Google’s Alphabet has the highest customer loyalty among Fortune 100 tech companies, Intel in second place ahead of Apple

The competition for customer loyalty in the tech industry is fierce, with companies like Apple and Google establishing strong brand advocacy and tightly-knit ecosystems. Their blockbuster events, like Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 announcement, make it challenging for customers to consider switching to other brands. According to a new survey, Google Alphabet ranks as the most loyal in the Fortune 100 while Intel places second ahead of Apple and Microsoft.

Major Highlights

• Google ranks first in customer loyalty among Fortune 100 tech companies, with Intel and Apple in second and third places, respectively.
• Apple, despite ranking third in customer loyalty, has the highest number of monthly support and complaint-related searches, totaling 1.2 million on average.
• The Customer Loyalty Index, developed by B2B Marketplace DesignRush, evaluates customer loyalty based on six pillars, including financial performance, reviews, Net Promoter Score, social media engagement, customer service-related Google searches, and YouGov popularity.

Loyalty is evaluated through six equally weighted pillars: company finances, average rating and volume of reviews, Net Promoter Score (NPS) of reviews, social media following and engagement, the number of customers service-related Google searches, and YouGov popularity. The article discusses how loyalty among tech companies is assessed using six equally weighted pillars, each given equal importance:

1. Company Finances: This pillar likely involves evaluating a company’s financial stability and overall performance.
2. Average Rating and Volume of Reviews: Companies are assessed based on the ratings they receive from customers as well as the quantity of reviews they garner.
3. Net Promoter Score (NPS) of Reviews: The NPS reflects customer satisfaction and their willingness to recommend the company to others.
4. Social Media Following and Engagement: This aspect measures a company’s presence and activity on social media platforms, as well as the level of interaction and engagement with its audience.
5. Number of Customer Service-Related Google Searches: This pillar tracks how often customers search for customer service-related information about a company on Google, which can indicate customer issues and concerns.
6. YouGov Popularity: YouGov is a popular market research firm, and this pillar likely gauges a company’s public perception and popularity.

These six pillars are then used to evaluate and rank tech companies in terms of customer loyalty. It’s a comprehensive approach that considers various aspects of a company’s performance and reputation to gauge its loyalty among customers.

The top ten tech companies with the most loyal customers

Taking a list of the 100 largest U.S. companies by revenue, according to Fortune, each company was ranked according to 20 data points related to six Customer Loyalty Index pillars, using an index score from 0-100. The top rankings are revealed, with Alphabet taking the top spot and Intel and Apple ranking second and third.

Apple ranks third, just behind Intel, after scoring 61.8. The tech giant has the best financial and social media score, the second-best average review rating, and the fourth-best customer NPS. Apple has the highest social media engagement of 0.3% and the most YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram followers. Its YouGov popularity rating ranks fifth. Surprisingly, Apple scored lowest for customer service, with over 1.2 million monthly searches for customer service and support. 

Alphabet, or Google, leads with a score of 71.9 out of 100. Google excelled in five metrics, with its customers ranking most loyal in the Fortune 100. The highest scores came from reviews, NPS, social media, and YouGov ratings, and the lowest was from customer service.

Google’s average customer review is 3.1 stars at the time of writing, the most positive of all tech companies. Its NPS rating of 23 was the best overall. Over half of its 6,000-plus reviews are five stars. Google’s 73% popularity rating, according to YouGov, is the highest. However, Google’s customer service rating ranks below average, with over 335,000 monthly customer service and support searches, the second-highest behind Apple, and the most complaint searches.

Intel has the second-highest tech customer loyalty score of 61.9. Intel has one of the largest social media followings of 43.5m across all social channels. The company has among the fewest online reviews. However, they were largely positive, with the second-best average rating. Despite a negative NPS of -8.33%, it was the second-highest among tech companies. Intel customers have some of the lowest customer service and complaint-related search volumes, indicating that support channels are already provided or unnecessary. Compared to other tech giants, Intel scored below average for finances and popularity.

Microsoft is fourth with a score of 56.8. Microsoft has the second-best financial score and is ranked third for social media and popularity. Customer service, reviews, and NPS all ranked below average. The company has an average Trustpilot score of 1.5 stars, and an NPS of -71, ranking sixth and seventh. Microsoft customers also indicated subpar customer service ratings, with almost 300,000 monthly support-related and the third-highest complaint searches.

International Business Machines, or IBM, takes fifth place with a 53.7 loyalty score. Customer service need was positive, with only 9,400 monthly related searches. There are also very few complaint searches, less than 50 per month. Customers gave IBM the third-greatest NPS of -0.51, albeit from a relatively small number of reviews, reflected in its low review score. While IBM has a relatively low social media following, 4.5m, its engagement rate of 0.28% was second-highest next to Apple. IBM also ranks seventh for popularity, according to YouGov, and company finances, with lower revenue, profit, and valuation than competitors.

Meta Platforms, or Facebook, ranks sixth after scoring 51.25. The tech giant owned by Mark Zuckerberg received the highest number of customer reviews, over 13,000 on Trustpilot. However, ratings averaged 1.3 stars, with an NPS of -69. Meta has the highest social media follower count, over 95 million, mostly on Facebook, with an average 0.15% engagement rate. Customer service scored low, with over 185,000 monthly support-related Google searches and second-highest complaint searches. Meta also has one of the lowest popularity ratings at 54%. 

Cisco Systems places seventh with a score of 48.9. Cisco customers search the least for support and complaints, achieving a top customer service score. Cisco scored average for its finances and NPS of -65. Its lowest scores resulted from having the lowest popularity rating at 42%, the fewest number of reviews and social media following. 

Hewlett Packard (HP) takes eighth place with a score of 43.9. HP is quite popular, receiving the second-highest rating of 70%, according to YouGov. Customer service was rated fourth-best, slightly above average among the rankings. The company has over 5,000 Trustpilot reviews. However, the average 1.2-star rating and lowest NPS of -89 affected its ranking. HP also received the lowest financial score. Its social media score placed seventh overall due to having some of the smallest follower counts and lowest engagement ratings of all tech companies. 

Dell Technologies takes the last place, receiving a 43.7 score. Dell took the last spot after scoring last for social media and second last for finances and customer NPS. Dell’s 3.6 million social media followers is one of the lowest, though its 0.12% engagement rating was average. It is also the only tech company without an official TikTok account. Trustpilot data reveals an average 1.3-star rating according to over 2,500 reviews, with an NPS of -84. Dell’s best scores came from its popularity rating of 65%, ranking fourth and fifth-best customer service score. 

Gianluca Ferruggia, General Manager at DesignRush, commented on the findings: “The Customer Loyalty Index expands on the NPS system, considering more data points related to loyalty, such as social media presence and how customers rate you to others. Out of the Fortune 100, the companies with the highest valuations, revenues, and profits tended to score higher on the Customer Loyalty Index, indicating a correlation between loyalty, profit, and long-term success. 

“For many businesses, a large number of customers will come through a web search, whether new or returning, so ensuring your search engine optimization is the best it can be will make a considerable difference to customer engagement and retention.” 

The study was conducted by DesignRush, which provides valuable data on relevant trends that help businesses make educated decisions coming from their years of experience in the B2B community.