Mobile phones: the epicenter of all things business and personal?
As technology advances, most can agree that a mobile phone is so much more than a phone. It’s an MP3 player, a GPS, an alarm clock, a heavily-relied-on relationship tool (used for both good and evil), and that’s only scratching the surface.
Across the world the mobile phone is fast becoming a necessity, with 75 percent of people globally (and 82 percent of Americans) indicating that they never leave home without their phones. Thirty-six percent of people (including 42 percent of Americans) take it a step further, stating that they cannot live without their cell phones, according to a study conducted by Chicago research company Synovate. The project surveyed over 8,000 cell phone owners across 11 markets to learn more about how people are using (and, in some cases, hiding behind) these devices; which features they use (and don’t); and how they feel about them.
For some, one phone just isn’t enough. Overall, 23 percent of respondents own more than two mobile phones, and Americans are among the most likely to own at least two (33 percent), along with the French (34 percent). Brits and Americans were the most likely to own a smartphone, at 21 percent and 20 percent, respectively. And smartphone users are getting smarter about making good use of their gadgets. Only around a third of U.S. respondents agreed they did not know how to use most of the features on their phones.
So what are people actually using them for? Putting aside calling and texting functions, the three features most used on a regular basis are alarm clock (67 percent globally use this regularly, 56 percent of Americans); camera (62 percent globally, 68 percent of Americans); and games (33 percent globally, 31 percent of Americans).
The U.S. and the U.K. lead the way in mobile functions that require 3G access. Overall, 17 percent of respondents use e-mail on their mobile on a regular basis, led by 26 percent in the U.S. and 25 percent in the U.K. Similarly, 17 percent use Internet browsing, topped by the U.K. at 31 percent and the U.S. at 26 percent. But it’s hardly all work and no play. Eleven percent say they social-network regularly via mobile, again led by the U.K. (17 percent) and the U.S. (15 percent).
The survey also showed how text messaging is used for fun. One third of all respondents globally had flirted with their partners by text (including 36 percent of Americans), and a naughty 15 percent have flirted with someone other than their partners, led by the Brits (26 percent) and Russians (24 percent), while 16 percent of Americans say they have done this. Twenty percent have set up a first date via text, including 9 percent of Americans. This statistic might indicate that hiding behind a phone allows different cultures to be bolder, or more timid, than they may have otherwise been, and that goes for the good and the bad.
Thirty-one percent of respondents have lied about their whereabouts via text and 12 percent have broken up with someone. Overall, 8 percent of respondents have been dumped via text, led by 20 percent of Malaysians. Thirty-five percent agreed that they have hidden behind text to say no or send a difficult message, led by 49 percent of Filipinos. Least likely to hide behind text are Canadians (79 percent say they haven’t done this) and Americans (71 percent). Thirty-one percent agreed they have lied about why they were running late or where they are, led by 57 percent of Filipinos. Least likely to lie via text (or so they say) are the Dutch (84 percent say they haven’t) and the Americans (79 percent). For more information visit www.synovate.com/insights.
Hand-holding and education can increase home claimant satisfaction
Satisfaction among home insurance customers who file a property claim is significantly lower than that of auto claimants, according to Westlake Village, Calif., research company J.D. Power and Associates’ 2009 Home Claims Satisfaction Study.
Customer satisfaction with the home claims experience averages 828 on a 1,000-point scale. In comparison, satisfaction with the auto claims experience averages 842. The difference in satisfaction may be due to lack of education regarding homeowners’ policies, or it may be that home claims are less common but weightier in terms of dollars and life-impact. If insurers want continued business and referrals, there are several opportunities to improve satisfaction throughout the claims process.
“Home claims are typically far more complex than auto claims, and homeowners’ insurance claimants tend to have less knowledge of the specifics of their policy coverage than do auto claimants,” says Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Although satisfying home claimants is particularly challenging, it’s still crucial for insurance providers to meet the needs of these customers, given the significant impact the experience has on long-term policy retention.”
Higher levels of satisfaction with the home claims experience have a positive impact on customer loyalty and advocacy. Among customers of insurers that achieve high satisfaction scores (averaging 837 or higher), two-thirds say they definitely will renew their policy, while 64 percent say they definitely will recommend the insurer. In contrast, among customers of insurers with lower levels of satisfaction (scores averaging 816 or below), only 49 percent say they definitely will renew and 42 percent say they definitely will recommend the insurer.
“While only about 6 percent of homeowners insurance customers per year file a home claim, for those who do, no other aspect of the experience with their insurer is more meaningful,” says Bowler.
Insurers have the opportunity to improve customer satisfaction during the first notice of loss and settlement portions of the claims process. During the first notice of loss process, fewer than three-fourths of home claimants indicate that the insurer provided an explanation of their policy coverage, compared with 81 percent of auto claimants.
During the settlement process, claimants’ lack of understanding regarding their policy coverage often leads to negotiated settlements. Twenty-two percent of home claimants report negotiating the settlement amount, while just 11 percent of auto claimants say the same.
“The negotiation process tends to be difficult and stressful and often leads most customers to become dissatisfied with their claims experience,” says Bowler. “On average, satisfaction among home claimants who negotiate their settlement is 117 points lower than among those who didn’t negotiate. By thoroughly explaining the limitations of the policy coverage and fully managing customer expectations, insurance companies may be able to lower the number of negotiations and improve claimant satisfaction considerably.” For more information visit www.jdpower.com.
Facebook not a threat to success in college
Parents worried that their college students are spending too much time on Facebook and other social networking sites and not enough time hitting the books can breathe a sigh of relief. Research from the University of New Hampshire (UNH), Durham, finds that while 96 percent of students use Facebook, students who heavily engage in social networking do just as well academically as students who are less interested in keeping in touch through the medium.
“The study indicates that social media is being integrated with rather than interfering with students’ academic lives,” says UNH adjunct professor Chuck Martin, whose marketing research class conducted the study. “College students have grown up with social networks, and the study shows they are now simply part of how students interact with each other with no apparent impact on grades.”
Students at the UNH Whittemore School of Business surveyed 1,127 UNH students from a range of majors. The research shows that there is no correlation between the amount of time students spend using social media and their grades. Grades followed similar distributions for all colleges, with the majority of students having As and Bs.
Researchers defined light users of social media as usage fewer than 31 minutes per day. Heavy usage was defined as usage exceeding 61 minutes per day. Researchers defined high grades as As and As and Bs; and lower grades as Bs and lower. For the purpose of the study, social media was defined as Facebook, YouTube, blogs, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn.
Sixty-three percent of heavy users received high grades, compared to 65 percent of light users. Researchers found similar results with lower grades. While 37 percent of heavy users of social media received what were defined as lower grades, 35 percent of light users received fell into that same category.
The study also showed that Facebook and YouTube are the most popular social media platforms with college students, with 96 percent of students saying they use Facebook and 84 percent saying they use YouTube. Only 20 percent use blogs, 14 percent use Twitter, 12 percent use MySpace and 10 percent use LinkedIn.
In addition, 43 percent of those surveyed said they have increased their usage of social media from a year ago, 8 percent of them significantly. Thirty-nine percent of students said they have not changed their use of social media, while 18 percent said their use has decreased, including three percent who said it had significantly decreased.
The majority of students said they use social networks for social reasons (89 percent) and entertainment (79 percent). About a quarter of students said they use social media for educational reasons and 16 percent for professional reasons. For more information visit www.unh.edu/news.
Online content - what will we pay for?
The big question in the new Internet decade is whether consumers will pay for content online. It turns out that millions of global consumers are, in fact, willing to pay up - but not for everything. Consumers show a higher propensity to pay for music, movies, games and professionally-produced video than for podcasts, blogs or consumer-generated video. For example, consumers are three times as likely to pay for online music than for a blog, according to a 54-country study conducted by New York researcher The Nielsen company. Likewise, they are more inclined to spend money on what they already pay for rather than on what they currently get for free.
Of the global online consumers, 57 percent have paid or would consider paying for music; 57 percent for theatrical movies; 51 percent for games; 50 percent for professionally-produced video (including current television shows); 49 percent for magazines; 42 percent for newspapers; 36 percent for Internet-only news sources; 32 percent for radio (music); 28 percent for podcasts; 28 percent for social communities; 26 percent for radio (news/talk); 24 percent for consumer-generated video; and 20 percent for blogs.
Overall willingness to pay for online content may surprise some, but more surprising yet is the extent to which consumers in some markets are still open to more advertising. Nearly half (47 percent) of global respondents said they would put up with more ads to subsidize free content, but that willingness swings by market. While 57 percent of respondents in the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan are open to the more advertising - as are 55 percent of those in Asia-Pacific - just 40 percent of North America respondents and 39 percent of European respondents agree. For more information visit www.nielsen.com.
Kid nutrition: do as mom says, not as she does
Healthy eating is on the minds of many moms, but it’s their eating habits and nutritional knowledge that have the most bearing on what their children eat, even when moms aren’t eating the healthy food they peddle. The What’s on the Minds of Moms and How Are They Coping? study from Port Washington, N.Y., research company The NPD Group found that in households with kids, when the adult female has a good Healthy Eating Index (HEI), a measure of diet quality similar to federal dietary guidance, the majority of kids in the household are eating just as well.
Although moms’ healthy eating behaviors impact how their children eat, moms’ attitudes about nutritional eating often do not necessarily align with actual behavior. Three-fourths of new moms and 65 percent of experienced moms say they actively seek out foods with nutrition benefits. However, moms are less likely to actually consume foods with nutrition benefits.
Moms also give themselves high marks when it comes to nutritional and healthy eating knowledge. Sixty-seven percent of moms feel they are extremely or very knowledgeable about nutrition and eating, and 81 percent of moms feel they are the primary source for nutritional education for their children. Yet when moms are asked to assess their children’s level of nutritional knowledge, few ranked their children extremely or very knowledgeable, a little over half of children 6-17 years old were considered somewhat knowledgeable. One-fourth of moms considered their children 6-12 years old not very knowledgeable. For more information visit www.npd.com.