WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.—A new report from J.D. Powers and Associates says wireless call-quality problems declined for the second straight year, with reported problems reaching their lowest level since the renowned customer survey firm began studying the issue in 2003.
The report, now in its fourth year, measures the number of problems experienced with wireless call quality twice per year based on seven customer-reported problem areas that impact overall carrier performance. The categories are: dropped/disconnected calls; static/interference; connection on first try; voice distortion; no echoes; no immediate voice mail notification; and no immediate text message notification.
The number of dropped/disconnected calls decreased by 15 percent when compared with 2005’s results, and the number of calls experiencing voice distortion decreased by 25 percent when compared with the same period.
“It’s clear that wireless providers have made great strides in improving the quality of calls, especially in those areas that impact customer churn the most, such as calls that are dropped or disconnected,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. “With an increasingly competitive environment and an increase in the number of services used in conjunction with a cell phone, carriers that offer superior network quality will improve their likelihood of attracting new customers and will increase customer retention. In fact, improving network quality is a beneficial financial incentive for wireless carriers, as customers experiencing at least one call quality problem are three times more likely to indicate they ‘definitely will’ switch carriers in the future.”
The study also found that overall call quality performance varies based on where a call is placed or received. Calls placed within a local calling area have significantly lower call-quality problems compared with calls placed or received while roaming. And, outdoor wireless calls typically have better connections than calls placed inside buildings.
“It is clear that carriers need to manage their network to reflect their specific customer’s usage patterns in order to provide the best possible call quality experience,” said Parsons.
T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Wireless rank highest in five of the six U.S. regions included in the study. Both carriers performed particularly well in the areas of initial connections, dropped/disconnected calls and voice distortion.
Study results by region are:
Northeast: T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless ranked highest in a tie for a second consecutive year. T-Mobile USA performed particularly well in the areas of timely voice mail notification and no echoes. Verizon Wireless performed well due to fewer problems with dropped/disconnected calls and no echoes.
Mid-Atlantic: Verizon Wireless ranked highest, outperforming the regional average in static, voice distortion and no echoes.
Southeast: Verizon Wireless ranked highest with fewer problems in static, initial connections, timely voice and text mail notification.
North Central: U.S. Cellular Corp. ranked highest with fewer problems in static, initial connections and voice distortion when compared with the regional average.
Southwest: T-Mobile USA ranked highest in this region, with customers reporting fewer problems in dropped/disconnected calls and static.
West: T-Mobile USA ranked highest for the first time in this region, performing particularly well in initial connections and dropped/disconnected calls.
