Win7 Earns Microsoft Highest Customer Satisfaction Record

The curse of Windows Vista may have finally come to an end.

Recently, Microsoft not only regained their lost customer satisfaction rating, but also managed to attain their highest rating to date, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey. All signs are pointing to Windows 7 as being the reason for the happy Microsoft customers.

Vista Customer Satisfaction Rate Low

Microsoft had much to lose with the release of Windows 7, especially since Vista was considered by many to be a marketing flop. The reaction to Vista became so negative that many credit it as the reason Microsoft's customer satisfaction rating plunged 4 per cent, reaching a final ACSI score of 70.

This score was well below the industry average, and Microsoft had to endure the pain for the next three years (from 2007 into early 2010). (Source: idg.no)

Windows 7 Credited for Turnaround

Fast-forward to the release date of Windows 7: October 22, 2009. In the days that followed, the new software attained a 4 per cent market share after just three weeks. Alternatively, Vista took seven months to attain this same market share.

The increase led to a jump in the company's customer satisfaction rating, from 70 in 2007 to 76 in 2010, an increase of 8.6 per cent.

University of Michigan business professor Claes Fornell points directly at Microsoft's new operating system. "By March 2010, more than 90 million Windows 7 licenses had been sold. Microsoft has achieved high volume sales from a big boost in customer satisfaction of its ACSI score and it is Microsoft's highest ever." (Source: computerworld.com)\

Microsoft Climbs Back to Industry Average

The actual score (76) is based on a 100-point scale. Thanks to their 2010 improvements, Microsoft now falls in line with the rest of the software industry.

This is only the fifth year that ACSI has analyzed Microsoft. The company's previous high score was 73, earned in 2006. Obviously, Microsoft hopes to continue their positive public image with future product releases in the remainder of 2010 and into 2011.