a history of high satisfaction. In spite of the inherent difficulty managing such expectations, Dell continues to fully meet and, in most cases, exceed customer expectations.
Gateway GTW has held onto its gains in the ratings from the previous quarter, with its greatest strength in the area of price/performance. The one change this quarter is a return to problems of the past in the area of technical support response, where many customers believe Gateway cannot handle the volume. Gateway's scores for on-site support were added for the first time this quarter and the initial finding is quite negative. Gateway continues to be perceived as competitively weak in the area of volume discounting.
Hewlett-Packard HWP ratings this quarter show a marked increase in both Intel server and desktop satisfaction. While HP has always received excellent ratings for Intel server satisfaction, the increase this quarter can best be attributed to improvements in delivery time and out-of-box quality, both very influential factors leading to overall satisfaction. Across both form factors, HP is perceived as competitively strong for its on-site support, an honor given only to HP this quarter.
While IBM IBM retains the improvements of the preceding quarter for Intel server satisfaction, the scores continue to run on a generally lower plane than those of its competitors. Improvements in server hardware reliability and performance ratings are offset by declining satisfaction for technical support response and server management features, the latter of which is often perceived as a complex and inefficient product. IBM remains in the third ranking position for notebook satisfaction due to delivery problems in spite of very strong scores for hardware reliability and product design/engineering.
There has been no visible improvement for Toshiba this quarter as the vendor remains at the bottom of the ranking for notebook satisfaction. Toshiba's satisfaction scores are significantly below that of the competition for eight of the 15 attributes covered. Toshiba's customers in the sample are set apart from the others in that they assign significantly lesser importance to the attributes. This means that Toshiba customers appear to be less demanding, which should make it easier for the vendor to meet expectations; however, Toshiba continues to fail in this respect.
The complete study results are contained in TBR's 3Q99 Corporate IT Buying Behavior & Customer Satisfaction Study. The study represents an installed base of approximately 2.6 million systems and a purchase intent of over 650,000 systems. The report is based on interviews with MIS/IT and purchasing managers at 392 large U.S. corporations. For vendors, distributors, large end users, and the investment community, this program has become the preeminent tactical tool for monitoring customer satisfaction from quarter to quarter. A customer satisfaction research program subscription, consisting of four quarterly reports, is available for $5,000 annually to interested parties through the contacts listed below.
Complete results available to accredited journalists.
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