USAA and Publix Earn Top Customer Service Ratings In New Temkin Group Research

WABAN, Mass., June 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- USAA earned the highest score in the 2016 Temkin Customer Service Ratings for the fourth year in a row. These Ratings evaluate the customer service of 277 companies across 20 industries based on a study of 10,000 U.S. consumers. USAA earned the top spot this year for its banking business with a 74% rating, and Publix came in a close second with a rating of 73%.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160613/378493

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160613/378494

In addition to its banking business, USAA also placed in the top ten for both its insurance business and its credit card business. USAA and Publix were joined in the top 10 by True Value, credit unions, QVC, H-E-B, Wawa Food Markets, and Save-a-lot.

Comcast, meanwhile, earned the lowest score in the Temkin Customer Service Ratings for the third straight year. Once again, the company received the two lowest scores in the Ratings, one for its TV service business and one for its Internet service, business both of which received a score of 31%.. Comcast was joined in the bottom by GM, Charter Communications (for both Internet service and TV service), Health Net, Time Warner Cable (for both Internet service and TV service), AT&T, Motel 6, and Spirit Airlines.

"While USAA continues to be the gold standard of customer service, Comcast—and the Internet service and TV service industries at large—has become the poster child for horrible customer service," states Bruce Temkin, managing partner of Temkin Group.

Here are some additional highlights from the 2016 Temkin Customer Service Ratings:

• USAA for banking and USAA for insurance both outperformed their average industry scores by 16 percentage points—the most of any companies. Seven other companies scored at least 13 points above their industry averages: Alabama Power Company, Georgia Power, USAA for credit cards, True Value, Amazon (Kindle), Holiday Inn Express, and Florida Power & Light.
• GM, Motel 6, and HSBC for credit cards each fell 20 or more points below their respective industry averages. Six other companies scored at least 15 points below their industry averages: Days Inn, Spirit Airlines, Comcast, Dollar, Vons, and Chrysler.
• Six industries improved their average score between 2015 and 2016, while 14 declined. The average score of wireless carriers increased the most in the past year, while retailers' and auto dealers' averages declined the most.
• Of the companies we evaluated in both 2015 and 2016, True Value improved its score the most, increasing by an astonishing 20 percentage points. Edward Jones, Blackboard, Cox Communications, La Quinta Inn, and Holiday Inn Express also improved their scores by 10 or more percentage points in the past year. GM and Home Depot were the only two companies whose scores dropped by 15 points or more in the past year.

Now in its sixth year of publication, the 2016 Customer Service Ratings examines recent customer service experiences across 20 industries: airlines, auto dealers, banks, computer and tablet makers, credit card issuers, fast food chains, health plans, hotel chains, insurance carriers, Internet service providers, investment firms, major appliance makers, parcel delivery services, rental car agencies, retailers, software firms, supermarket chains, TV service providers, utilities, and wireless carriers.

The 2016 Customer Service Ratings, along with Temkin Group's other ratings, can be accessed at the Temkin Ratings website, www.TemkinRatings.com.

Detailed datasets for the 2016 Temkin Customer Service Ratings can be downloaded from the Customer Experience Matters^® blog, at ExperienceMatters.wordpress.com.

About Temkin Group: Temkin Group is 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, and Temkin Group accelerates their results by combining customer experience thought leadership with a deep understanding of organizational dynamics. Rather than layering on cosmetic changes, Temkin Group helps companies embed practices within their culture by building up four core competencies: Purposeful Leadership, Employee Engagement, Compelling Brand Values, and Customer Connectedness. The firm's ongoing research identifies leading and emerging best practices 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.

*Customer experience matters is a registered trademark of Temkin Group.

SOURCE Temkin Group