BOSTON-Verizon Wireless trumped all other telecommunications providers in the latest online customer respect survey conducted by research and consulting firm The Customer Respect Group.
TCRG said the index was a qualitative and quantitative analysis of a customer’s online experience when interacting with companies via the Internet. The index takes into account a Web site’s ease of navigation, responsiveness to inquiries, respect for customer privacy, customer focus of site, policy transparency, and principle in valuing and respecting customer data.
Verizon Wireless received a consumer respect index score of 8.5, just nipping Nextel Communications Inc. and Sprint Corp., which both posted scores of 8.3. TCRG noted that it considered scores of 8.0 or above as excellent and “show an admirable level of customer respect.”
T-Mobile USA Inc., which has recently been awarded several customer service and network quality awards from J.D. Power and Associates, just missed an excellent ranking with an index score of 7.9. Other notable telecom companies scoring above the industry average of 6.9 in the index included Canada’s Rogers Communications Inc. with a score of 7.5, Qwest Communications International Inc. with a score of 7.4, Canadian carriers Bell Canada and Telus Corp. both with scores of 7.3, and Alltel Corp. with a score of 7.1.
Telecom companies posting below-average scores included Western Wireless Corp. with a score of 6.5 and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. with a score of 5.9.
The index also ranked network and equipment vendors, with L.M. Ericsson posting a segment-high score of 8.3. Nortel Networks Ltd. was second in the index with a score of 7.9, followed by Motorola Inc. with a score of 7.3.
CRG did note that the industry’s overall index score increased from the 6.4 posted during the fourth quarter of last year and the 5.9 score for all of 2004.
“We very much like the direction in which the telecom and networking industries are moving with their Web sites,” said Terry Golesworthy, president of TCRG. “That said, we still see room for improvement in a number of areas, including privacy. Consumers are very sensitive to having their data shared with others, and our research indicates that firms that don’t implement opt-in policies can expect to see a backlash.”
