J.D. Power conducted a study which found that overall customer satisfaction among home security system customers scored higher than the average satisfaction among other at-home services.

On a 1,000-point scale, overall customer satisfaction for home security is 831, compared with all other at-home studies at 825, J.D. Power reported.

“There’s a clear connection between a customer’s level of product knowledge and level of satisfaction,” said Greg Truex, senior director of the At-Home Practice at J.D. Power. “Satisfaction is crucial because it leads to more recommendations and increased brand loyalty, which are important in such a big industry.”

The study identifies 11 key performance indicators (KPIs) that have a significant effect on satisfaction (listed in order of importance): features of your security system met your needs; billing statements did not have errors; did not experience problems with your home security system; number of phone contacts needed to answer question/resolve problem; ability to control your system outside the home; two-way talk provided over the control panel; did not experience false alarms; reviewed the instruction manual or online support documents; sales contract terms fair and reasonable; smart/connected home features; and service technician arrived on time.

Following are some key findings of the study:

Meeting KPIs helps raise satisfaction and advocacy: When six or more of the 11 KPIs are met, satisfaction is 879, with 72 percent of customers saying they “definitely will” recommend the brand to a friend, relative or colleague. When five or fewer KPIs are met, satisfaction declines to 773 and the percentage drops to 42 percent.

Satisfied customers are spreading the word: From a customer advocacy perspective, 89 percent of delighted home security customers (overall satisfaction scores of 901 and above) say they “definitely will” recommend the brand to others, compared with the study average of 58 percent. Among delighted customers, the average number of positive recommendations is 3.3, compared with the study average of 2.2.

Satisfied customers are loyal: Among delighted customers, 61 percent say they “definitely will not” switch from their home security brand, compared with the study average of 37 percent.

Vivint Smart Home (851) ranks highest in customer satisfaction among home security brands. According to the study, Vivint Smart Home performs well in high importance attributes: effectiveness of securing my home; ease of using the system; timeliness of resolving problem, question or request; and clarity of information provided for customer service. Guardian Protection Services (841) ranks second and AT&T (Digital Life) and MONI (839) rank third in a tie.

The 2017 Home Security Satisfaction Study measures customer satisfaction with professionally installed and monitored home/residential security brands by examining four factors (in alphabetical order): billing and payment; customer service; enrollment; and usage.

The study is based on responses from 3,134 customers who own a professionally installed and monitored home/residential security system and was fielded in August-September 2017.