Apple's Lead in Tech Support Quality Continues to Slip in Consumer Survey

Vocalabs' Study Also Shows Fewer Complaints about Language Skills and
Support Cost at Apple

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (February 2, 2012) - Apple continues to lead Dell and
HP in customer service quality for phone-based technical support, but
Apple's support satisfaction among surveyed customers dropped significantly
over the past 18 months, according to the latest study conducted by Vocal
Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). In telephone interviews immediately following
a support call, 54% of Apple customers were "Very Satisfied" with the
experience during the last six months of 2011, compared to 44% of Dell
customers and 49% of HP customers. Apple's satisfaction score is down 19
points from the first half of 2010, while Dell and HP have generally held
steady over the past two years.

Looking at common complaints in 2011, less than 1% of Apple customers
surveyed complained about the language skills of the support technician;
much fewer than the 8% of Dell customers and 10% of HP customers with
similar issues. Many customers also complained about the extra cost of
out-of-warranty tech support, but Apple saw fewer complaints here, too.
About 1% of Apple customers volunteered a cost complaint in this study, as
compared to 6% of Dell customers and 6% of HP customers.

"Despite its significant decline, Apple continues to lead our survey in
overall tech support quality," said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. "But
where Apple used to be well ahead in nearly every measure of service
quality, there are now areas where Apple is tied with, or even behind, its
competitors."

About This Research
The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality
in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer
immediately after a customer service experience. Statistics in this press
release are based on 4,852 surveys completed between May 2008 and December
2011. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of
any of the companies covered.

Download the Executive Summary by visiting
www.Vocalabs.com/published-research. To subscribe to the full data set,
contact Vocalabs at inquiry@vocalabs.com, 952-941-6580, ext. 201.

About Vocalabs
Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective
customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer
experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews and panel
research to collect customer feedback tailored to each client's business
goals. Our reporting tools serve the entire client organization, from
executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures
ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.