Casio ranks highest in customer satisfaction among 11 mobile phone handset manufacturers in Japan for a second consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2006 Japan Mobile Telephone Handset Satisfaction Study. Now in its third year, the study measures overall customer satisfaction with mobile phone handsets based on eight factors: design/size; battery; quality; operability; e-mail; camera; display; and Internet.
Receiving the highest ratings from customers in battery, operability, e-mail and camera, Casio ranks highest with an index score of 656 points on a 1,000-point scale.
Mitsubishi Electric follows Casio with a score of 636 points - a 28-point increase from the 2005 study. With unique products and features such as sliding covers and large liquid-crystal displays, Mitsubishi Electric performs well in design/size and display.
Sony Ericsson, which incorporates functions that allow users to play music with their phones, ranks third overall with a score of 631 points.
Since the 2005 study, a decline in overall customer satisfaction has been evident among manufacturers that dominate the mobile phone handset market in Japan. Conversely, manufacturers that have focused on innovating their products by adding new functions and features have improved in the rankings.
"The decrease in satisfaction with handsets produced by larger manufacturers implies that customers have now become more interested in unique products that meet their own sense of value," said Yuji Sasaki, senior research manager at J.D. Power Asia Pacific. "In particular, customers show strong interest in functions related to one-segment TV reception, which allows users to watch TV on their mobile handset, music and waterproof capabilities."
The study also finds that the number of customers who use packet flat-rate systems have almost doubled since 2005. This system allows customers to access the Internet and e-mail as frequently as they wish. The increased use of this system indicates the possibility of extended use of the Internet with mobile phones.
"Manufacturers should try to better understand exactly what customers expect from their mobile phones in order to target the right audience for their products, and develop products that meet customer expectations," said Sasaki. "To be successful in the competitive market, it is crucial that manufacturers find their own unique quality to retain existing customers and attract new ones."
The 2006 Japan Mobile Telephone Handset Satisfaction Study is based on evaluations from 3,187 customers who purchased a mobile phone in the past year. The survey was conducted in August 2006.
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Posted to the site on 24th January 2007
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/21561.php