ANN ARBOR, Mich.-The wireless industry posted a 3-percent year-over-year drop in customer satisfaction, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index ranking released by the Stephen M. Ross Business School at the University of Michigan in partnership with the American Society of Quality and consulting firm CFI Group.
Verizon Wireless posted the highest customer satisfaction result in the ranking with an index score of 67 out of 100. The result was a slight drop from the index score of 68 the carrier received last year but was still enough to top its rivals.
An aggregate of small wireless carriers posted the second-highest index score of 65 in the ranking, which was a significant drop from the index score of 70 posted by “all others” in last year’s rankings.
T-Mobile USA Inc. posted the third-highest index score of 64 on this year’s ranking, just edging out Sprint Corp.’s score of 63. T-Mobile USA was included in the “all others” category of last year’s ranking, while Sprint posted a significant improvement compared with the index score of 59 it received last year.
Cingular Wireless L.L.C. was fourth in the ranking this year with an index score of 62, which was down from the score of 63 it posted last year, while Nextel Communications Inc. received the lowest score this year with a 59. Nextel was also included in the “all others” category of last year’s rankings.
While overall customer satisfaction with wireless services dropped 3 percent year-over-year, the ranking’s author Claes Fornell attributed the drop to the aggregate of smaller companies included in the rankings that posted a 7-percent year-over-year decline in customer satisfaction.
