Orange Business wins customers’ hearts and minds, according to Telemark

only provider in the Confident quadrant of its latest customer confidence matrix

Orange Business is winning its customers’ hearts and minds and leading its competitors in overall customer satisfaction, according to Telemark Services, the leading market research firm for IT and telecoms.

Orange Business is the only supplier for which both emotional and rational effects are positive, demonstrating a high level of customer confidence, according to Telemark’s Global Data VPN Strive for Five report issued in May 2010 and based on 745 interviews conducted in 2009.

The purpose of Strive for Five is to demonstrate the extent of customer confidence through an assessment of the emotional and rational effects measured from customer satisfaction scorecards using a 1 to 5 ranking.

According to Janet Watkin, director, Telemark Services: “To achieve a position in the top quadrant of Telemark’s customer confidence matrix, as only Orange Business have done, it is necessary to maximize the number of customers that are delighted; minimize the number of customers that are disaffected, and to do this emotionally and rationally. For a positive result there must be a higher percentage of delighted than disaffected customers. Only such service providers will earn the confidence of their customers.”

When calculating overall satisfaction, responses to the single question “How satisfied are you overall?” provide the data for calculating the emotional effect. The rational effect is based on satisfaction ratings on 32 attributes ranging from billing to network operation.

“Being the only provider in the Confident quadrant in Telemark’s Strive for Five report is a great recognition of our ongoing dedication to customer service and satisfaction,” said Dominique Espinasse, senior vice president, Customer Services & Operations, Orange Business. “As part of our Outstanding Customer Experience program, we survey our customers quarterly, create action plans and follow up with customers on those action plans to address areas of improvement. We know that satisfied customers mean value and profitable growth for Orange Business and we are striving for excellence in customer loyalty.”
Telemark’s Global Data VPN Strive for Five report is based on data from 745 interviews conducted between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2009. Respondents interviewed had experience of data VPN services such as:  IP VPN, MPLS, VoIP, Frame Relay and other related products.

About Orange
Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With almost 131 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates. At the end of 2009, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 45.9 billion euros (10.9 billion euros for the first quarter 2010) and at March 31, 2010, the Group had a customer base of 183.3 million customers in 32 countries. These include 123.7 million mobile customers and 13.5 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers worldwide. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number two provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.

The Group's strategy, which is characterized by a strong focus on innovation, convergence and effective cost management, aims to establish Orange as an integrated operator and benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. Today the Group remains focused on its core activities as a network operator, while working to develop its position in new growth activities. To meet customer expectations, the Group strives to provide products and services that are simple and user-friendly, while maintaining a sustainable and responsible business model that can be adapted to the requirements of a fast-paced and changing eco-system.

France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information (on the Internet and on your mobile): www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com, www.orange-innovation.tv

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom.

About Telemark Services
Telemark is an established marketing services firm offering OCEAN (Outstanding Customer Experience, Analysis and News), consultancy, publications and online analysis with proven expertise in measuring customer satisfaction, competitive analysis, benchmarking, trend analysis, channel management, new product development, demand estimates, branding, tariff analysis, and business strategy, exclusively within the telecommunications and ICT sectors. Telemark is often the first-choice supplier for many organizations with a requirement for international market research and analysis covering emerging technologies such as VoIP, ICT convergence and hosting applications.
For more information, please visit www.telemarkservices.com or email info@telemarkservices.com