J.D. Powers again smiles on T-Mobile USA

T-Mobile USA Inc. continues to rank highest among the five largest wireless carriers in customer service performance, according to the latest study by J.D. Power and Associates. The No. 4 provider has been at the top of the field for the past seven consecutive reporting periods. The firm has been releasing studies on the wireless industry twice-annually for six years now.
The study looks at how well wireless carriers meet customers’ service-related needs over the phone with a representative or automated response system, a visit to a retail store and online. J.D. Power and Associates measures how efficiently customers’ issues are resolved, among other factors. The company surveyed nearly 12,500 wireless customers who contacted their carrier’s customer-care department within the past year.
T-Mobile took the top nod again, while AT&T Mobility was bumped slightly from second place in the previous study to a tie in third place with Alltel Corp. Verizon Wireless pushed up to the No. 2 spot while Sprint Nextel Corp. remained at the bottom of the scoreboard.
The survey found that 47% of wireless customers have contacted their carrier’s customer-care department within the past year; more than half of those calls were due to inaccurate charges while 42% had a billing-related service inquiry.
Almost three-quarters of customers who contacted their carrier do so over the phone, while most others visited a retail store. The average initial reported hold time on calls was 3.89 minutes, up from the 3.17 minutes reported in the last survey. Additionally, customers who go to a retail store typically waited nine minutes before they spoke with a representative.