AT&T Ranks Highest In J.D. Power 2014 Wireless Purchase Satisfaction Study

DALLAS, Aug. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a three-peat for AT&T* when it comes to having the highest ranked customer purchase experience. AT&T outscored all other full-service wireless providers in the J.D. Power 2014 Full Service Wireless Purchase Experience Study^SM, Volume 2. This marks the third consecutive time AT&T ranked highest in the study. The J.D. Power Wireless Purchase Satisfaction Study evaluates the overall customer experience in stores, online and by phone.

Customers have many choices when it comes to their wireless service provider. At AT&T we are committed to delivering an exceptional customer experience. Being recognized as the highest ranked wireless provider for overall purchasing experience by J.D. Power, for the third time in a row, shows the importance of our salespeople being among the most friendly and knowledgeable in the business. 

"Being recognized for the third consecutive time in the area of Purchase Experience by J.D. Power is an accomplishment and an honor," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility.  "We believe our employees are truly among the best in the business, and we're committed to consistently delivering a great customer experience through fast and friendly service."

Some ways AT&T's making the purchase experience great:

Hiring the Best - Our retail experience is based on the AT&T "Promise" from each of our employees – they are expected to learn and maintain a combination of technical and interpersonal skills.

Employee Training – To date this year, AT&T retail store reps have logged close to 2 million hours of training to ensure they are unrivaled experts on lifestyle solutions and product knowledge.

Growing to Meet Demand - We've hired over 1000 additional retail reps and managers to improve the store experience, which improves wait times and allows us to spend more time with each customer.

Streamlined Online Navigation and Shopping - We continue to put resources towards enhancing the website and myAT&T app as customers continue to expect a fast and seamless online experience, including the addition of the Buy Online Pick-Up in Stores option now available to consumers and business customers.

Interactive Store Design and Merchandising - Continued to roll-out new, cutting-edge store design, centered on the customer experience.

• Our stores are focused on merchandising live devices, applications and accessories by lifestyle solutions and interests, expanding beyond phones and tablets to home automation (Digital Life) the connected car, wearables, and music accessories. Displays are highly interactive and designed to encourage exploration.
• Customer education is the key to a great experience. To enhance the in-store environment we've continued to add learning tables, which provide a comfortable and engaging place for our employees to set up the customer's device and guide them through key features.

Faster, More Intuitive Tools/Services –

• Customer Snapshot Tool– Provides a view of customer's interaction with other AT&T groups to help the retail employee quickly understand a customer's interactions with AT&T, and more importantly device and service options such as software updates, eligibility for upgrade, and account usage.
• Mobile Point of Sale – All fixed point of sales terminals have been removed and reps are equipped with tablets to quickly and efficiently help customers.
• Mobile Share Recommender – Resource for reps to show Mobile Share Value plan cost savings for consumers by recommending the best plan based on usage. For example, the tool can help customers recognize the benefit of going with AT&T Next financing option as compared to a two-year plan.
• GeoLink – Helps reps answer customer questions on voice and high speed data coverage.
• New Self-Service Kiosk Functionality -- Provides customers the ability to get change back when paying their bill using the store self-service kiosk, saving time for our cash paying customers.

* AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

AT&T received the highest numerical score among full service wireless providers in the proprietary J.D. Power 2013 (Vol. 2) and 2014 (Vol. 1 & 2) Full Service Wireless Purchase Experience Study ^SM. 2014 Vol. 2 based on responses from 10,079 consumers measuring 4 full service wireless providers and measures opinions of consumers who purchased a wireless product or service within last 6 months.  Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed January-June 2014.  Your experiences may vary.  Visit jdpower.com

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse^® brand. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/aboutus or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

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