Quantitative Research  

The  Vivint  Experience    

   

Sean  McGowan  

Survey Results  Included  in  this  section  is  a  compilation  of  our  findings,  an  analysis  of  the  data  collected,  and  what  this  means  for  Vivint.  We  have  also  made  suggestions  for  your  organization  based  on  research  that  will  improve  the  quality  of  service  provided  and  strengthen  the  overall  relationship  with  your  customers.  Graphs  and  charts  offer  visual  support  of  the  data  at  hand  and  are  complimented  by  detailed  explanations  of  each  item.  To  make  these  findings  clear  and  simple,  the  results  are  separated  into  two  areas:  “Contact  Methods”  and  “The  Vivint  Experience.”    

Contact Methods  General  One  of  the  first  and  most  important  questions  in  the  survey  asked  which  method/s  the  customer  used  when  trying  to  solve  their  problem/issue  with  Vivint.  The  results  revealed  that  approximately  8  in  10  acted  by  calling  the  company.  As  seen  in  Figure  1.1,  phone  is  the  preferred  method  of  choice  for  Vivint  customers.    

What  method  did  you  use  when  trying  to  solve  your  problem/issue  with  Vivint?  (Select  all  that  apply)    

 Figure  1.1  

 Naturally,  the  most  desired  form  of  communication  is  person-­‐to-­‐person,  and  people  are  most  likely  to  first  pick  up  a  phone  so  they  can  speak  to  a  real  person.  The  results  above  can  also  suggest  that  customers  sought  aid  via  another  communication  channel,  such  as  email  or  the  company  website,  and  did  not  receive  adequate  assistance.  After  feeling  the  alternative  methods  were  ineffective,  they  proceeded  to  call  a  Customer  Service  Representative  (CSR).  This  calls  for  improvements  and  adjustments  in  the  other  methods  used  to  serve  the  customer.    Suggestions:  This  section  makes  clear  the  average  Vivint  customer  will  contact  the  company  by  phone  and  offers  ways  to  use  this  channel  to  make  the  others  more  effective.  When  the  customer  calls  Vivint,  a  voice-­‐automated  service  should  first  remind  them  to  seek  immediate  help  via  another  communication  channel.  For  example,  it  should  invite  them  to  search  Vivint’s  website  for  their  issue  or  to  use  the  company’s  chat  service,  which  the  survey  showed  is  effective  but  underutilized.  The  CSR  should  also  ask  

the  customer  if  he/she  used  another  method  before  making  the  phone  call  and  how  that  method  failed  at  providing  optimum  assistance.  Results  should  be  collected  and  used  to  make  improvements  by  adding  or  correcting  current  instructions  or  modifying  the  email/chat  system.    Website  The  company  website  received  some  critical  reviews  from  survey  participants.  They  were  asked  simply  if  the  site  was  helpful  in  solving  the  customer’s  question/issue.  More  than  60%  of  respondents  felt  it  was  unhelpful.  Figure  1.2  depicts  these  findings.    

Was  the  website  helpful  in  solving  your  question/issue?  

 Figure  1.2  

 Those  who  answered  this  question  were  asked  to  explain  why  they  felt  the  website  was  unhelpful.  Here  are  some  of  the  explanations  given  by  survey  participants:  

• Too  hard  to  navigate  • Did  not  offer  desired  service/feature  as  an  option  • Too  technical  • Did  not  like  using  your  website  

 Greater  than  half  of  total  customers  that  seek  aid  on  the  website  are  not  able  to  resolve  their  concerns  there.  This  could  be  simply  because  their  problem  is  not  mentioned  on  the  website.  However,  we  can  assume  that  customers  have  many  of  the  same  needs  and  seek  similar  help  online.  This  suggests  that  finding  the  right  place  or  locating  the  right  information  may  be  the  issue.  Does  the  user  have  to  click  too  many  times  before  finding  the  help  he/she  is  seeking?  Are  the  headings  or  labels  difficult  to  decipher  to  the  point  that  the  customer  gives  up  quickly  and  picks  up  a  phone  instead?  These  are  important  things  to  consider  and  look  into  resolving.    Suggestions:  Although  a  majority  of  customers  feel  their  problem  was  not  helped  via  the  website,  small  enhancements  could  change  their  overall  experience  into  a  positive  one  and  help  future  users  of  the  site.  Rather  than  send  an  email,  there  could  be  a  simpler,  less  personal  way  to  leave  feedback  or  suggest  a  new  problem  as  an  option  that  currently  isn’t  there.  Customers  may  feel  it  too  much  of  a  hassle  when  the  email  path  opens  up  another  window  and  causes  more  work  than  they  desired.  You  may  also  consider  listing  the  “Chat  Support”  option  under  the  “Need  More  Help?”  section  at  the  bottom  of  the  support  page.  That  way  customers  are  aware  of  another  alternative  they  can  choose.  These  modifications  will  help  customers  feel  their  feedback  or  proposals  are  valued  and  that  Vivint  sincerely  desires  to  serve  them  and  provide  easy  and  effective  assistance.          

Email  Customers  that  sought  help  via  email  had  mixed  responses  to  the  quality  of  service  they  received.  As  shown  in  Figure  1.3,  a  majority  of  users  felt  they  did  not  receive  a  response  in  a  reasonable  amount  of  time.  A  good  amount  of  them  also  felt  the  response  they  got  seemed  scripted,  generic,  or  impersonal.  This  comes  off  extremely  negative  to  the  customer.  The  responses  were  generally  found  to  be  ineffective  and  unhelpful,  which  suggests  that  either  the  response  was  not  tailored  to  the  customer’s  specific  issue  and  was  a  generic  response,  or  that  the  CSR  did  not  properly  deal  with  the  customer  and  serve  them  completely.  Results  of  another  survey  question  showed  that  26%  of  those  that  used  the  email  method  had  to  speak  with  two  or  more  representatives,  and  that  37%  of  the  problems  handled  via  email  were  not  resolved.    

To  what  extent  do  you  agree  with  the  following  statements  about  your  email  experience?    

 

 Figure  1.3  

 Suggestions:  Establish  a  required  response  time  in  the  email  database.  If  a  CSR  has  not  responded  to  an  email  within  a  specified  amount  of  time,  have  an  automated  response  sent  to  the  customer  to  alert  them  that  their  case  will  be  responded  to  soon.  In  the  email,  remind  them  of  the  options  to  chat  online  or  look  for  their  problem  on  the  Vivint  website.  Also,  take  measures  to  make  sure  the  responses  are  far  from  generic  to  avoid  losing  the  trust  and  respect  of  the  customer.  Finally,  CSRs  should  be  trained  to  not  only  respond  quickly,  but  with  information  that  will  actually  help  the  one  seeking  assistance.  While  timeliness  is  critical,  the  aid  customers  seek  is  more  important  and  should  not  be  overlooked.  A  little  bit  of  extra  time  is  ok  if  the  response  provided  will  be  more  effective  at  resolving  the  concern.                      

Chat  A  mere  6%  of  those  surveyed  used  the  company’s  web  chat  service.  The  overall  quality  of  service  given  by  those  over  chat  support  far  exceeded  that  of  any  other  help  channel.  Figure  1.4  shows  how  the  average  experience  over  chat  proved  to  be  positive  to  the  customer  almost  every  time.  

 Please  rate  your  most  recent  interaction  on  the  following  criteria.  My  Vivint  chat  representative  was…  

#   Question   Disagree  Neither  Agree  nor  Disagree  

Agree   Total  Responses   Mean  

1   Professional   1   2   11   14   2.71  

2  Knowledgeable  

about  the  product/issue  

2   1   11   14   2.64  

3  Efficient  in  solving  the  problem  

2   0   12   14   2.71  

4   Responsive   2   0   12   14   2.71  5   Respectful   1   0   13   14   2.86  6   Timely   1   1   12   14   2.79  7   Personable   1   3   10   14   2.64  

Figure  1.4    These  results  were  more  than  just  “not  negative”  regarding  the  experience  over  chat.  They  were  overwhelmingly  positive.  Across  the  board,  the  CSR  proved  to  have  favorable  marks  in  every  category  almost  every  time.  Most  importantly,  responses  showed  that  73%  of  problems  were  solved  by  the  first  representative  spoken  to  via  chat  support.  There  was  rarely  a  second  or  third  representative  involved  in  the  process.  The  problem  was  resolved  in  nearly  every  instance  by  someone  that  increased  the  customer’s  confidence  in  Vivint,  on  the  first  attempt.  Something  is  clearly  being  done  right  by  those  in  charge  of  the  chat  support  group.    Suggestions:  As  statistically  the  most  effective  and  under-­‐utilized  method  of  getting  assistance  for  Vivint  customers,  more  should  be  done  to  get  people  to  use  this  feature.  As  this  channel  proved  to  be  a  positive  experience  for  those  that  used  it,  it  would  give  many  others  a  positive  perception  of  the  company  and  help  Vivint  avoid  unwanted  negative  experiences  with  customer  service,  as  a  majority  of  them  have  been,  according  to  results  gathered.  Chat  support  should  be  highlighted  on  the  company  website.  No  matter  where  the  user  goes,  it  should  be  visible  on  screen.  They  must  be  drawn  to  select  the  option,  and  its  existence  must  be  extremely  obvious  to  each  customer  seeking  assistance.  It  should  be  a  clear,  natural  choice.                  

Phone  Due  to  the  fact  that  nearly  8  in  every  10  Vivint  customers  will  speak  with  someone  over  the  phone  about  a  problem/issue,  this  channel  requires  the  most  attention.  Figure  1.5  shows  customer  experiences  with  representatives  over  the  phone.    

Please  rate  your  most  recent  interaction  on  the  following  criteria.  My  Vivint  phone  representative  was…  

#   Question   Disagree  Neither  Agree  nor  Disagree  

Agree   Total  Responses   Mean  

1   Professional   8.59%   11.66%   79.75%   326   2.71  

2  Knowledgeable  about  the  product/issue  

17.18%   14.72%   68.10%   326   2.51  

3  Efficient  in  solving  the  problem  

25.08%   15.90%   59.02%   327   2.34  

4   Responsive   14.11%   15.34%   70.55%   326   2.56  5   Respectful   7.67%   10.12%   82.21%   326   2.75  6   Timely   16.10%   12.69%   71.21%   323   2.55  7   Personable   10.43%   16.87%   72.70%   326   2.62  

Figure  1.5    As  you  can  see,  most  customers  gave  favorable  responses  to  those  with  whom  they  spoke.  While  there  is  still  lots  of  room  for  improvement,  the  important  element  here  lies  within  the  heart  of  the  table.  Only  59%  of  customers  that  interacted  with  Vivint  CSRs  by  phone  felt  that  the  representative  was  efficient  in  solving  the  problem.  That  is  even  less  impressive  of  the  already  low  percentage  of  representatives  that  appear  knowledgeable  about  the  product/issue.  This  shows  that  the  level  of  politeness  or  professionalism  of  the  CSR  does  not  make  up  for  the  fact  that  they  sometimes  do  not  resolve  customer  concerns.  Other  findings  revealed  that  approximately  22%  of  all  customers  that  call  speak  with  two  or  more  representatives,  and  that  in  the  end,  about  1  in  every  5  problems/issues  is  not  resolved  over  the  phone.  While  the  CSR  has  good  qualities  which  are  noted  by  the  customer,  the  average  customer  is  not  receiving  sufficient  help.  When  the  phone  continues  to  be  the  top  method  used  for  assistance  by  approximately  80%  of  customers  seeking  help,  this  lack  of  problem  resolution  is  the  leading  factor  in  disappointed  customers.    Suggestions:  Short  of  making  sure  representatives  receive  proper  and  sufficient  training,  greater  efforts  should  be  made  to  improve  other  methods  of  customer  service,  so  that  not  so  many  customers  have  to  call  in.  This  occupies  the  representatives  and  forces  them  to  focus  on  simply  finishing  each  call.  In  turn  they  lose  sight  of  the  meaning  of  each  call  –  not  ending  it  as  quickly  as  possible,  but  making  sure  the  reason  for  the  call  was  met,  and  ultimately  that  the  problem  was  solved.  Make  customers  more  aware  of  the  chat  support  option  by  posting  it  everywhere  on  the  site  and  in  other  materials  given  to  the  customer.  Come  up  with  a  way  to  track  which  CSR  dealt  with  a  specific  customer’s  issue,  and  offer  incentives  to  the  top-­‐performing  representatives  that  resolve  a  concern  on  the  first  try.        

The Vivint Experience  Important  Correlations  Correlation  tests  evaluate  the  relationship  between  two  or  more  of  the  set  responses  given.  The  two  shown  here  compare  customers’  experiences  with  a  specific  element  of  Vivint  customer  service  to  their  overall  satisfaction  level  with  the  service  provided.    Website  –  Overall  Response  This  first  correlation  test  shows  the  comparison  between  the  customer’s  experience  with  the  website  and  how  that  impacts  their  opinion  of  the  company’s  customer  service.  This  has  a  big  influence  on  the  customer’s  overall  satisfaction  with  Vivint  as  a  whole.  As  seen  in  Figure  2.1,  the  P-­‐value  (Pearson  Correlation)  is  negative.  A  value  less  than  .05  suggests  a  strong  relationship  between  two  sets  of  data,  and  this  test  produced  negative  values.  This  means  the  correlation  between  the  two  is  direct  and  persuasive.  The  numbers  highlighted  below  strongly  indicate  that  the  more  difficult  it  is  for  a  customer  to  receive  a  response  to  their  issue  on  Vivint’s  website,  the  more  negative  their  experience  and  view  of  the  organization.  As  stated  in  the  aforementioned  section  on  the  website,  steps  must  be  taken  to  secure  an  effective  website  and  ensure  the  customer  a  positive  experience  when  they  seek  help  online.    

Website – Overall Response

How easy was it to find a

response to your

question/issue on the website?

Please choose the

response that relates best

to your experience with

Vivint customer service:

How easy was it to find a

response to your question/issue

on the website?

Pearson Correlation 1 -.472**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

N 80 77

Please choose the response that

relates best to your experience

with Vivint customer service:

Pearson Correlation -.472** 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

N 77 354 Figure  2.1  

                         

Number  of  Representatives  Involved  –  Overall  Reponse  Another  test  shows  the  relation  between  the  number  of  representatives  spoken  to  with  the  overall  satisfaction  of  the  customer  service  experience.  As  illustrated  in  Figure  2.2,  the  P-­‐value  is  once  again  lower  than  .05,  and  in  particular  a  high  negative  value,  which  indicates  the  strength  of  these  results.  Due  to  these  findings,  it  can  be  interpreted  that  the  more  representatives  a  customer  must  speak  with  before  resolving  their  problem,  the  more  negative  they  will  feel  towards  their  experience  with  Vivint  customer  service.    Efficient  customer  service  departments  around  the  country  seek  to  limit  the  number  of  “repeat  contacts,”  or  the  number  of  representatives  a  customer  must  speak  with  until  they  receive  sufficient  help  with  their  issue.  This  is  one  huge  element  of  any  organization  that  contributes  to  either  the  positive  or  negative  image  of  the  company  as  a  whole.  Vivint  must  be  proactive  at  reducing  the  number  of  repeat  contacts  in  its  customer  service  department.    

Number of Representatives – Overall Response

Please choose the

response that relates best

to your experience with

Vivint customer service:

How many

representatives did you

speak with before your

problem was resolved?

Please choose the response

that relates best to your

experience with Vivint

customer service:

Pearson Correlation 1 -.650**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

N 354 25

How many representatives

did you speak with before

your problem was resolved?

Pearson Correlation -.650** 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

N 25 27 Figure  2.2  

                                 

Field  Service  Professional  A  further  look  at  the  question  on  field  service  professions  reveals  an  insightful  element  of  the  Vivint  experience.  On  the  surface,  responses  shown  in  Figure  2.3  to  the  question  make  it  seem  like  there  is  only  slight  room  for  improvement.  But  only  initially.  Approximately  6  out  of  10  customers  felt  that  the  service  professional  came  within  a  reasonable  amount  of  time  after  the  request.  That’s  not  too  bad,  but  it  could  be  better.  About  7  out  of  10  customers  felt  the  service  professional  had  their  best  interest  in  mind.  These  numbers  aren’t  quite  red  flags,  but  the  response  to  the  third  question  certainly  is.    

Please  choose  the  response  that  relates  best  to  your  experience  with  Vivint  customer  service:  

#   Question   Disagree   Neither  Agree  nor  Disagree   Agree   Total  

Responses   Mean  

1  

The  field  service  professional  came  within  a  reasonable  amount  of  time  after  I  called  Vivint  

17.65%   23.53%   58.82%   17   2.41  

2  The  field  service  professional  seemed  to  have  my  best  interest  in  mind  

17.65%   11.76%   70.59%   17   2.53  

3  The  field  service  professional  helped  build  my  confidence  in  Vivint  

29.41%   35.29%   35.29%   17   2.06  

Figure  2.3    Roughly  65%  of  those  that  dealt  with  a  field  service  professional  felt  that  their  confidence  in  Vivint  grew  as  a  result.  What  does  this  say?  It  means  that  arguably  the  most  important  interaction  between  the  customer  and  the  company  falls  far  short  of  where  it  should  be,  in  terms  of  leaving  a  lasting  positive  impression  on  the  customer.  When  Vivint  dispatches  a  field  professional,  this  is  the  time  to  make  a  difference.  This  is  the  time  to  show  the  customer  what  Vivint  is  all  about  and  leave  them  feeling  assured  that  their  investment  in  the  company  and  its  products  was  a  good  one,  one  that  they’ll  continue  for  years.  Instead,  they  either  have  a  negative  encounter  or  one  that  isn’t  special  as  it  should  be.    Field  service  professionals  must  be  a  large  force  of  good  for  the  organization.  They  cannot  merely  treat  their  job  as  a  simple  visit  or  repair.  They  could  bring  the  customer  a  small  gift,  such  as  a  water  bottle,  a  toy  for  a  child,  or  a  household  appliance  to  improve  the  opinion  of  the  company.  They  should  be  personable  with  the  customer  and  show  sincere  desire  to  help,  putting  the  customer  first  at  all  times.  Further  internal  analysis  of  the  field  service  process  could  go  a  long  way  at  instilling  confidence  in  Vivint  customers  through  personal  interaction  with  the  professionals  themselves.                    

Net  Promoter  Score  Despite  unfavorable  responses  to  questions  throughout  the  survey  and  complaints  about  many  different  aspects  of  Vivint  customer  service,  costumers  are  very  likely  to  recommend  the  company  to  a  friend  or  colleague.  The  Net  Promoter  Score  is  used  to  measure  the  overall  satisfaction  level  of  customers.  Figure  2.4  shows  that  a  majority  of  Vivint’s  customers  are  extremely  pleased  with  the  service  they  have  received.  While  most  customers  selected  5  or  above  as  their  likeliness  to  recommend  Vivint  to  a  friend,  those  that  appear  on  the  left  of  the  graph  should  not  be  ignored.    

How  likely  are  you  to  recommend  Vivint  to  a  friend  or  colleague?  

 Figure  2.4  

 As  referenced  in  Figure  2.5,  the  average  person  is  very  likely  to  recommend  the  company  to  someone  else  (7.79  out  of  10).  This  indicates  a  strong,  satisfactory  opinion  by  most  customers  that  responded.    

Statistic   Value  Min  Value   1  Max  Value   11  Mean   7.79  Variance   14.67  Standard  Deviation   3.83  Total  Responses   413  

Figure  2.5    Referring  back  to  Figure  2.4  and  noticing  the  more  than  60  that  selected  “0  –  Not  likely  at  all”  as  an  option,  it  should  be  noted  that  not  everything  is  perfect  and  effective.  There  are  some  who  have  very  negative  views  about  Vivint  that  pose  a  threat  to  potential  customers  and  current  customers.  Their  concerns  should  be  addressed  and  their  input  viewed  just  as  much  as  the  favorable  responses.  By  following  the  suggestions  given  throughout  this  analysis  section,  the  problems  experienced  by  those  who  dislike  Vivint  and  its  customer  service  are  likely  to  go  away,  and  the  company  can  win  back  some  of  the  faithful  customers  it  has  lost  due  to  poor  customer  service.          

SUMMARY The  data  presented  here  in  Figure  2.6  show  the  overall  responses  of  Vivint  customer  service.  Almost  a  third  of  those  who  participated  felt  the  service  was  less  helpful  than  expected  or  desired.  Less  than  1  in  every  5  customers  felt  they  received  more  efficient  help  than  they  expected.  Vivint  cannot  accept  mediocrity  as  it  looks  to  expand  its  presence  and  business  around  the  United  States.    

Please  choose  the  response  that  relates  best  to  your  experience  with  Vivint  customer  service:  #   Answer      

 

Response   %  

1  It  was  less  helpful  than  I  expected  

     

115   29%  

2  It  was  as  helpful  as  I  expected  

     

218   54%  

3  It  was  more  helpful  than  I  expected  

     

69   17%  

  Total     402   100%  Figure  2.6  

 Approximately  45%  of  all  customers  that  responded  to  this  survey  had  interactions  with  Vivint  customer  service  within  the  last  month,  which  means  customers  have  an  increased  chance  of  having  a  negative  experience.  This  can  easily  impact  their  favorable  view  of  the  company  and  change  it  to  a  bad  one.    The  54%  of  customers  that  received  service  equal  to  their  expectations  reveals  the  potential  at  hand  to  not  only  improve  the  service  offered  to  the  customer  and  make  their  overall  experience  better,  but  ultimately  to  score  thousands  and  thousands  of  loyal  customers  with  a  commitment  to  strengthen  customer  service.      With  the  results  discovered  by  the  survey  and  the  suggestions  discussed  and  analyzed  in  this  section  above,  Vivint  can  go  above  and  beyond  any  security  or  home  automation  company  and  capture  the  business  and  respect  of  people  around  the  country.