J.D. Power and Associates: Verizon Wireless is the Best

Verizon Wireless ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction for wireless data service, effectively meeting customer expectations and requirements of both large enterprise and small/midsize business segments, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Business Wireless Satisfaction Study released today.

Now in its fourth year, the study measures customer satisfaction of small and midsize businesses (fewer than 100 employees) and large enterprises (100 employees or more) with their wireless voice and data services across eight key factors. In order of importance, they are:

Call quality (23%);

Sales representatives/account executives (16%);

Company image (12%);

Customer service (11%);

Billing (10%);

Offerings and promotions (10%);

Cost of service (9%); and

Performance and reliability (9%).

Verizon performs particularly well in both business segments in five of the eight factors: call quality, billing, performance and reliability, company image and customer service. T-Mobile follows Verizon in the rankings in both segments and received high ratings from customers in the small/midsize segment in cost of service, offerings and promotions, and sales representatives/account executives factors, and in the large enterprise segment in billing and cost of service.

The study finds that large enterprise businesses are more likely to have dedicated sales representatives to deal with sales and customer service issues, which tends to lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction. On average, the satisfaction score among large enterprises is 682 on a 1,000-point scale, compared with 658 for small and midsize companies.

“Having a single point of contact for sales and service allows a business to quickly resolve issues, which undoubtedly leads to a more positive customer experience, and therefore, higher satisfaction,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services for J.D. Power and Associates, in a statement. “Smaller businesses that don’t have a dedicated sales representative may have to spend more time finding the right person help resolve their issues, which, understandably, can be frustrating.”

In addition, depending on the size of a business, wireless voice and data service priorities vary. The role of billing has greater importance for large enterprise businesses, while call quality is of particular importance for small and midsize businesses.

The study also finds the following key business wireless usage patterns:

— Forty-one percent of businesses subscribe to individual service plans

for their employees. Approximately 38 percent of businesses use

shared-minute plans, an increase from 31 percent in 2006. The remaining

21 percent of businesses subscribe to a combination of individual and

shared-minute plans. Small and midsize businesses are more likely to

subscribe to shared-minute plans, compared with large enterprise

businesses.

— The average monthly cost for wireless voice service among small/midsize

companies is $512, while large enterprise businesses spend $29,938 per

month, on average.

— Overall, 54 percent of corporate decision-makers report purchasing a

brand of wireless handset for their employees without soliciting

employee input—an increase from 50 percent in 2007. Additionally,

25 percent of decision-makers say they allow their employees to select

a brand of cell phone and reimburse employees for the cost—an

increase from 22 percent in 2006.

— Sixty-five percent of business wireless customers say they contacted a

customer service representative with a question or problem within the

past year—an increase from 62 percent in 2007. Among these

customers, 25 percent report contacting their provider due to changes in

service plans, while 17 percent say they had issues with phone equipment

malfunctions or needed replacements.

Methodology

The 2008 Business Wireless Satisfaction Study is based on responses from wireless service decision-makers at more than 2,478 U.S. businesses. Interviews were conducted in February 2008. Visit JDPower.com to view customer satisfaction ratings for wireless service and carrier performance, call quality, customer care, retail sales and mobile phone handsets.