NICSA 21st Annual Shareholder Satisfaction Survey For The Mutual Fund Industry

NICSA now accepting participants for the only shareholder satisfaction study in the industry.

Survey Objectives

• Provide a value-added service to NICSA members than can be used to help you improve your quality of service and better understand shareholder needs and perceptions across the industry.
• Deliver a low-cost, consortium-based research approach to understanding shareholder service satisfaction.

Our Partner
Pittsburgh-based Access Data Corp. has been selected to coordinate delivery of the survey and to provide analysis of the results. The survey will be administered by Access Data's Research and Strategy Group, which has extensive experience in both customer satisfaction and in providing market research to the Mutual Fund industry.

Research Design Objectives
With this survey, we intend to determine industry-wide levels of satisfaction among shareholders of mutual funds.  Results will be segmented by asset levels, share classes owned, income levels, experience levels and other key demographic elements in order to understand the key drivers of shareholder satisfaction.

Key Service Areas focused on in the Survey include:

• Telephone representatives
• Transaction Processing
• Account Information Services
• Account Statements
• Web Site
• Problem Resolution
• Critical Service Features

Each participating fund family will receive a report on levels of satisfaction within their complex, as compared to an industry index of satisfaction.  The index will be created using several years of data from previous surveys, as well as current year data.  The survey will also attempt to identify trends pertaining to service delivery and satisfaction over time.

Participation in the Survey
Each Fund Family that participates will receive a participant package that contains:

• 1000 shareholder surveys with pre-paid return envelopes
• The surveys will be coded by the Fund Family so that sponsors may be differentiated from one another
• A cover letter explaining what to do, deadlines for the mailing and who to call with questions

When the survey is complete, each Fund Family will receive:

• An individual report on the results of your survey in electronic format
• An aggregate report on the results of the survey among all Fund Families that includes an industry-based analysis of key drivers of satisfaction
• The individual results of each Fund Family will not be released to the consortium

Project Schedule
The survey will be administered to shareholders in July, and the results will be delivered to participating fund families in October.

Questions?
Contact Debi Glidden at Access Data Corp.
Phone: 708-306-0248
Email: dglidden@accessdc.com

Or contact Keith Dropkin at NICSA
Phone: 508-485-1500
Email: kdropkin@nicsa.org

How to Participate
The deadline to participate is May 30, 2008. To express interest in participating in the 21st Annual Shareholder Survey, complete and submit this brief form: