Customer Satisfaction in the Telecom Industry: A Survey Research Approach

Abstract

The telecom sector is rapidly expanding and has enormous implications for the technological, economic, and social development of emerging countries like Albania. Furthermore, being one of the industries with the highest churn rates, assessing the customer satisfaction aspects of their customer base is deemed critical for their retention. As a result, the study intends to provide insights into the Albanian telecom market by focusing on package preferences, switching behavior, and indicators contributing to customer satisfaction. 103 usable surveys were collected by One Albania telecommunications company’s poll of former and active users, following a convenience sampling approach. Descriptive and inferential statistics are used to analyze the data and shed light on the research questions raised. The results of the study signify that each of the examined aspects — billing & payment, call quality, customer support, internet speed, network coverage, and pricing — is significantly and strongly associated with overall customer satisfaction in the telecommunications service context. Additionally, the findings demonstrate that the main driver of telecom users' decision to switch is their perception of rival carriers' cheaper pricing plans, which are followed by stronger and more dependable network signals. In terms of package preferences, the ‘monthly plan’ is the most prevalent option, while among the key features that comprise the packages, ‘data allowance’ is the most important aspect. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge on customer satisfaction in the telecom sector while providing a practical guide regarding the drivers of users’ switching behavior.