AT&T Tops J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Rankings

AT&T this week snagged the top spot among full-service carriers in J.D. Power and Associates' 2013 U.S. wireless customer care survey.

The provider earned an overall score of 795 out of 1,000, due mostly to high performance ratings in walk-in and online contact channels. AT&T, in fact, ranked above the full-service average in four out of five service channels, including telephone.

MetroPCS, meanwhile, ranked highest among non-contract carriers for the second consecutive J.D. Power reporting period. With a score of 770, the T-Mobile subsidiary performed above the non-contract average in the telephone and online channels.

Overall satisfaction has reached a new high since 2009, based in large part on the increased use and performance of carriers' online channels — specifically the chat function — to assist customers.

According to the study, approval levels have risen in all three main full-service contact channels — telephone, walk-in, and online, the latter of which has improved the most, jumping up 52 points since last year.

That progress is likely the result of increasingly innovative online chat technologies, J.D. Power said, adding that more carriers are taking great strides to help their customers become more comfortable with Web-based contact, versus more traditional channels.

"The higher levels of satisfaction with online chat are partially due to the efficiency and immediacy of the experience, particularly with service issues or questions that are easier to resolve in this environment, such as billing or service/device questions pertaining to upgrades," Kirk Parsons, senior director of the telecom services practice at J.D. Power, said in a statement.

Among online options, the chat function leads the pack, with 42 percent of customers reaching for the live online chat feature instead of email (23 percent) or other social media forums (16 percent).

"However, as carriers release new products and services to meet consumer demand, such automated systems as online chat must continue to evolve to address harder-to-answer questions related to technology support, as customers gain confidence in using alternative contact channels for convenience-related reasons," Parsons said.

AT&T took home another award last month, when PCMag named it the fastest mobile network in America, beating past champ Verizon, as well as Sprint and T-Mobile. The carrier recently unveiled its "AT&T Next" subscription plan, which lets customers trade in and upgrade their phones or tablets every 12 months, with no up-front down payment on each device.

For more, see PCMag's full coverage of Fastest Mobile Networks 2013.