Consumers Juggling Home and Mobile Electronics Devices Would Welcome One Source of Technical Help to Manage it All, Accenture Survey Shows
NEW YORK, May 2, 2011– Consumers who are juggling the use of their home-based and mobile consumer electronics devices would welcome integrated technical support to manage them, especially if they could turn to a single company for help, according to a study from Accenture (NYSE:ACN).
Accenture conducted the survey to determine if consumers who are faced with a proliferation of new devices – both personal and business – perceive the need for integrated technology support across multiple digital devices. The 21-country survey focused on consumers who own both computers and mobile phones or smartphones.
A clear majority (63 percent) of the “super-users” surveyed said they would like to have one company provide technical support for most or all of their home and mobile consumer electronics devices, regardless of the specific communications services they use, which range from fixed landline to wireless, broadband, cable and satellite services. A “super-user” is defined as someone who owns and uses 14 or more consumer electronics devices.
When asked about the kinds of technical issues for which they would want support, all of the respondents focused primarily on computer-related issues, and:
- sixty-eight percent indicated they would want support to reduce the likelihood of serious computer problems that could put data at risk or cost a lot of money to fix;
- sixty-seven percent want increased security from virus and malware attacks that could put data at risk;
- sixty-two percent desire improved computer speed for tasks such as browsing the Internet; and,
- fifty-seven percent want help obtaining the latest software or security patches.
Respondents want various support options from one source
All of the consumers interviewed expressed interest in a wide variety of support options. Regarding remote support:
- more than one-third (36 percent) indicated their top choice would be to work with someone remotely (such as chatting online, speaking on the phone, or communicating via email with a technician) and;
- one-third (33 percent) prefer that technicians remotely access their computer at night or during other “down time.”
“Although consumers we surveyed are concerned with computer-related issues, our research shows that they are recognizing the value of integrated support to help manage their home and mobile devices, ranging from in-home support, including remote access, to live call-center and web support, to email,” said Kurt Hogan, senior executive, Premium Technology Services, Accenture. “We expect this concern to broaden, especially as people integrate their business hardware into the home network environment and use smartphones much the way they use computers, to browse the web, pay bills, play games, and more.”
Fifty-three percent of all the consumers surveyed said they would welcome the opportunity to have one company provide technical support for most or all of their home and mobile consumer electronics devices. Of this group:
- fifty-nine percent have satellite radio;
- fifty-seven percent have cable TV;
- fifty-five percent have mobile/wireless services;
- fifty-five percent have cable broadband;
- fifty-four percent have fixed telephone landline service;
- fifty-four percent have satellite TV
- fifty-two percent have wireless Internet; and
- fifty-two percent have DSL broadband.
When asked to rank companies that would be the best fit to provide technical support for desktop or laptop computers, more than one-third (34 percent) of all respondents chose a company they pay for service on a monthly basis, such as a communications provider, cable or satellite company, and, more than half of the “super-users” (52 percent) agreed. More than half (58 percent) of smartphone consumers said they would look to mobile phone or smartphone providers as a likely source of technical support for these devices.
“Now is the time to address this market,” Hogan said. “The digital home is going to become more complex, not less, as devices and applications proliferate, with consumers presented with a wide variety of service provider options. We believe there are opportunities for these providers to maximize the customer experience and solidify customer loyalty – if they can equip themselves to provide integrated technical support.”
Methodology:
Accenture conducted an online survey of 3,886 consumers in 21 countries in November and December 2010. The consumers were all 18 years old or older and possessed both computers and mobile phones or smartphones. The report is available at www.accenture.com/beyond-landline.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 215,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$21.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2010. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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Contact:
Barbara Burgess
Accenture
973-301-1260
Todd Petruska
For Accenture
212-614-4704