A recent survey by Omdia, involving 3,000 consumers from Brazil, the UK, and the US, sheds light on shifting preferences regarding how customers interact with their broadband and mobile providers.

While telco apps have gained popularity, with 43% of respondents favoring them as their communication channel, there is still room for improvement, as only 33% are actively using these apps. The survey also highlights a steady preference for email and text messaging, with increasing satisfaction levels and expectations for more personalized customer service.

The number of customers using telco apps was up from 2023, which it says reflects an increased trust in them, claiming “telco apps are popular because customers see them as less likely to be compromised or hacked.”

Customers Seek More Personalized Interactions

The survey also found that email and text messages remain the most popular engagement channels, with over two-thirds of respondents claiming their telco used this platform for consumer engagement, followed by over half pointing to text.

Meanwhile, satisfaction is improving, with 63% of survey respondents saying they felt satisfied and valued with their telco engagements, which is an improvement of 3% on last year’s study. Well over a third felt neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, or dissatisfied and undervalued.

When asked what their telco could do to most improve engagement, ‘close to half’ of respondents said the person they speak with needs to be empowered to make decisions or find resolutions, which stands to reason, while others said being put through to a real person instead of a chatbot “would improve their telco engagements.”

The Growing Trend: Telecom Operators Launch Mobile Apps

The number of telecom operators with mobile apps varies significantly across different regions, but as of recent reports, most major telecom providers have mobile apps to enhance customer engagement and service.

Key telecom operators like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, and Deutsche Telekom are known to offer apps for managing accounts, billing, customer service, and additional services like mobile data or device management.

However, the availability of apps may vary in smaller, regional, or less prominent operators. In the context of global telecom trends, it is common for telecom providers in developed markets to offer apps, while some smaller or budget operators might still rely more on traditional customer service channels like call centers or SMS.