Google search tops in customer satisfaction

BANGALORE, INDIA: When it comes to ensuring customer satisfaction in terms of search experience, Google still rules the roost. In ensuring customer satisfaction as a Web portal and search engine, Google outranked its competitors for the second year in a row by scoring 86 out of 100 points in the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index, while its closest rival Yahoo trailed at 77.

The annual survey asked a representative sample of consumers to rate their experiences with portals and search engines according to several criteria, which produced an overall score on a 100 point scale.

The index was developed with data drawn from interviews with 70,000 customers nationwide of products and services.

The ACSI is a predictor of future success on both the micro and macro level, and hence the rankings portended 'a very difficult road ahead' for Bing, according to a report published by Larry Freed, CEO of consulting firm ForeSee Results. Google’s huge 10 point jump in satisfaction from 2007 to 2008 preceded a 7 per cent increase in search market share from 2008 to 2009.

In the Web portal and search engine area, companies trailing Yahoo on customer satisfaction included MSN (with a score of 75), Ask.com (74), and AOL (70). The surveys were conducted before Microsoft launched the Bing search engine into the market in May.

Meanwhile, in the PC industry, Apple remained on top this year with a score of 84, closely followed by its rival Dell with 75 points. However, Apple's score was down 1 per cent from the previous year.

However, recovering from a two years' downward move, the overall user satisfaction with personal computers rose, improving one per cent to 75. While Gateway (Acer) rose three per cent to 74, the two brands of HP also improved. HP inched up one per cent to 74 and Compaq reported the biggest improvement in year-to-year customer satisfaction, jumping six per cent (74) to create a three-way tie with HP and Gateway.