Cox, Optimum Business, Verizon top J.D. Power business telecom rankings

Cox Communications, Cablevision Systems' (NYSE: CVC) Optimum Business and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) took turns topping segments of the J.D. Power and Associates' 2011 Major Provider Business Telecommunications Study-Data Services.

Cox, with a customer satisfaction rating of 632, edged out Optimum Business (631) for tops in home-based businesses. Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) scored 580 and Charter Communications (Nasdaq: CHTR) at 570 filled the bottom. Optimum (681) easily outdistanced Cox (656) in the SMB segment with Verizon (609) and Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) (602) at the bottom. And Verizon (698) led AT&T (NYSE: T) (653) in the large enterprise segment as Time Warner Cable (643) and Comcast (640) bottomed out.

The survey company said that overall network performance and reliability based on outages improved for the second straight year, making customer service a more important element when selecting a service provider.

"Empathy-related attributes, such as concern for customers' needs, have materialized as elements that can make or break a service provider," Frank Perazzini, J.D. Power's telecommunications director said in a news release. "When a customer's business is in peril due to a telecommunications problem, they want to connect with a service representative who understands the critical nature of their situation and will act immediately."

The study queried 5,982 business customers on performance and reliability; billing; cost of service; offerings and promotions; and customer service. A sixth factor, sales representative/account executive, was added for SMBs and large enterprises.

Chart provided by J.D. Power & Associates. Excerpted from the 2011 U.S. Major Provider Business Telecommunications Study.

For more:
- see this news release

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Cablevision and Cox score high in business customer satisfaction survey