• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

BellSouth Ranked Highest among Business Broadband Data Service Providers for Customer Satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates

Posted on: Thursday, 2 October 2003, 06:00 CDT

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 2, 2003--

BellSouth Carries Distinction of Highest Ranking

in Study for Second Consecutive Year

BellSouth (NYSE: BLS) today announced it received the highest ranking for business broadband data service providers for the second year in a row in J.D. Power and Associates' Major Provider Business Telecommunications Services Study(SM).

According to the study results, BellSouth ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction among broadband data business customers. BellSouth received the highest ranking in six out of seven factors driving satisfaction with business broadband data service providers. The company scored significantly above the industry average in sales representatives and account executives and image and also ranked highest in performance and reliability, billing and cost of service. BellSouth received the second highest ranking in customer service and tied for the highest score in offerings and promotions.

"Delivering a superior customer experience is always the focus at BellSouth and our employees are committed to leading the industry in this area," said David Scobey, president of Small Business Services at BellSouth. "Innovative broadband data services are critical to the successful operation of businesses and the J.D. Power and Associates' study results demonstrate that BellSouth is dedicated to designing and supporting a broad range of solutions that help address their needs."

The study results indicated that fewer of BellSouth's business broadband customers switched providers in the past year compared to the average. Also fewer of BellSouth's customers than the average stated a likelihood to switch in the next year, further indicating the high levels of customer satisfaction.

As part of its strategic initiative to continually improve customer satisfaction, BellSouth has recently implemented the following service enhancements:

-- A specially designed survey that collects customers' feedback

and then reports the survey findings on a timely basis to the

employees' supervisors for coaching about service-related

behaviors and performance.

-- New toll-free customer contact numbers and regional call

routing to improve handling of customer calls. To access these

numbers, go to the Customer Service section of

http://www.bellsouth.com.

-- Enhanced communication tools, including a computerized

referral system, for BellSouth services technicians.

The 2003 Major Provider Business Telecommunications Services Study is based on responses from more than 4,700 U.S. businesses, from very small (with at least two employees) to very large (500+ employees), and evaluates their data and voice services providers. The major providers covered in the J.D. Power and Associates Major Provider Business Telecommunications Study serve nearly 40 percent of the business broadband market. Surveyed businesses included those with DSL, Cable Modem, ISDN, dedicated access (e.g., fractional T-1 or OC-3) or private data lines.

To learn more about BellSouth's tradition of service, visit the new Service Excellence site under the About Us section of http://www.bellsouth.com.

About BellSouth Corporation

BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications services company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth serves more than 45 million local, long distance, Internet and wireless customers in the United States and 14 other countries.

Consistently recognized for customer satisfaction, BellSouth provides a full array of broadband data solutions to large, medium and small businesses. In the residential market, BellSouth offers DSL high-speed Internet access, advanced voice features and other services. BellSouth also offers long distance service throughout its markets, serving both business and residential customers. The company's BellSouth Answers(SM) package combines local and long distance service with an array of calling features; wireless data, voice and e-mail services; and high-speed DSL or dial-up Internet service. BellSouth also provides online and directory advertising services through BellSouth(R) RealPages.com(SM) and The Real Yellow Pages(R).

BellSouth owns 40 percent of Cingular Wireless, the nation's second largest wireless company, which provides innovative data and voice services.

More News in this Category