A Comarch survey of European SMEs shows most feel little or no loyalty to their telecoms service provider-- 8 out of 10 plan to change service provider in the near future.
The analyst surveyed 298 SMEs based in France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the UK.
A number of factors cause frustration to SMEs-- chiefly billing issues, low service/network quality and a ineffecient customer service.
Around 80% of SMEs do not describe a selection of handsets as a "deal breaker," since they prefer cheaper service.
"The sector is wide open for product and service innovation backed up by high levels of operational efficiency," Comarch says. Thus CSPs able to deliver what SMEs want have a potentially lucrative revenue opportunity.
What do SMEs want from their telecoms provider? The survey lists service availability, service quality and dedicated tariff plans. Services such as itemised and archived bills, spending limits for employees and fixed-mobile convergence would also be appreciated.
"The most important thing, however, is that telecom operators understand the specifics of SME customers, as well as their potential, and adopt a dedicated approach to churn and customer experience management in that segment," the analyst concludes.
