Qwest was rated “above average” in how it treats online customers, according to an industry research firm ranking of telecommunication companies.
Denver-based Qwest was No. 5 in a rating of 11 communication companies across the country in the Ipswich, Mass.,-based Customer Respect Group survey. Verizon Wireless topped the list, followed by CenturyTel, T-Mobile and Sprint, all of which received “excellent” rankings for online customer support.
In general, researchers found that 13 percent of customer e-mail questions to communication companies are ignored completely; companies take more than a day to respond to another 41 percent of e-mails.
The Baby Bell’s ranking with the Customer Respect Group follows a similar customer-service rank among other Western telephone providers in a survey released by research firm J.D. Power and Associates last week.
In the J.D. Power survey, Qwest ranked third among seven providers, up from five among 11 the year before. There are now fewer phone-service providers in the Western region to be surveyed, after AT&T bought SBC and Verizon purchased MCI.
Qwest’s chief executive, Richard Notebaert, emphasizes customer service, coining the company slogan “Spirit of Service” soon after he took over in 2002 from ousted executive Joe Nacchio.
The phone company ranked below cable provider Cox Communications, which battles Qwest for phone and TV customers in markets like Omaha and Phoenix, and Verizon. AT&T was fourth on the list, followed by Comcast, Frontier and Sprint.
Staff writer Beth Potter can be reached at 303-820-1503 or bpotter@denverpost.com.
