Customer Satisfaction Index Places Dell, Apple In Top Two Slots (In That Order)

by , 1:00 PM EDT, August 20th, 2003

What is the ACSI? It's not ASCII misspelled, if that was your first thought, but rather the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The ACSI describes itself as a national economic indicator measuring customer satisfaction, and is "produced by a partnership of the University of Michigan Business School, American Society for Quality and CFI Group, and supported in part by Market Strategies Inc., and ForeSee Results."

The Index rates different manufacturers within specific sectors of the economy, including the computing industry, which is why we are bringing you this story. The organizers say that the Index includes the results of measuring such factors as customer expectations, perceived quality, perceived value, customer complaints, and customer loyalty. You can find more information on the methodology at the Index's Web site.

The results of this year's Index include customer satisfaction ratings for Dell, HP, Gateway, and Apple. This year's results place Dell in the #1 slot for the sixth year in a row with a rating of 78 (out of 100). Apple came in at #2 with a rating of 77. HP was third with a rating of 70, and Gateway was fourth with a 69. From the press release issued for this year's announced results:

Among PC companies, Dell leads the way for the sixth straight year with an ACSI score of 78. Apple, up 6 percent, is right behind with a mark of 77, while the fall of Gateway continues -- its 69 score is down 12 percent from its peak of 78 in 2000.

"In a market dominated by Dell and Hewlett Packard, Gateway faces a difficult challenge," Fornell said. "Service expertise, which used to be Gateway's strength, has seen better days, according to customers. The company has reported negative net income and falling revenue the past five quarters."

Historically speaking, Apple was up 5% from a rating of 73 last year, compared to this year's 77. The lowest score Apple achieved in the Index was in 1998, when Apple was rated with a 69 customer satisfaction score. 77 is the highest rating Apple has gotten since 1995. The press release included a handy table, which we transcribed below. The baseline figures included were taken in the Summer of 1994, according to a note on the Index's Web site.

	Baseline	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	% Change from last year	% Change from 1st year
Personal Computers	78	75	73	70	71	72	74	71	71	72	1.4%	-7.7%
Dell	NA	NA	NA	72	74	76	80	78	76	78	2.6%	8.3%
Apple	77	75	76	70	69	72	75	73	73	77	5.5%	0.0%
HP	78	80	77	75	72	74	74	73	71	70	-1.4%	-10.3%
All Others	NA	70	73	72	69	69	68	67	70	69	-1.4%	-1.4%
Gateway	NA	NA	NA	NA	76	76	78	73	72	69	-4.2%	-9.2%
Compaq-HP	78	77	74	67	72	71	71	69	68	68	0.0%	-12.8%

For more information on the Index, visit its Web site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Hmmm... Dell customers more satisfied than Apple's customers? We find that surprising, yet there it is. A quick show of hands: How many truly satisfied Wintel users have you met? Certainly they exist, but it seems that most of the PC users we have met are nothing but tense about their computers.

Still, that's not really what this index is about. Specifically, for instance, though we have met lots and lots of PC users who loathe their PCs, most of them think that's just part of owning a computer in the first place, and we can easily see them being "satisfied customers" of Dell, HP, etc. After all, Dell and HP both far outsell Apple, and that really says it all in regards to this issue. Dell couldn't keep selling as many toasters as it does if its customers weren't happy about doing business with them, one way or another.

Looking at the historical results in the above table, you can pretty much trace Apple fall from grace and subsequent rebirth under the stewardship of Steve Jobs. Apple's satisfaction rate reached a nadir in 1998, preceded by an almost as low 1997. Both years were rebuilding years for Apple, with perhaps the most defections from the Mac platform happening during 1997 and 1998 leading up to the release of the iMac. We point this out simply as an item of interest.

ACSI