Wireless Customer Satisfaction Improves But Is Still Low Overall

The latest data by the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) show that customer satisfaction with the wireless industry is at an all-time high but still ranks well below the satisfaction scores of other industries.

For the first quarter of 2007 the rating for the industry as a whole was at an all-time high, up 3% to a score of 68 out of a possible 100. However, even with this second straight gain, wireless service remains one of the five lowest scoring industries in the ACSI.

Verizon Wireless (71) and T-Mobile (70) showed gains of 3% and 1%, respectively. AT&T Mobility, the new incarnation of Cingular Wireless, posted a big increase, up 8% to 68. However, the ACSI scores show that some wireless providers experienced declines in customer satisfaction. Most notably, Sprint Nextel fell well behind the competition (seven points behind the nearest competitor), with a score of 61, a 3% drop from 2006.

The bottom line: Some wireless providers have increased their levels of customer satisfaction, but even industry leaders have a long way to go to catch up with the customer satisfaction scores of other industries.