WirelessAdvisor.com

TNDan21 · 10-05-2005, 3:01 PM

Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction
Overall consumer dissatisfaction on the rise
By Dan Meyer
Oct 5, 2005

Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. provide the highest retail sales satisfaction among the wireless industry's six largest operators, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Wireless Retail Sales Satisfaction Study.

The study was based on the experiences reported by 6,144 wireless users who completed retail sales transactions within the past six months and measured overall customer satisfaction performance of the major wireless carrier-branded stores based on a handful of factors, including sales staff, price/promotion, store display and store facility.

Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA both posted index ratings of 100 in the study, which was well above the industry average of 94 and received particularly high ratings relative to the competition in the price/promotional dimension of the study. Nextel Communications Inc. and Alltel Corp. were tied at a distant third in the study with an index score of 93, followed closely by Cingular Wireless L.L.C. with an index score of 92 and Sprint Corp. with an index score of 90.

Overall, the study found that the likelihood of consumers dissatisfied with their retail purchasing experiences who expressed interest in switching providers increased 46 percent compared with the 2004 study. The study also noted that 20 percent of subscribers who were not satisfied with the overall retail purchase experience said they will "definitely" or "probably" switch from their current carriers within the next 12 months, compared with 13 percent in 2004. Dissatisfied customers also are 25 percent less likely to visit the same carrier store again to purchase wireless services and 35 percent less likely to recommend the carrier service to family and friends in the future.

"With fewer new customers entering the market, the wireless industry is becoming fiercely competitive for retailers," noted Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. "The retail stores of wireless carriers face strong competition in the areas of price and promotions from national electronic retail outlets such as Best Buy and RadioShack, which offer wireless service. It's imperative that wireless service providers concentrate on retention strategies, as the ability to expand the customer base becomes more difficult."

The study also found that the average retail sales transaction increased eight minutes from 2004 to about 70 minutes this year, and consumers were more likely to express a positive sales experience if they felt less pressured during the sales experience.

http://www.rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=24402

Lena · 10-05-2005, 3:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TNDan21

Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction
Overall consumer dissatisfaction on the rise
By Dan Meyer
Oct 5, 2005

Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. provide the highest retail sales satisfaction among the wireless industry's six largest operators, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Wireless Retail Sales Satisfaction Study.

The study was based on the experiences reported by 6,144 wireless users ...

The study also found that the average retail sales transaction increased eight minutes from 2004 to about 70 minutes this year, ...

SEVENTY MINUTES!!!! That means if you head into a wireless store with two sales reps and four customers, you are most likely to wait almost an hour and a half for service! It took me less than 15 minutes, after I got a sales rep, to walk out of the store with a new family plan and four phones all ready to go, because I knew what plan and what phones I wanted before going into the store. The problem is that too many walk into the store cold, have no idea of what plans are available and what phones are best for them, and have to be spoon-fed all the details. I wish the stores would have two lines, one for customers who know what they want, and one for those who don't.

Andy · 10-05-2005, 9:44 PM

That doesn't surprise me. Verizon retail stores are usually great and I've always been very satisfied. T-Mobile has been working hard as well, great job to those two.

larry · 10-05-2005, 10:09 PM

Doesn't it seem like these studies always have the same predictable results? It seems like these are the same scores I see every time in these studies/polls. Verizon is always going to win followed by T-Mobile it's a given because public perception is very hard to change (regardless if it's deserved or not). Just my 2 cents.

Also how come I never get polled for these things?

Are they asking the same people every time?

Andy · 10-05-2005, 10:10 PM

Oh please, Larry. Did you complain when Sprint got number 1 spot for call quality across the Western US?? That's VERY debatable too.

larry · 10-05-2005, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy84094

Oh please, Larry. Did you complain when Sprint got number 1 spot for call quality across the Western US?? That's VERY debatable too.

Everything is debatable.

EdwardP · 10-05-2005, 10:26 PM

The Massachusetts House of Representatives debated the Wireless Telephone Consumer Protection Act, today.

~~RJB~~ · 10-05-2005, 11:35 PM

It is a good thing they didnt include me on the Verizon survey last month.

bobolito · 10-06-2005, 2:08 PM

Between JD Power and Consumer Reports I'm getting kinda sick of reading the same thing over and over again. Every couple of months a study or survey comes out saying that Verizon and T-Mobile are the best, yet when you look at the numbers for some reason they are complete opposites to each other. Something doesn't quite fit there.

larry · 10-06-2005, 2:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobolito

Between JD Power and Consumer Reports I'm getting kinda sick of reading the same thing over and over again. Every couple of months a study or survey comes out saying that Verizon and T-Mobile are the best, yet when you look at the numbers for some reason they are complete opposites to each other. Something doesn't quite fit there.

Thank you, that's exactly what I mean.

danny boi · 10-06-2005, 9:52 PM

Most complaints I hear from mobile phone users while out and about are from Cingular and Sprint customers. The most common complaints I hear are rude phone CSR experiences, poor in building service, or missed calls/delayed voicemails.

T-Mobile doesn't cover as much land geographically in the US as its' larger rivals, but I hardly ever hear any complaints against them. I'm sure there are those who despise them, but you would think as much exposure I have to corporate management and clients, I would hear more but I don't.

The JD surveys aren't scientific, but may be a reflection of a bigger picture or pattern of customer satisfaction. Most of those surveyed are common folk. They most likely do not view their cellphone provider as their favorite NFL team and most likely will not get their feelings hurt if their provider doesn't get mentioned in a positive light.

If you ever get the opportunity to call VZW or T-Mobile customer service, just the lack of long hold times alone can make you appreciate the prompt level of service you get. When I call VZW, I don't get transferred to Claire and I don't get sent to some Indian helpdesk in Bangalore. I don't work weekends but I know if I have a question I need answered on Sunday, I can. For the above reasons alone, I would give the two companies higher marks.

larry · 10-06-2005, 10:39 PM

Just for the record when I call customer service I never have to wait longer than 3 minutes. Depending on time of the day I usually get a rep right away. To me Claire and customer service isn't that big of deal and it's not something that would cause me to hate my carrier. I haven't had any bad experiences or gotten any rude reps that I can remember. I simply say this word: "representative" and I get placed in que for a live rep. Now if some Sprint customers are really dissatisfied with having to speak to Claire then maybe Sprint should ditch it and come out with something better. I'm baffled as to why there is this huge perception out there that customer service is so horrible. I just haven't seen any evidence of that. However I did notice some recent changes in the way customer service operates that might help to ensure a better experiece for the customer.

Fire14 · 10-07-2005, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TNDan21

It's imperative that wireless service providers concentrate on retention strategies, as the ability to expand the customer base becomes more difficult."

Gee, isn't this what most of us have been saying for a long time now? When do you think the carriers will finally understand this is the key they need to work on & it's cheaper to keep a current customer then get new customers & there ARPU might go up with keeping there current customers happy.

Quote:

The study also found that the average retail sales transaction increased eight minutes from 2004 to about 70 minutes this year, and consumers were more likely to express a positive sales experience if they felt less pressured during the sales experience.

And this is just nut's if it takes this long to do a sale and setup a customer, I haven't had to wait this long, but it would be a deterent if I had to wait this long I may end up telling them forget it after 45 mins, and I realize it's not the sales reps fault but the paperwork & getting the account setup thru the system, computers are suppose to make things faster & easier, but there not I guess in some areas.

danny boi · 10-07-2005, 1:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larry

Just for the record when I call customer service I never have to wait longer than 3 minutes. Depending on time of the day I usually get a rep right away. To me Claire and customer service isn't that big of deal and it's not something that would cause me to hate my carrier. I haven't had any bad experiences or gotten any rude reps that I can remember. I simply say this word: "representative" and I get placed in que for a live rep. Now if some Sprint customers are really dissatisfied with having to speak to Claire then maybe Sprint should ditch it and come out with something better. I'm baffled as to why there is this huge perception out there that customer service is so horrible. I just haven't seen any evidence of that. However I did notice some recent changes in the way customer service operates that might help to ensure a better experiece for the customer.

You must be a VIP Larry! They recognize your number and give you priority in the phone que.

Sprint CSR ratings could easily be hurt by those on special credit plans. I'm not dogging those with bad credit because I know circumstances beyond everyone's control can befall anyone. However, it's usually the same customers who don't pay their bills; get their phones cut off, call foul on any overages on the bill etc... Not all entry level reps are capable of handling these types of calls. Many times these calls can get emotional and all it takes is some naive rep to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and you get a heated conversation which escalates to bad CSR reviews.

Other times, it's imcompetence that leads to bad experiences. Do you know how many times I had to call Sprint tech support with my sister conferenced in to get her Vision fixed. She's not techy at all and felt she was being given the run around so she asked me to help. It took us two Sammy's, one contract extension reversal, three supervisors who never called back, and three weeks of back and forth conversations with reps who claimed the previous rep never posted his/her notes. All it was was a simple rate code entered in wrong. I can understand maybe one rep, or maybe even two bad reps. But we seem to have gotten the whole team.

When it was said and done, I told my sister once and a while you'll run into a few bad reps out there. She's like, "what do you mean--ONCE AND A WHILE?? They never know what they are doing.." LOL.

Everyone I know with Sprint seems to have their own horror stories.

I thought Verizon Online DSL afterhours technical support was bad? You call them for tech support and they are the ones who leave the conversation more educated.

larry · 10-07-2005, 4:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YourDaddy

Everyone I know with Sprint seems to have their own horror stories.

I just haven't seen that myself. I know about 8-10 other active users with Sprint and I have yet to hear this so called horror story. But I do agree with you that the credit challenged customers could be giving them a bad name. Remember all of the misinformation being spread about the internet a couple of years ago that Sprint was charging a fee to call customer service? Well what those same people conviently failed to mention is that they were on an account spending limit which was a program for people with bad credit. But Sprint still ended up dropping that charge because of the bad publicity.

The one thing Sprint has been known to do is sometimes mistakenly charge a $150 cancellation fee when changing to a new plan. This is some type of glitch with the system that an inexperienced rep might not know about. Of course all it takes is a phone call and they waive the fee without question.

bobolito · 10-07-2005, 10:55 AM

I didn't know Sprint still had Claire. I've heard so many hate stories about that.

Unfortunately, Cingular blue inherited a "Claire-like" system from AT&T Wireless that to me is horrible. Anyone calling into this system that is not familiar with it will have a very hard time to get in touch with a live rep either because the option that you need is not in the menu, or because the computer doesn't understand what you're saying. I honestly hope they get rid of that and use the good'ol orange system. Fortunately, the orange side of Cingular doesn't have this. I know if they had something like Claire I would hate it with a passion too. I just think pressing the numbers in the keypad to navigate the menus is much better.

I would think that if this kind of system was so helpful, T-Mobile and Verizon would've pioneered it. However, just think that the two carriers with the best CS in the industry DO NOT have this kind of voice-navigation system. That tells me they are not that effective.

Fire14 · 10-07-2005, 3:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobolito

I didn't know Sprint still had Claire. I've heard so many hate stories about that.

Unfortunately, Cingular blue inherited a "Claire-like" system from AT&T Wireless that to me is horrible. Anyone calling into this system that is not familiar with it will have a very hard time to get in touch with a live rep either because the option that you need is not in the menu, or because the computer doesn't understand what you're saying. I honestly hope they get rid of that and use the good'ol orange system. Fortunately, the orange side of Cingular doesn't have this. I know if they had something like Claire I would hate it with a passion too. I just think pressing the numbers in the keypad to navigate the menus is much better.

I would think that if this kind of system was so helpful, T-Mobile and Verizon would've pioneered it. However, just think that the two carriers with the best CS in the industry DO NOT have this kind of voice-navigation system. That tells me they are not that effective.

That is why I don't push or say anything past my phone #, zip & last 4 of SS# other then 9 about 4+ times or 0, it gets you straight to an live rep. I didn't care for the Claire system either. Another way around it is not to say or push anything & it will get you right to a rep.

larry · 10-07-2005, 6:17 PM

I always say "representative" and Claire will always understand it.

10-05-2005, 3:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
TNDan21 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Kingsport, TN Posts: 5,964 Phone(s): LG enV2, Samsung t219 Provider(s): Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile Devices: iPod Nano Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts	Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction Overall consumer dissatisfaction on the rise By Dan Meyer Oct 5, 2005 Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. provide the highest retail sales satisfaction among the wireless industry's six largest operators, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Wireless Retail Sales Satisfaction Study. The study was based on the experiences reported by 6,144 wireless users who completed retail sales transactions within the past six months and measured overall customer satisfaction performance of the major wireless carrier-branded stores based on a handful of factors, including sales staff, price/promotion, store display and store facility. Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA both posted index ratings of 100 in the study, which was well above the industry average of 94 and received particularly high ratings relative to the competition in the price/promotional dimension of the study. Nextel Communications Inc. and Alltel Corp. were tied at a distant third in the study with an index score of 93, followed closely by Cingular Wireless L.L.C. with an index score of 92 and Sprint Corp. with an index score of 90. Overall, the study found that the likelihood of consumers dissatisfied with their retail purchasing experiences who expressed interest in switching providers increased 46 percent compared with the 2004 study. The study also noted that 20 percent of subscribers who were not satisfied with the overall retail purchase experience said they will "definitely" or "probably" switch from their current carriers within the next 12 months, compared with 13 percent in 2004. Dissatisfied customers also are 25 percent less likely to visit the same carrier store again to purchase wireless services and 35 percent less likely to recommend the carrier service to family and friends in the future. "With fewer new customers entering the market, the wireless industry is becoming fiercely competitive for retailers," noted Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. "The retail stores of wireless carriers face strong competition in the areas of price and promotions from national electronic retail outlets such as Best Buy and RadioShack, which offer wireless service. It's imperative that wireless service providers concentrate on retention strategies, as the ability to expand the customer base becomes more difficult." The study also found that the average retail sales transaction increased eight minutes from 2004 to about 70 minutes this year, and consumers were more likely to express a positive sales experience if they felt less pressured during the sales experience. http://www.rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=24402

10-05-2005, 9:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
Andy Join Date: May 2003 Location: Campione, Italy Posts: 10,285 Phone(s): HTC 6900 Touch, Motorola RAZR V3i Provider(s): VZW, Vodafone D2, Solomo, Swisscom Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Images: 130	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction That doesn't surprise me. Verizon retail stores are usually great and I've always been very satisfied. T-Mobile has been working hard as well, great job to those two.

10-05-2005, 10:09 PM	#4 (permalink)
larry Go Angels! Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 12,953 Phone(s): LG Rumor Provider(s): Sprint Thanks: 17 Thanked 16 Times in 15 Posts Images: 146 My Auctions	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction Doesn't it seem like these studies always have the same predictable results? It seems like these are the same scores I see every time in these studies/polls. Verizon is always going to win followed by T-Mobile it's a given because public perception is very hard to change (regardless if it's deserved or not). Just my 2 cents. Also how come I never get polled for these things? Are they asking the same people every time?

10-05-2005, 10:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Andy Join Date: May 2003 Location: Campione, Italy Posts: 10,285 Phone(s): HTC 6900 Touch, Motorola RAZR V3i Provider(s): VZW, Vodafone D2, Solomo, Swisscom Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Images: 130	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction Oh please, Larry. Did you complain when Sprint got number 1 spot for call quality across the Western US?? That's VERY debatable too.

10-05-2005, 10:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
EdwardP T-Mobile since 2004 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,092 Phone(s): Nokia 6101 Provider(s): T-Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Images: 3	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction The Massachusetts House of Representatives debated the Wireless Telephone Consumer Protection Act, today. __________________ T-Mobile: 126,700,000 customers and counting...

10-05-2005, 11:35 PM	#8 (permalink)
~~RJB~~ Banned Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 7,040 Thanks: 35 Thanked 13 Times in 13 Posts Images: 69	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction It is a good thing they didnt include me on the Verizon survey last month.

10-06-2005, 2:08 PM	#9 (permalink)
bobolito iPhone 3G 16GB (White) Join Date: May 2002 Location: New Sanfrakota Posts: 12,398 Phone(s): iPhone 3G, RAZR V9, Sierra 875 3G Aircard, HP iPaq Classic 110 Provider(s): AT&T Mobility Devices: WiFi cards/Access points Thanks: 3 Thanked 11 Times in 10 Posts Images: 50 My Auctions	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction Between JD Power and Consumer Reports I'm getting kinda sick of reading the same thing over and over again. Every couple of months a study or survey comes out saying that Verizon and T-Mobile are the best, yet when you look at the numbers for some reason they are complete opposites to each other. Something doesn't quite fit there. __________________

10-06-2005, 9:52 PM	#11 (permalink)
danny boi Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: SoCali Posts: 1,119 Phone(s): BlackBerry Pearl 8120, Moto S9 StereoBT Headset Provider(s): T-Mobile USA Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction Most complaints I hear from mobile phone users while out and about are from Cingular and Sprint customers. The most common complaints I hear are rude phone CSR experiences, poor in building service, or missed calls/delayed voicemails. T-Mobile doesn't cover as much land geographically in the US as its' larger rivals, but I hardly ever hear any complaints against them. I'm sure there are those who despise them, but you would think as much exposure I have to corporate management and clients, I would hear more but I don't. The JD surveys aren't scientific, but may be a reflection of a bigger picture or pattern of customer satisfaction. Most of those surveyed are common folk. They most likely do not view their cellphone provider as their favorite NFL team and most likely will not get their feelings hurt if their provider doesn't get mentioned in a positive light. If you ever get the opportunity to call VZW or T-Mobile customer service, just the lack of long hold times alone can make you appreciate the prompt level of service you get. When I call VZW, I don't get transferred to Claire and I don't get sent to some Indian helpdesk in Bangalore. I don't work weekends but I know if I have a question I need answered on Sunday, I can. For the above reasons alone, I would give the two companies higher marks. __________________ http://www.sticktogether.com/coverage/

10-06-2005, 10:39 PM	#12 (permalink)
larry Go Angels! Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 12,953 Phone(s): LG Rumor Provider(s): Sprint Thanks: 17 Thanked 16 Times in 15 Posts Images: 146 My Auctions	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction Just for the record when I call customer service I never have to wait longer than 3 minutes. Depending on time of the day I usually get a rep right away. To me Claire and customer service isn't that big of deal and it's not something that would cause me to hate my carrier. I haven't had any bad experiences or gotten any rude reps that I can remember. I simply say this word: "representative" and I get placed in que for a live rep. Now if some Sprint customers are really dissatisfied with having to speak to Claire then maybe Sprint should ditch it and come out with something better. I'm baffled as to why there is this huge perception out there that customer service is so horrible. I just haven't seen any evidence of that. However I did notice some recent changes in the way customer service operates that might help to ensure a better experiece for the customer.

10-07-2005, 10:55 AM	#16 (permalink)
bobolito iPhone 3G 16GB (White) Join Date: May 2002 Location: New Sanfrakota Posts: 12,398 Phone(s): iPhone 3G, RAZR V9, Sierra 875 3G Aircard, HP iPaq Classic 110 Provider(s): AT&T Mobility Devices: WiFi cards/Access points Thanks: 3 Thanked 11 Times in 10 Posts Images: 50 My Auctions	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction I didn't know Sprint still had Claire. I've heard so many hate stories about that. Unfortunately, Cingular blue inherited a "Claire-like" system from AT&T Wireless that to me is horrible. Anyone calling into this system that is not familiar with it will have a very hard time to get in touch with a live rep either because the option that you need is not in the menu, or because the computer doesn't understand what you're saying. I honestly hope they get rid of that and use the good'ol orange system. Fortunately, the orange side of Cingular doesn't have this. I know if they had something like Claire I would hate it with a passion too. I just think pressing the numbers in the keypad to navigate the menus is much better. I would think that if this kind of system was so helpful, T-Mobile and Verizon would've pioneered it. However, just think that the two carriers with the best CS in the industry DO NOT have this kind of voice-navigation system. That tells me they are not that effective. __________________

10-07-2005, 6:17 PM	#18 (permalink)
larry Go Angels! Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 12,953 Phone(s): LG Rumor Provider(s): Sprint Thanks: 17 Thanked 16 Times in 15 Posts Images: 146 My Auctions	Re: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA fare best in retail sales satisfaction I always say "representative" and Claire will always understand it.

10-07-2005, 7:18 PM	#19 (permalink)
bobolito iPhone 3G 16GB (White)

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