Apple users are the most satisfied and BlackBerry users the least satisfied, a new research survey conducted by the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (Sacsi) claims to show.

However, most South Africans are satisfied with their mobile handsets — an overall satisfaction score of 76 out of 100, with noticeable disparities between users of different brands.

The handset manufacturers measured by Sacsi were Apple, BlackBerry, Nokia and Samsung Electronics. Apple was the clear winner, with a score of 83 — 9,7% higher than the industry average — followed by Samsung with a score 2,1% above the industry average.

Nokia’s score matched the average of 76, while BlackBerry scored lowest at 8,7% below industry average. The disparity demonstrates that the high level of satisfaction from Apple users pulled the average up while the comparative lack of satisfaction from BlackBerry users pulled it down.

“It is not unexpected that Apple scored the highest customer satisfaction score considering that they did so in the US, UK and most recently in South Korea,” says Adré Schreuder, founder and chairman of Sacsi. He says the Korean finding is particularly interesting given that it is Samsung’s home market.

“BlackBerry has had a rough time with its market share lately and the challenges it faces are reflected in its customers’ levels of satisfaction,” Schreuder says. “Blackberry’s satisfaction score is influenced strongly by the fact that its customers show low levels of customer loyalty in the Sacsi model.”

Sacsi holds a licence with the American Customer Satisfaction Index (Acsi) which allows South Africa to compare its industries’ customer satisfaction with those of other regions.

Acsi has demonstrated an economic link between customer satisfaction and market value added. This suggests Apple and BlackBerry’s scores may be an indication of Apple’s continued growth and BlackBerry’s recent market share losses.

In terms of international markets, Acsi satisfaction scores in the UK are the highest at 78 out of 100, followed closely by Turkey with 77. Of those countries surveyed, South Africa and the US ranked third with a score of 76, followed by Korea with 72.