What Do Subs Want? More Control

According to a survey by CSG International (NASDAQ:CSGS), consumers want more control over their interactions with service providers, particularly when it comes to a technician's visit to their homes, and they are willing to pay a modest fee to receive priority treatment and preferred appointment times.

Findings indicate:

• 97.5% respondents want more control of the scheduling process and prefer alternatives to calling providers for an appointment.
• 89% of respondents prefer an "Uber-like" tool that provides technician location and continually updated estimated arrival times; 70% also want to see the technician's name and photo.
• 86% want to try to troubleshoot problems themselves using Web-based or video instructions before scheduling a service call.
• 86% of respondents are willing to pay up to $25 to make the scheduling process more convenient; they favor choosing specific technician arrival times, same-day service, weekend appointments, and guaranteed one-hour service windows.
• 64% want the option to book appointments online while others want to schedule using a mobile app; still others show no strong preference for online or mobile requests but want service providers to offer them.
• 56% of respondents want to receive a mobile alert if a tech is running late, while 35% prefer a text message.