In a month that has seen a damning report of the directory enquiries service sector from Oftel and ICSTIS, and calls for action by MPs, the most recent results from 118tracker.com shows signs of improvement.
The Oftel and ICSTIS report, entitled 'Evaluation of Directory Enquiry Services' looked at 30 national directory enquiries providers and 10 providers of international DQ.
Another story of note was that THUS Plc have decided to withdraw from the marketplace. Bill Allan, chief executive of THUS, said; "We were extremely concerned and disappointed by the results of the Oftel survey. As a consequence we have reviewed our outsourcing arrangements and decided to withdraw the 118 service that is offered on our behalf by an outside supplier. THUS prides itself on the quality of service we offer our customers, and sets high standards for all our services."
The aim of 118tracker.com has always been to inspire the development of a quality driven culture throughout the DQ sector. Performance House specialise in breaking down the barriers to quality service and sales by providing simple steps to improve performance.
This month's analysis includes a complete overview of the service provided which is measured against the weighted Performance House Service Mark (PHSM), efficiencies and costs.
The average time to answer a call was 4 seconds, but 13% of providers had an engaged line at least once during this month's study.
Spitfire's 118242 service showed the most efficient average call duration of 29 seconds.
The cost to obtain a number ranges from 20 pence to ₤1.84. 118800 Directory Enquiries UK had the cheapest average cost to obtain a number at 20p and the most expensive was Mira System's 118437; both of these providers use offshore call centres.
The Number 118118 delivered the most consistent Welcome to their service throughout the study but 118811, which is their sister service, do not use any company identification at all.
Eurotel's 118008 service (provided by BT) scored highest for Communication skills with 90.12% and Corporate Communications 118225 (provided by Cable & Wireless) scored lowest 60.49%.
The top five providers showing customer communication excellence were:
1. 18008 Eurotel (provided by BT)
2. 118424 Citrus Telecom (provided by BT)
3. 118866 118866 Ltd
4. 118288 Kingston Communications
5. 118499 Share Communications
Five providers scored 100% for Knowledge & Accuracy:
1. 118097 - Cable & Wireless
2. 118111 - One Tel
3. 118181 - Smile Assistance
4. 118374 - Cable Telecom (provided by C&W)
5. 118810 - Energis Communications
The best scoring providers in the analysis of Ownership were:
1. 118242 - Spitfire Network Services
2. 118404 - BT (Welsh)
3. 118424 - Citrus Telecom (Provided by BT)
Three of Cable & Wireless 118 services were highlighted for not giving the costs of connection before transferring the caller.
During last month's study only 57 providers scored more than 70% for the overall PHSM (Welcome, Communication, Knowledge, Ownership & Close); however, during November 82 service have managed to achieve 70% or more.
This month’s Top Ten PHSM scores are:
1. 118424 - 89.12%
2. 118008 - 87.4%
3. 118850 - 86.84%
4. 118747 - 86.78%
5. 118518 - 86.22%
6. 118181 - 86.17%
7. 118000 - 85.73%
8. 118437 - 85.69%
9. 118111 - 84.69%
10. 118825 - 84.68%
November's full benchmark and report of results has recently been released to all of 118tracker.com's subscribers and is now available for purchase at ₤495 + VAT.
December's 118tracker.com results - available in January - will provide a 3-month trend analysis regarding the overall performance for all operating providers.
