The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is revamping the manner it conducts its consumer satisfaction surveys to put it on a par with those of neighbouring countries. The move is also expected to cut down on the cost of conducting such surveys.
Datuk V Danapalan, the new MCMC chairman, says the MCMC plans to follow the example set by Australia which conducts its consumer satisfaction surveys via telephone. In contrast, the MCMC conducts its quarterly surveys via random street polls with selected households or companies in specific locations nationwide.
Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) was commissioned to conduct two surveys in 2001: Wave 1 (February–April) and Wave 2 (August-October). In 2002, the MCMC again commissioned TNS and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)'s School of Communication and Media Studies to conduct Wave 3 and Wave 4 (September-October 2002) while Wave 5 was conducted jointly by TNS and UKM (April-June 2003). The last survey, Wave 6, saw the MCMC engaging International Islamic University Malaysia Entrepreneurship & Consultancies Sdn Bhd (IIUM) in collaboration with UKM.
Wave 6 was aimed at gauging and reviewing the satisfaction levels relating to radio and TV (free-to-air and satellite) broadcasts, postal and courier services, mobile cellular services, fixed-line telephone services and Internet access services based on individual and commercial responses. The survey was completed in November 2003. Each survey costs the MCMC around RM500,000.
The revamped survey via telephone will see the names of those participating randomly picked. They will then be asked a series of questions by the MCMC's call centre.
Conducting a survey by phone should see the sample size increase from the current 2,000 to between 6,000 and 10,000. It would also enable the MCMC to conduct simple surveys directly and speedily so that it can get quick and accurate feedback straight from the ground. This will enable the MCMC to be more responsive to consumer sentiment.
Take the example of cable television company Measat Broadcast Network Systems Sdn Bhd which recently announced a RM5 increase in its monthly subscription fee for its Astro services. Consumer feedback on such a move could be speedily obtained by the MCMC and acted upon if the occasion warranted such a move. Such feedback would be invaluable to the MCMC when querying the company concerned over customer complaints.
Danapalan, who took over as MCMC chief from Tan Sri Nuraizah Abdul Hamid in February, says he does not know much about Astro but would be visiting the company soon to be briefed on its activities and operations.
Interestingly, the MCMC's last consumer satisfaction survey shows that in the area of television, Astro came in third after TV3 and ntv7. The study also shows that the customer satisfaction index (CSI) level had declined in Wave 6 compared with Wave 5.
Astro only scored a CSI of 3.79 on a scale of 1 to 10, trailing TV3, which had a CSI of 3.84, and ntv7, with 3.81. It was a little ahead of TV2 (3.7) and TV1 (3.65). The Wave 6 study covered four areas (telecommunications, media, postal and courier services) and featured two in-depth focus studies (television and radio broadcasting) as well as one on postal services.
Since customers are paying for Astro's services, the MCMC, on its part, should cast a beady eye on more pertinent issues such as whether customers are happy with the services. For example, there are frequent "services currently unavailable" outages on rainy days, a fondness for repeating shows numerous times and the three to five-day wait for a technician when difficulties arise.
Meanwhile, Danapalan, in his first meeting with the press as MCMC chief, says enforcement is being stepped up to crack down on errant players within the communications sector. As the public is getting more familiar with the role and responsibilities of the commission, complaints are increasing too. There were 26 reported complaints last year.
So far, a dozen cases have been sent to the attorney-general's chambers for further action while another eight cases require more investigation. Most of the cases involve companies, including courier companies operating illegally, non-compliance with MCMC rules and smuggled goods.
On the areas the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications, which oversees the MCMC, wants the commission to focus on, Danapalan says it will be on bridging the digital divide and quality of service (QoS).
In the area of digital divide, the MCMC will push ahead with its largest rollout of the Universal Service Provision (USP) programme taking place in 86 districts in which each one will be provided with 30 payphones and 500 fixed lines to individual households.
The entire project, expected to cost about RM464 million this year alone, will come from the USP Fund.
All licensed service providers, with the exception of content applications service providers, are required by law to contribute 6% of their weighted net revenue derived from designated services to the fund.
The under-served areas designated in this year's USP programme are Sarawak (25 districts), Sabah (21), Kelantan (nine), Pahang (eight), Terengganu (60), Kedah (five), Selangor (four), Johor (three), Melaka (two) and Negri Sembilan (one).
Meanwhile, the MCMC's efforts at improving the QoS of telecommunications will include reducing the number of blind spots, especially within the Klang Valley.
In this respect, Danapalan says Asiaspace Dot Com, which was appointed by the government as the sole party to build towers on behalf of telecommunications companies, has so far built 14 new towers including two in the Multimedia Super Corridor. He adds that the MCMC will try to work with local telcos in resolving issues of blind spots and lack of coverage as well as Asiaspace's difficulty in obtaining local authorities' permission to build towers on suitable sites.