rain has taken over as South Africa’s best-performing telco, with notable improvements in both customer experience and service. This achievement is reflected in rain's overall Net Sentiment performance, having excelled in both operational and reputational sentiment.
This is according to the latest South African Telecommunications Sentiment Index, conducted with PwC South Africa, which tracked over 1.6 million public mentions about Cell C, MTN, rain, Telkom, and Vodacom from 1 January 1 to 31 December, 2023. Among these operators, rain stood out as the only telco to achieve a positive Net Sentiment score.
Operational and reputational excellence
rain's success was driven by their effective strategies in enhancing both operational and reputational feedback. They saw a significant improvement in operational Net Sentiment, jumping four places to rank first. This was achieved by means of interactive competitions that helped elicit positive feedback towards products and offerings. Notably, 33.8% of rain’s operational positivity was driven by Hellopeter reviews, with many customers praising staff performance.
In terms of reputational sentiment, rain retained its lead, registering the greatest improvement and scoring 32.5 percentage points higher than industry peers. Their clever use of competitions and engaging campaigns played a pivotal role in boosting public perception.
Telecoms industry continues to struggle
Despite rain’s impressive performance, the telecommunications industry in South Africa continues to face significant challenges, including basic customer service failures and external pressures like load shedding and network quality issues. This is reflected in the data, with the industry’s overall Net Sentiment dropping to -18.8%, placing it further behind banking, insurance and retail sectors.
These market challenges make rain’s performance even more impressive, highlighting their resilience and strategic skill. By maintaining a positive Net Sentiment in a struggling industry, Rain has not only set a benchmark for operational and reputational excellence but has also positioned themselves as a leader capable of navigating and thriving amidst industry-wide adversities.