T-Mobile Ranks Highest in Wireless Customer Care Performance for a Sixth
Consecutive Reporting Period
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Wireless customers
who experience problems with their service are increasingly reporting that
their issues are being resolved in a timely manner, according to the J.D.
Power and Associates 2007 Wireless Customer Care Performance
Study(SM)-Volume 2 released today.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)
The semi-annual study measures customer satisfaction with their
wireless carrier's customer care service based on experiences with three
point-of-contact methods: telephone calls with a service representative
and/or automated response system (ARS); visits to a retail wireless store;
and online Internet connection. Within each contact method, processing
issues such as problem resolution efficiency and hold-time duration are
also measured.
The study finds that among wireless customers who contact their carrier
with a service issue, 81 percent report having the problem resolved in what
they consider a "timely manner." The percentage of customers who experience
timely problem resolution has steadily improved since 2004, when just 75
percent of customers reported their issues were being resolved efficiently.
The improvement in problem resolution can primarily be attributed to an
overall decrease in the number of call quality issues, such as dropped
calls and coverage problems. In particular, 28 percent of wireless
customers with service problems contacted their carrier due to call quality
issues, which is down considerably from 48 percent in 2004.
"It's encouraging to see that wireless carriers are successfully
lowering the number of problems customers experience related to call
quality service issues, as this has improved the efficiency with which
these problems are resolved," said Kirk Parsons, senior director of
wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. "It is in the best interest
of service providers to continue this trend, as it has a direct impact on
the financial bottom line. Customers who are satisfied with their carrier's
service are more likely to remain loyal and spend more money on additional
services."
Overall satisfaction scores among wireless customers who report having
their problem resolved in a timely manner are, on average, four times
higher than those whose problems were not resolved efficiently (62% and
16%, respectively). Customer intention to switch wireless carriers is also
six times higher among those whose problem was not resolved at all (19%)
vs. those customers whose problem was resolved (3%).
For a sixth consecutive reporting period, T-Mobile ranks highest among
the five largest wireless carriers by continuously providing customers who
contact the carrier for service or assistance with a positive experience.
With an index score of 108, T-Mobile performs particularly well in the
ability to resolve problems in one contact, keeping hold times to a
minimum, and customer satisfaction with the automated response system (ARS)
channel. AT&T (101) and
Verizon Wireless (100), respectively, follow T-Mobile in the
rankings.The study also finds several key wireless customer care patterns:
-- More than 40 percent of wireless customers have contacted the customer
care service or assistance within the past year. Additionally, among
customers who contacted the service department, 43 percent had a
billing-related service inquiry, and 56 percent of these contacts were
attributed to inaccurate charges.
-- Among customers who contact their carrier, 73 percent do so by
telephone and 23 percent do so through their carrier's retail store. E-
mail/Internet accounts for only 4 percent of customer contacts.
-- The average initial reported hold time on calls to the customer care
service is 3.17 minutes-down from 3.58 minutes in the last reporting
period (January 2007). Additionally, customers who visit the carrier's
retail store report that it takes, on average, more than 8 minutes
before they speak with a representative.
Overall Customer Care Index Rankings
T-Mobile 108
AT&T 101
Verizon Wireless 100
Industry Average 100
Alltel 99
Sprint Nextel 92
The 2007 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study-Volume 2 is based on
responses from more than 10,500 wireless customers who contacted their
carrier's customer care department within the past year. The results are
compiled from the past two reporting waves, which were conducted in January
and April 2007.
For more information on customer satisfaction with wireless service,
cell phone call quality, wireless retail sales, cell phone handsets, and
business wireless service, please visit http://www.JDPower.com.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is
an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating
in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance
improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and
satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers
annually. For more information on cell phone ratings, car reviews and
ratings, car insurance, health insurance and more, please visit
http://www.JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The
McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading
global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the
financial services, education and business information markets through
leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education,
BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than
280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional
information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.
Media Relations Contacts:
Jeff Perlman John Tews
Brandware Public Relations J.D. Power and Associates
775 Lakefield Road 5435 Corporate Drive, Suite 300
Westlake Village, Calif. 91361 Troy, Mich. 48098
(805) 494-5113 (248) 312-4119
jperlman@brandwaregroup.com john.tews@jdpa.com
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information
in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and
Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate
|
