Apple Confirmed as Having Most Loyal Customer Base Among Computer Companies--Again!

We all know it but a just-completed study by Satmetrix Systems confirms it. Apple Computer, along with Google (for online services) and Symantec (for computer software), is the computer company with the most loyal customers according to a series of Net Promoter Industry Reports just released by Satmetrix Systems, Inc. The results from these reports are indicative of each company's commitment to maximizing customer experience and driving revenue growth through customer loyalty.

"The companies with the highest Net Promoter scores are well known for their market performance and brand leadership," said Dr. Laura Brooks, vice president of research and business consulting at Satmetrix Systems, Inc. "Apple, whose score far outranks its closest competitor, is well known for its passionate and dedicated customer base."

The Net Promoter Score, created by loyalty expert Fred Reichheld of Bain & Co. and Satmetrix, measures customer experience and profitable growth, using a simple and radical question: How likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague? It allows companies to track promoters (customers who have a favorable view of doing business with the company and who will actively promote it) and detractors (customers who have a negative view and will tell colleagues, encouraging potential customers to take their business elsewhere) and produces the single most reliable indicator of a company's ability to grow by measuring its performance in its customers' eyes.

Apple's customers also indicated that there are certain aspects of a business which have a large impact on their likelihood to recommend and that these drivers are consistent across the high-technology industry. These were also consistent with those companies with the lowest Net Promoter rating who scored low in all four areas. The areas of a company which customers identified as having a large impact on their likelihood to recommend it to a friend or colleague were:

• Overall product or service;
• Overall value (including the company's fees and charges);
• Company reputation; and
• Customer service and support.

The results of the Net Promoter Industry Report 2006 are based on responses from customers regarding their experiences with their actual provider. The study was fielded during the first half of 2005. [Bill Fox]