T-Mobile USA dethrones Verizon Wireless in J.D. Power’s rankings: No. 4 wireless provider outshines the new No. 1

T-Mobile USA Inc. scored a 755 out of 1,000 possible points in J.D. Power and Associates latest wireless customer care performance study, the highest out of all carriers tested. The No. 4 carrier beat out Verizon Wireless, which previously topped the survey.
This time, T-Mobile USA’s trick was being able to quickly and seamlessly transfer calling customers over to a real customer service representative after they passed through the carrier’s initial automated response system.
“Much of T-Mobile’s success can be attributed to its ability to reach the customer very quickly,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. “More than one-third of T-Mobile subscribers report waiting less than two minutes on hold to speak with a representative. T-Mobile has proved successful when it comes to being prompt, courteous and efficient at identifying and resolving problems in the eyes of its customers.”
The firm’s study also measured experiences when visiting a retail store or turning to the Web for help. In T-Mobile USA stores, customers reported spending less than 19 minutes to resolve issues.
Verizon Wireless fell from its No. 1 position last year and came in second with 749 points; Alltel Communications L.L.C. rounded out the top three with a score of 744.

Not mentioned anywhere in J.D. Power’s press release was Sprint Nextel Corp. The carrier topped a Pali Research customer care survey in October.
In an apparent effort to rectify its absence from J.D. Power’s press release, Sprint Nextel issued a release of its own today, saying that it did score higher this time around.
“The JDPA 2009 Vol. 1 survey on Wireless Customer Care Performance, which surveys wireless users about their experiences with customer service representatives, retail, online and interactive voice response systems, shows Sprint’s customer service is making improvement in these areas and has quickly closed the gap within the industry by 50% versus the previous JDPA study released in August of 2008,” the carrier said.
Bob Johnson, chief service officer at Sprint Nextel, said the carrier is still committed to making advances.
“Reality sometimes lags perception when it comes to customer experience,” Johnson said. “But the gap between the two is getting closer for Sprint. Customers understand what we’re doing. They like what they are seeing now. We have a way to go, but the progress we’ve made is steady and solid.”
Of course, Sprint Nextel’s plans could be hindered by the planned layoff of 8,000 employees.
J.D. Power’s study is based on responses from more than 13,000 wireless customers who contacted their carriers’ customer care during the past year.