WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.-Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. tied for the top spot in the most recent J.D. Power & Associates survey of wireless carrier customer care performance.
Both carriers scored 104 points on the company’s scale, while the industry average was 99. Alltel Corp. came in second with 99 points, and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Sprint Nextel Corp. tied for fourth with a score of 95.
The survey found that while customers needed to make fewer calls to get their problems resolved, more subscribers were contacting their wireless carriers for assistance. According to the survey, 59 percent of wireless customers contacted their provider within a 12-month period, which was the highest level since the firm began tracking the number in 2000. J.D. Power attributed the increase to the growing complexity of phones, including those that support ringtones, games, music files and video clips.
“As more wireless companies encourage customers to try new services, this trend will continue to rise,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services for J.D. Power. “The downside is that carriers run the risk of decreasing customer satisfaction and losing customers to other carriers.”
The survey is based on responses from more than 11,430 cellular customers who contacted customer service within the past year, J.D. Power said. Carriers are judged based on customers’ experiences with telephone calls, at retail wireless stores and online; problem resolution efficiency and customer hold times also are considered.
