14 DAY TRIAL // A report by American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) notes that customer satisfaction has improved for major household appliances, while recording all-time highs for personal computers and big- ticket consumer electronics.
According to the report (PDF) released today by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, recent news have indicated weak durable goods growth and a perpetuated uncertainty of the housing market.
Nevertheless, ACSI notes, the results that just came in “may provide a glimmer of hope for future demand for these durable products.”
“In order for demand to rebound, consumers must exhibit an increased desire to spend and have the means to do so,” said Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI and author of The Satisfied Customer: Winners and Losers in the Battle for Buyer Preference.
“ACSI data suggest that for durables, the first condition has been met in the form of higher customer satisfaction. Whether this will translate into increased consumer demand will depend on positive movement in the factors that impact the means to spend: employment, wages and access to credit,” Fornell added.
Delving into personal computers, ASCI claims that Apple remains the dominant brand (for the seventh year in a row) amid an improvement recorded industry-wide.
“Satisfaction with personal computers surges 4.0% to match the all-time industry high of 78 on the ACSI’s 0 to100-point scale,” the economic indicator writes.
“Apple gains 2% to 86, its highest score ever. This marks the seventh straight year that Apple leads all other PC makers, and the 9-point gap between Apple and its nearest competitor is the largest in ACSI,” ASCI notes.
According to their September 2010 report, improvements have also been spotted on the Windows front. The reason? Windows 7, according to Fornell, who notes that “Windows-based PC brands appear to have recovered from the problems associated with the Windows Vista software.”
With Windows 7, the level of customer satisfaction for brands like Dell, Acer, and HP “has returned to, and in some cases even surpassed, the levels prior to the launch of Vista,” Fornell claims. Dell improved 3%, Acer (Gateway and eMachines) and the HP division of Hewlett-Packard both shot up 4%. Sony and Toshiba gain 4%.