New research shows that more people are switching broadband suppliers, looking for cheaper broadband, better customer service and increased data allowances. At Plusnet, delivering cheap broadband and great customer service is at the centre of everything we do - and we've won a few awards for it too. So, this piece of news definitely grabbed our attention. Read on for more about the research - and to find out what we're taking from it …
The latest research:
You'd be forgiven for thinking that broadband speeds would be one of the top 3 deciding factors for people choosing between broadband deals - especially with all the current talk about fibre optic broadband. But new research has shown that cost, customer service and data allowances are topping the list for people thinking about making the switch from one ISP to another. According to uSwitch, new data from Roy Morgan Research has shown that 48% of broadband users who switched suppliers made the move to a new ISP because they were looking for cheaper broadband. 41% changed because they were looking for better customer service, and 33% made the move to another supplier because they wanted bigger data allowances.
What are we making of it all?
- Value:
Providing cheap broadband has always been important to us, and we know that price is becoming a top priority for more and more people, now that times are tough. It's good to see that people are getting savvier and are looking for better broadband deals instead of giving up t'internet - especially as Race Online stats show that the average household can save £560 a year by using the internet to shop online and pay bills, meaning that broadband can really earn its keep.
We earned a 4-star "value for money" rating from Which? - the independent consumer watchdog - earlier this year. The ISP Awards 2012 named us Best Budget Broadband. The uSwitch Awards 2012 rated us 'Best Value Home Broadband'. And our fibre optic broadband deals are the cheapest in the market. So we like to think that we're doing you proud when it comes to value.
- Customer Service:
We were really glad to see that customer service has become more important when you're choosing an ISP. Providing outstanding customer service is something that we really pride ourselves on - and we're always trying to improve and make sure our customer service stands out from the crowd.
Unlike other broadband providers, we're upfront about everything we do - we even let our customers moderate our forums so you know we're not editing or controlling what you read about us.
We're based in the UK, our number is free to dial, we don't use scripts in our call centres and we try to solve any queries in one call instead of transferring you from one advisor to another. And, every month, we ask 4,000 customers how we're doing and use their feedback to help us to improve our service.
You can read more about how we've been improving our customer service here.
If you use Twitter then don’t forget to follow us either for the latest news and information regarding any known service-affecting problems. We’re also available most days to answer any questions you might have or give any open support requests you might have a friendly nudge in the right direction.
- Data Allowances:
We're not surprised to hear that more broadband users are looking for bigger data allowances - especially following the UK launch of Netflix.
Back in January, when Netflix launched in the UK, we blogged that we thought we'd see increased demand for data and streaming, especially as our own early stats indicated that you were making a bee-line for the new service - with Netflix traffic accounting for 60Mbps of our overall bandwidth at peak times - a figure that continues to increase as more and more people take to streaming movies online.
Plusnet Extra comes with a 60GB peak-time usage and those in a fibre-enabled area who have Plusnet Extra Fibre have a healthy 120GB to play around with. All of our products also offer unlimited usage between Midnight and 8.00am each day so you can download to your heart’s content during the early hours.
Are you surprised by the stats? What do you think of our customer service and value? What do you look for when you compare broadband deals?