Consumer retorts

The week of that gadget-lovers' Mecca known as the Consumer Electronics Show seems an appropriate time to address some of the paramount issues service providers are facing in the realm of consumerdom (otherwise known as that large mass of people who buy services from carriers and fill their coffers with money). It's even more apropos given the number of service providers that are poised to time some significant consumer-related announcements with this year's CES. (Check www.telephonyonline.com for frequent news updates from Vince Vittore, our man on the CES scene.)

Given the results of a study about to be released by Consumer Reports, that venerable purveyor of customer truth, it looks like one of the chief concerns of service providers should be quality. According to Reuters, Consumer Reports recently conducted a survey of 39,000 wireless users in 17 major cities, and more than half of them are "less than satisfied" with their mobile service, complaining of poor call quality, customer service quandaries and puzzling service plans. Thirty-five percent of those surveyed said they were considering switching service providers but were having trouble deciphering competing plans.

Quality complaints certainly aren't new in the wireless department, and the publication's survey results (reportedly unchanged from a year earlier) shouldn't be all that surprising to mobile service providers. Regardless of how expansive and capable wireless networks are made and how educated the wireless public gets, people are always going to complain about how their service stinks as they continue to consume more minutes and use more applications. Still, wireless providers definitely should take note of consumer priorities even as they showcase the latest devices and apps at the CES show this week. Reliability and quality will always remain the top concerns of wireless users, regardless of how advanced capabilities become.

Consumer Reports also weighed in on voice-over-IP services in another report, citing economic advantages for consumers but citing sound quality concerns and issues with reliability--even advising consumers to keep a "basic land line" in case of emergency. If VoIP is to continue on its meteoric rise, its proponents absolutely must do whatever they can to address problems and correct perceptions about quality and reliability once and for all. Unlike wireless users, who can't live without the mobility factor, VoIP users have a century-old, reliable--if costlier--alternative to turn to when their patience with VoIP's hangups (perceived or real) runs out.

This promises to be an interesting week on the consumer applications and devices fronts. Let's just hope that while those in the service provider community tout the newest in high-tech, they also remember what really dominates the consumer mindset.

E-mail me at jmeyers@primediabusiness.com.