Large-Scale Research Study Analyzes Feedback from 10,000 U.S. Consumers to Rate More than 200 Companies Across 18 Industries

WABAN, Mass., Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new research report published by Temkin Group, 2012 Temkin Experience Ratings, rates the customer experience of 206 large companies across 18 industries. This is the second year that Temkin Group has released these ratings. The research, which is based on a survey of 10,000 U.S. consumers in January 2012, shows that only eight companies deliver excellent customer experience: Sam's Club, Publix, Starbucks, Subway, Chick-fil-A, Aldi, Winn-Dixie, H.E.B., and credit unions. At the other end of the spectrum, 76 companies (37% of the total) earn "poor" or "very poor" ratings.

The research examines customer experience across 18 industries: airlines, appliance makers, auto dealers, banks, car rental agencies, computer makers, credit card issuers, fast food chains, grocery chains, health plans, hotel chains, insurance carriers, Internet service providers, investment firms, parcel delivery services, retailers, TV service providers, and wireless carriers.

Grocery chains, fast food chains and retailers are the top three industries, earning an average rating of "good." At the bottom of the ratings, TV service providers, Internet service providers, and health plans earn an average rating of "poor." Health plans show up in seven of the bottom 14 spots in the ratings.

"While many companies aren't delivering experiences that meet customers' needs, it's an epidemic for TV service providers, Internet service providers, and health plans," states Bruce Temkin, author of the report and Managing Partner of Temkin Group.

The research also examines how individual companies are rated relative to their industry peers. This analysis uncovers eight companies with double-digit leads over their industry average: Kaiser Permanente (health plans), credit unions (banks), Sam's Club (retailers), USAA (credit cards), TracFone (wireless carriers), Southwest Airlines (airlines), PNC (banks), and Alamo (car rental services).

Seven companies are 10 or more percentage points below their industry average: DHL (parcel delivery services), RadioShack (retailers), Citibank (banks), Days Inn (hotels), EarthLink (Internet service providers), Charter Communications (TV service providers and Internet service providers), and Bank of America (banks).

The research by Temkin Group also analyzes the changes in ratings between 2011 and 2012. Insurance carriers and computer makers made the largest year-over-year gains, while only four industries had minor declines. Led by PNC, Lenovo, and Farmers, 60% of the companies show some improvement since last year. Regions, Kohl's, and Hyatt had the largest declines.

According to Temkin: "Companies made progress this past year, but there's still a long way to go before they are truly customer centric."

This report can be accessed from the Temkin Group website at http://www.temkingroup.com or from the blog, Customer Experience Matters, at http://experiencematters.wordpress.com. The data can be accessed from the Temkin Ratings website, http://www.temkinratings.com.

For more information about Temkin Group, visit http://www.temkingroup.com.

About the author, Bruce Temkin

Bruce is widely recognized as a customer experience thought leader and is Customer Experience Transformist and Managing Partner of the Temkin Group. He is also the author of a very popular blog, Customer Experience Matters. 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.

About Temkin Group

Temkin Group is a leading customer experience research and consulting firm with one simple goal for its clients: increase customer loyalty by becoming more customer-centric. The company combines customer experience thought leadership with a deep understanding of the dynamics of large organizations to help senior executives accelerate their results. For more information, contact Bruce Temkin at 617-916-2075 or info@temkingroup.com.

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Temkin Group

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