A customer profile and customer experience of Maltese telecommunications websites : accessed via smartphone

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to obtain the customer profile and acquire a reliable indication whether the Telecommunications Websites accessed via smartphone are providing a sustainable customer experience. The information collected will help the Telecommunications companies decide if there is the need for a mobile optimised website. Design/methodology/approach - The research strategy was split into two (2) main sections: descriptive research and causal research. With regards to the descriptive research, a cross-sectional analysis was used. This research has focused in collecting quantitative data of web users who own a desktop/Laptop and smartphone, via the use of a survey send through the Internet. The causal research was an experiment held with fifteen (15) selected users of the Telecommunications websites. The experiment was divided into eleven (11) tasks, from which the tasks had to be completed via smartphone. This experiment has been helpful in collecting data regarding the users experience when using the Telecommunications websites via smartphone. Two short structured interviews, were also carried out to the marketers responsible of the website of the two respective Telecommunications companies. Findings - A large number of the respondents own one smartphone, still 12.5% feel that one smartphone is not enough to fulfill their needs, hence own a second smartphone. This shows how much the dependence on smartphones is on the increase. It is alarming, that most users have accessed the Telecommunications websites more than a month ago both via desktop/laptop and smartphone. In fact, most respondent's showed that, they are not interested in using the service provider's websites. All users of both Telecommunications companies, have rated the experience of the websites accessed via smartphone as non-simple and non-user friendly. Research limitations/implications - The main limitation is the lack of local information on this study. However the main limitation of the survey and the Usability Evaluation Test is, that due to evolution of technology, the research has to be re-collected in order to be valid for that period. Practical Implications - The methodology of the study can be translated and reproduced for other websites that are non-mobile optimised websites and accessible via smartphone. Originality/value - The paper presents the first local study in attempting to measure the customer experience of a website accessed via smartphone.