Verizon Biz Customers Most Satisfied, Says J.D. Power

“Verizon Wireless has differentiated itself from the competition specifically by providing superior customer service and strong network performance and reliability,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services for J.D. Power and Associates. “In the business community, network-related issues such as call quality and performance reliability, particularly among small and midsize companies, are important elements that impact the daily decision-making process. Verizon Wireless appears to be meeting these needs in an effective manner.”

The study finds that large enterprise businesses are more likely to have dedicated sales representatives to deal with sales and customer service issues, which tends to lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction. On average, the satisfaction score among large enterprises is 682 on a 1,000-point scale, compared with 658 for small and midsize companies.

“Having a single point of contact for sales and service allows a business to quickly resolve issues, which undoubtedly leads to a more positive customer experience, and therefore, higher satisfaction,” said Parsons. “Smaller businesses that don’t have a dedicated sales representative may have to spend more time finding the right person help resolve their issues, which, understandably, can be frustrating.”

In addition, depending on the size of a business, wireless voice and data service priorities vary. The role of billing has greater importance for large enterprise businesses, while call quality is of particular importance for small and midsize businesses.

“Typically, small businesses are more vulnerable to connection disruptions, particularly when making wireless calls inside buildings, which may cost them business revenue,” said Parsons. “Because of this, smaller businesses place more emphasis on the perception of their provider’s service reliability. Clearly, larger businesses have more complex billing platforms, and therefore require timely responses to inquiries about invoices as well as effective and proactive communication about billing changes, when appropriate.”

The study also finds the following key business wireless usage patterns:

• Forty-one percent of businesses subscribe to individual service plans for their employees. Approximately 38 percent of businesses use shared-minute plans, an increase from 31 percent in 2006. The remaining 21 percent of businesses subscribe to a combination of individual and shared-minute plans. Small and midsize businesses are more likely to subscribe to shared-minute plans, compared with large enterprise businesses.
• The average monthly cost for wireless voice service among small/midsize companies is $512, while large enterprise businesses spend $29,938 per month, on average.
• Overall, 54 percent of corporate decision-makers report purchasing a brand of wireless handset for their employees without soliciting employee input—an increase from 50 percent in 2007. Additionally, 25 percent of decision-makers say they allow their employees to select a brand of cell phone and reimburse employees for the cost—an increase from 22 percent in 2006.
• Sixty-five percent of business wireless customers say they contacted a customer service representative with a question or problem within the past year—an increase from 62 percent in 2007. Among these customers, 25 percent report contacting their provider due to changes in service plans, while 17 percent say they had issues with phone equipment malfunctions or needed replacements.