In a recent J.D. Power and Associates study on telephone customer service, cable operators placed first in three out of the four regions.
The study, which was released today, also found that customer satisfaction for residential phone service increased for the second consecutive time, mainly due to better customer service experiences.
The study measured customer satisfaction with both local and long-distance telephone service in four regions throughout the United States. Five factors were used in determining overall satisfaction. In order of importance, they were: performance and reliability, cost of service, billing, offerings and promotions, and customer service.
Among the five factors driving satisfaction, customer service had the largest increase in satisfaction compared with 2009, improving by eight points.
Provider results by region were:
- East Region: Cablevision was ranked highest with a score of 689 out of a possible 1,000 points, performing particularly well in customer service, cost of service, billing, and offerings and promotions. Cox Communications was second with 677, and Windstream was third with 671.
- South Region: Bright House Networks was first with a score of 724 and performed well in customer service, cost of service, billing, and offerings and promotions. Cox Communications was second (701) and Verizon (673) placed third.
- North Central Region: WideOpenWest (WOW!) ranked highest with 742, performing well in customer service, cost of service, billing, and offerings and promotions. Cincinnati Bell was second at 696, and TDS Telecom ranked third with 694.
- West Region: Cox Communications was first in the region with a score of 693, performing well across all five factors. Time Warner Cable (661) and Qwest (653) follow in the regional rankings.
The 2010 U.S. Residential Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study was based on responses from 24,146 customers nationwide who receive their local and long-distance telephone service from one provider.
