Study finds Apple tops in call center tech support
by Lance Whitney

Apple outscored both Dell and Hewlett-Packard in overall satisfaction with tech support by phone, though its problem-resolution rates took a bit of a hit in a study released today by consumer feedback firm Vocal Laboratories.



Based on interviews with customers from July 2009 to December 2010, Apple's lead in phone support over Dell and HP dipped a bit in the second half of last year compared with the first half, according to the study from Vocal Laboratories (Vocalabs).

But Apple customers seeking tech support still proved the happiest, with 66 percent saying they were "very satisfied" with the call itself, compared to 51 percent for HP's customers and 49 percent for Dell's. Further, 76 percent of Apple users said they were very satisfied with the representative who helped them on the call, though that too was down a bit from 82 percent in the first half of the year.

Despite the declines for Apple in certain areas of customer satisfaction, the company continued to outpace Dell and HP overall and still commands the most loyal customers.
Asked whether they'd buy the same brand again, 84 percent of Apple users said yes, compared with 60 percent for Dell and 66 percent for HP. And asked if they'd recommend the brand to others, the results were similar--85 percent of Apple customers said they would, compared with 61 percent for Dell and 66 percent for HP.

Study finds Apple tops in call center tech support | Apple - CNET News