September 1, 2010

Sprint is considering whether to allow rival T-Mobile invest in Clearwire. Sprint Nextel Corp. has bet its future on offering speedy data services to mobile devices over a new high-speed, "4G" network and has joined with upstart Clearwire Corp. to build it.

August 30, 2010

An unknow number of Samsung Galaxy S handsets could be reset back to their factory settings just by connecting them to a computer, the manufacturer has warned.

August 26, 2010

The price of wireless phone services declined each year from '99 to '08, despite reduced competition as the $150 billion industry consolidated, says the Government Accountability Office.

August 23, 2010

Groups representing broadcasters, musicians and record companies say they may ask Congress to require that new mobile phones include equipment to receive FM.

Customer Care Ratings

T-Mobile Tops JD Power’s 2007 Customer Care Study --

Wireless Provider Performance Declines Significantly When Customer Care Issues Are Handled by a Computerized Response System

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study realeased in January 2007, customer service issues that are handled by a computer automated response system (ARS) on the telephone generate significantly lower customer care ratings when compared with issues handled by a live representative.

The semi-annual study provides a detailed report card on wireless provider customer care performance based on customer experiences with three point-of-contact methods: telephone calls with a service representative and/or automated response system (ARS); visits to a retail wireless store; and online Internet connection. Within each contact method, processing issues such as problem resolution efficiency and hold-time duration are also measured.

For a fifth consecutive reporting period, T-Mobile ranks highest among the five largest wireless service providers by creating a positive experience among customers who contact the carrier for service or assistance. With an index score of 107 points, T-Mobile performs well across all factors that determine overall satisfaction, particularly in the ARS and retail contact channels, and in the overall hold-time duration on the phone. Verizon Wireless (101) and Alltel (99), respectively, follow T-Mobile in the rankings.

 

Carrier
Index Score
T-Mobile
107
Verizon Wireless
101
AllTel
99
Cingular
94
Sprint Nextel
92

Source: J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study


The study also finds several key wireless customer care patterns:

  • More than one-half (55%) of wireless users have contacted the customer service department for assistance within the past year, marking a nearly 7 percent decline from the most recent reporting period (July 2006).
     
  • The average number of contacts necessary to resolve an inquiry by phone is 1.87—up from 1.76 in the previous reporting period.
     
  • Among customers who contact their provider, 73 percent do so by telephone and 24 percent do so through their provider’s retail store. E-mail/Internet accounts for only 3 percent of customer contacts.
    The average initial reported hold time on calls to the customer service department is 3.58 minutes. In comparison, it takes an average of 8 minutes before speaking in-person to a representative at one of the provider’s retail stores.
     
  • More than four in 10 customers (42%) contact their provider with a billing-related service inquiry, with 55 percent of these contacts attributed to inaccurate charges. Additionally, 30 percent of all customer care inquiries are call-quality related.

 

 

   
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