J.D. Power: Customer care improving, T-Mobile USA still No. 1

An increasing percentage of customers report that their service problems are “resolved in a timely manner,” according to the latest survey of customer care by J.D. Power and Associates-and carriers’ investments in network infrastructure are likely the cause.
The semi-annual study asks customers about their experiences with customer care on three fronts: phone calls with service representatives or automated response systems; visits to a retail wireless store; and online. The survey examined input from more than 10,500 wireless customers who had customer care interactions within the past year.
In the most recent reporting period, J.D. Power and Associates found that 81% of customers said their problem was taken care of in what they considered a timely manner, up from 75% of customers in 2004.
“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,” J.D. Power and Associates concluded, adding that the percentage of customers who contacted their carrier with call quality problems fell dramatically in the past three years, from 48% in 2004 to 28% this year.
“It is in the best interest of carriers to continue this trend, as it has a direct impact on the financial bottom line,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. “Customers who are satisfied with their carrier’s service are more likely to remain loyal and spend more money on additional services.”
J.D. Power and Associates found that customer satisfaction was, on average, four times higher among customers whose problems were resolved quickly than among those who experienced delays, and intention to switch carriers was six times higher among subscribers whose problems were not resolved at all.
T-Mobile USA Inc. continued its run as the top-rated carrier in J.D. Power & Associates’ annual survey of customer care, winning out for a sixth consecutive time and scoring particularly well in satisfaction with resolving issues with one contact, keeping hold times down and its automated response system. AT&T Mobility scored second place, followed by Verizon Wireless; Alltel Corp.; and Sprint Nextel Corp.
Among other survey findings:
–More than 40% of wireless customers contacted customer care within the past year.
— The majority of customers contacted their carrier by phone: 73%, compared with 23% going through retail stores and just 4% through the Internet.
–43% of customers sought customer service due to billing-related questions, and 56% of those questions were attributed to inaccurate charges.