AT&T Could Benefit From T-Mobile Customer Loyalty

A recent study may show another reason why AT&T is interested in purchasing T-Mobile: According to research, AT&T stands to get a more loyal customer base with the purchase of T-Mobile. The survey from Vocal Laboratories shows that T-Mobile customers are 11% more likely to resubscribe than AT&T customers. Vocal Laboratories cited statistics from telephone interviews that were conducted right after a customer service call. Those statistics showed that 73% of T-Mobile customers said they would subscribe again to T-Mobile's service, compared to only 62% of AT&T customers.

AT&T To Benefit from T-Mobile Customer Loyalty

T-Mobile Customers Are 11 Percentage Points More Likely to Resubscribe Than AT&T Customers in New Research on Mobile Phone Customer Service

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The announced acquisition of rival T-Mobile will bring AT&T a more loyal customer base, according to the latest study on phone-based customer service quality conducted by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). In telephone interviews conducted immediately following a customer service call, 73% of T-Mobile customers interviewed in Q1 2011 said they would subscribe again to T-Mobile's service, as compared to only 62% of AT&T customers.

Among the four major wireless carriers tracked by Vocalabs, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, call resolution remains the largest driver of customer dissatisfaction and disloyalty. One in three customers industry-wide reported that their customer service issues were not fully resolved. Vocalabs' analysis shows that by being more effective at solving customers' problems, mobile phone companies could improve loyalty by 12-13 percentage points.

This independent research is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs on an ongoing basis to benchmark industry trends in phone-based customer service. Results discussed here are based on 5,245 telephone interviews conducted between October 2009 and March 2011.