Based on responses from 7,556 full-service wireless customers from January through June, the study looks at how U.S. carriers provide customer service through phone and walk-in. More specifically, JD Power looked at how contacting carriers by phone and going to one of their stores related to the efficiency of problem resolution and how long you were put on hold, just to name a few factors.
With that said, AT&T came out on top with 820 points, with T-Mobile right behind it with 815. Meanwhile, Verizon came in third with 797 points, and Sprint came in last with 750 points, with the overall average sitting at 804 points. All points are based on a 1,000 point scale.
AT&T, in particular, performed “particularly well in the walk-in (retail stores) and online channels,” though JD Power gave no other specifics.
As far as the prepaid sector is concerned, Consumer Cellular came out on top with 878 points, with the carrier performing particularly well when it came to its automated response system. Meanwhile, the likes of Cricket Wireless (790 points), Boost Mobile (784 points), MetroPCS (765 points), Virgin Mobile (761 points), and Straight Talk (714 points) all coming in below.
JD Power did not stop with customer satisfaction regarding U.S. carriers, though. The company noted that 72 percent of customers who contacted their carrier online did so using either their smartphone or tablet. Furthermore, looking up information on a carrier’s website was the most common activity through online contact, with overall satisfaction highest among customers whose online contact was through a user forum.
It appears that more and more people are looking to try solutions out on their own first before resorting to talking to a customer representative.
