Research Synopsis
Telecommunications Consumer
November 22, 2005

In a continuing effort to better understand customer behavior, Ovation Marketing recently completed an online survey to assess the following regarding purchasing telephone service and internet connectivity.

  • Purchase behaviors
  • Preferred information sources
  • Preferred advertising mediums
  • Competitive landscape
Overall Findings

The respondents to this survey indicated they had significant decision making responsibility in their household for telephone service and Internet connectivity. They were primarily female (67%) and represented a good cross section of age, with 89% falling between 25-64 years old.  These consumers are educated, with nearly 70% responding that they have attended or graduated college. 

88% say they have no plans to change their local phone service over the next 12 months. 4% say they are planning on cutting local phone service altogether. (In an open-ended question as to why that followed, most of these respondents are planning on going the cell phone only route.)

36% say that they have the same provider for their local telephone service and for their internet connection. 31% overall see it as a benefit to them to have the same provider for both.

55% of the respondents report that they have a broadband connection to the Internet.

Among all respondents, 20% say they are likely or very likely to change their internet connection over the next 12 months.

Of those respondents that have a DSL internet connection, 92% say they are likely or very likely to keep that connection.

Only 7% say they are planning on changing their long distance service in the next year.

We asked, “How do you place the majority of your Long distance phone calls?” 46% indicated “On my home phone, using a long distance service.” 39% indicated, “On my cell phone, using a calling plan.”

We asked what calling features if any had been added in the last 12 months. Caller ID led the way with 15% of the respondents adding it in the last year. Call Waiting was at 10%. Voice mail was at 8% and Three-way Calling at 7%.

We asked, “Which one way would you prefer a company to communicate with you about additional services for each of the following: local telephone services, long distance services and internet connection” In all three, cases mail was the preferred contact medium. For local telephone service and long distance services, a billing insert was the second choice. For the Internet connection, e-mail moved ahead of the billing insert for the second preferred choice.