Survey: IDA of Singapore Shows General Satisfaction with National Telecoms

By Casey Houser
Contributing Writer

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (News - Alert) recently provided some good news to telecoms within the country. In its latest report, it shows that customers in the region are generally satisfied with the range of telephony and broadband options to which they have access. They are even mostly satisfied with the prices for those services.

According to information about the issue at Channel NewsAsia, IDA (News - Alert) released the news brief earlier this week summarizing the findings of its Consumer Awareness and Satisfaction survey. The survey addressed the sentiments of 1,500 individuals within Singaporean households by conducting in-person interviews between Dec. 26, 2013, and March 14, 2014. The report discusses the quality of service, price competitiveness, and variety of services from the nation's three major telecoms. It then ranks those service elements on a scale of one to five with respect to fixed line telephone, mobile telephone, fixed broadband, and mobile broadband services. A rating of five is the best, on that scale, and the survey showed that ratings above 3.5 registered for all service types.

What reportedly helps customers navigate the field of services is a general awareness of what is available to them. The survey shows that more than 90 percent of consumers, for instance, know about the early termination charges associated with their mobile telephone and mobile broadband plans; 80 percent are aware of early termination fees with their fixed broadband services. A substantial percentage was also aware of data roaming terms and conditions with approximately 69 percent knowledgeable about international roaming charges.

This highly-aware population did show that they were somewhat dissatisfied with hotline wait times. About 33 percent of survey respondents said they would like their telecoms to invest in methods that will reduce caller wait times. However, at the same time, respondents also noted a general satisfaction with calling wait times compared to 2010 – in which wait times were longer.

Leong Keng Thai, IDA Deputy Chief Executive and Director General, noted that telecoms can improve their wait times by adopting technologies such as live chat systems. Thai said the telecoms need to be innovative to improve their service and boost their satisfaction ratings.

Edited by Alisen Downey