Dell tops customer satisfaction survey

Dell Computer is once again No. 1 in customer satisfaction in desktops, notebooks and Intel-based servers, according to Technology Business Research's second-quarter survey. The survey found that Dell kept its lead in desktops, broke its tie with IBM in notebooks, and re-established its lead over Compaq Computer in servers. Although the study had shown gradually declining satisfaction among Dell customers over the past three quarters, TBR said, the company regained a large portion of those losses in the second quarter.

For desktops, Dell scored 86.96 out of 100 points; Compaq, 83.02; HP, 81.41; and IBM, 80.55. For notebooks, Dell scored 83.33; IBM, 80.14; Compaq, 78.86; and Toshiba, 77.48. For servers, Dell scored 86.83; Compaq, 84.36; Hewlett-Packard, 81.67; and IBM, 81.08. TBR interviewed 535 IT managers from April to July for the survey, which focuses on factors such as perceived cost of ownership, price, performance, reliability and services. --Natalie Weinstein, Special to ZDNet News