Top-Rated Customer Service Delivered by USAA, According to Third Annual Temkin Customer Service Ratings

WABAN, Mass., Aug. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- USAA earned the top two spots for its insurance and banking businesses in the third annual Temkin Customer Service Ratings. The ratings are based on Temkin Group's survey of 10,000 U.S consumers and examine 235 companies across 19 industries. Other companies at the top of the ratings are credit unions, Ace Hardware, Charles Schwab, Dollar Tree, Chick-fil-A, Sonic Drive-In, Hy-Vee, Costco, Trader Joe's, Advantage, Publix, and H.E.B. At the other end of the spectrum, TV service providers and Internet service providers earned nine out of bottom 10 spots in the ratings. The five lowest rated firms are Charter Communications, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Optimum (i/o), and CareFirst.

"Customer service often represents a key moment of truth, but TV service providers and Internet service providers regularly drop the ball," states Bruce Temkin, Managing Partner of Temkin Group.

Here are some additional highlights from the 2013 Temkin Customer Service Ratings:

• The following companies earned ratings that were 15 or more points above their industry averages: USAA (insurance and banking), Alaska Airlines, credit unions, Advantage, Kaiser Permanente, TriCare, Charles Schwab, and Bright House Networks.
• Five companies earned ratings that were 15 or more points below their industry averages: Apple Stores, US Airways, RadioShack, HSBC, and 21^st Century.
• Twenty-three percent of companies earned "strong" or "very strong" ratings, while 37% earned "weak" or "very weak" ratings.
• Grocery chains, retailers, and fast food chains earned the highest average Temkin Customer Service Ratings, while TV service providers, Internet service providers, wireless carriers, and health plans earned the lowest ratings.

Temkin Group also examined year-over-year results for the 171 companies that were in both the 2012 and 2013 ratings and found that:

• Forty-four percent of companies improved their ratings while 47% experienced a decline.
• Twenty companies showed double-digit increases, led by: Citibank (banking and credit cards), U.S. Bank, Hyundai, Nissan, Old Navy, Charles Schwab, Continental Airlines, and Piggly-Wiggly.
• Eleven companies showed double-digit decreases, led by: LG, Giant Eagle, Toshiba, Cox Communications, ING Direct, and Budget.
• On average, credit card issuers, banks and fast food restaurants improved the most while appliance makers, TV service providers and investment firms declined the most.

Results of the 2013 Temkin Customer Service Ratings can be accessed from the blog, Customer Experience Matters, at ExperienceMatters.wordpress.com as well as from the Temkin Ratings website, www.TemkinRatings.com.

For more information about Temkin Group, visit www.TemkinGroup.com.

About Temkin Group: Temkin Group is widely recognized as a leading customer experience research and consulting firm. Many of the world's largest brands rely on its insights and advice to steer their transformational journeys. Temkin Group combines customer experience thought leadership with a deep understanding of the dynamics of organizations to help accelerate results. Rather than layering on cosmetic changes, Temkin Group helps companies embed practices within their culture by building four critical competencies: Purposeful Leadership, Employee Engagement, Compelling Brand Values, and Customer Connectedness. The firm's ongoing research identifies leading and emerging best practices across a wide range of activities for engaging the hearts and minds of customers, employees, and partners. For more information, contact Bruce Temkin at 617-916-2075 or send an Email.

About Bruce Temkin: Bruce Temkin is widely recognized as a customer experience thought leader and is Customer Experience Transformist and Managing Partner of Temkin Group. He is also the author of a very popular blog, Customer Experience Matters® (ExperienceMatters.wordpress.com). Prior to forming Temkin Group, he was a VP at Forrester Research for 12 years. Bruce is a highly demanded speaker who consistently receives high marks for his content-rich, entertaining keynote addresses. He is also the co-founder and Chair of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA.org), a global non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of customer experience management.

Customer experience matters is a registered trademark of Temkin Group.

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SOURCE Temkin Group

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