Press Release
VocaLabs SectorPulse Report Shows Newcomer T-Mobile Pulling Ahead of Verizon in Customer Service
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., August 3, 2004 - Newcomer T-Mobile bested two-time winner Verizon (VZ: NYSE) in Vocal Laboratories' most recent quarterly SectorPulse report for mobile phone carriers measuring the quality of customer care. T-Mobile achieved an "A" ranking in Caller Satisfaction, and a "B" in Call Completion; while Verizon slipped to a "B" in both Caller Satisfaction and Call Completion.
Other mobile phone carriers included in this study were:- Cingular, which received a "C" in Caller Satisfaction and a "B" in Call Completion
- AT&T Wireless (AWE:NYSE), which received a "D" in Caller Satisfaction and a "C" in Call Completion
- Sprint PCS (PCS:NYSE), which received a "D" in both Caller Satisfaction and Call Completion
Common problem areas reported across companies included difficulty in connecting to an agent, long hold times, and automated systems which were difficult to navigate.
"T-mobile was the clear leader in this most recent report achieving a significantly lower frustration level than the other companies," said Peter U. Leppik, CEO of VocaLabs. "While T-Mobile's automation rate was a little lower than Verizon, T-mobile ranked highest in Caller Satisfaction and Call Completion.
"Based on our analysis of the data, we observed dramatic differences in automation rates, with the percentage of callers' problems handled without a live agent ranging from 21% to 33%. This report showed there are substantial differences in customer service experiences among the major mobile phone carriers. All five of the companies we evaluated could see substantial operational improvement from increasing their satisfaction and completion scores." said Leppik.
VocaLabs also asked study participants to provide details on their customer service experiences. One person shared his frustration with his mobile phone company's inability to correct an error: "On this and previous calls, I have been transferred to a different department, told the department and their toll-free number. Today, even though I have given information in previous calls, they were unable to retrieve the information and I need to retrieve it myself and call them for a fifth time. Their system of tracking callers with the same problem and being able to recall information about a caller seems inadequate. All of this is stemming from a shipping mistake that they made."
Data in this report was gathered between April 10th, 2004 and June 30th, 2004.
About SectorPulse Wireless
VocaLabs SectorPulse reports compare the customer service quality for different companies in the same industry, using data and call recordings from the companies' customers.
VocaLabs has recruited over 60,000 individuals to provide feedback on customer service experiences, from which we drew the participants for this study. VocaLabs panelists who are customers of one of the companies included in this study were asked to participate by having their customer service calls recorded and completing a survey after the call.
An Executive Summary and SectorPulse Wireless data report are available by subscription. Please contact Jessica Ament at jament@vocalabs.com
About Vocal Laboratories
Vocal Laboratories delivers statistically reliable feedback on the user friendliness of telephone based customer service whether delivered via traditional call centers or self-serve technology. Clients are end user enterprises, call center consultants, application providers and equipment vendors. Only VocaLabs has the unique methodology to evaluate a customer contact application at any stage of development from prototype through existing services quickly, cost effectively and with maximum accuracy.
Contacts
Vocal Laboratories, Inc., Eden Prairie
Jessica Ament, 952-941-6580 X 202
jament@vocalabs.com
www.vocalabs.com