Verizon may have won the "mobile experience" battle with the highest number of gold medals in the latest bi-annual report conducted by OpenSignal, but the US carrier wars are too important and complex to not involve other research firms using different methodologies and focusing on other aspects of the wireless service experience to proclaim the nation's best mobile network operator.
After evaluating customer care experiences across 12 different channels, ranging from phone customer service reps to in-store contact, online chat, email, social media post, user forum, and so on, the 1968-founded data analytics firm awarded T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, and Consumer Cellular with its latest trophies in the "full-service", non-contract, and "non-contract value" categories.
While T-Mobile and Consumer Cellular retained their 2019 titles, Metro managed to jump from second place last year to the number one spot among non-contract full-service carriers, edging out Boost Mobile and former category victor Cricket Wireless.
That's a double win for T-Mo, which has been dominating the "big four" chart for several years now, taking home the full-service top prize for the 19th time while widening the gap to silver medalist Verizon and bronze medalist AT&T. In fact, the 848 points racked up by Team Magenta between July and December 2019 are the "Un-carrier's" third record-breaking score in a row, improving on the 833 and 847-point totals in J.D. Power's two customer care studies released last year.
Meanwhile, Verizon slipped from 824 to 817 points in the space of six months, whereas AT&T boosted its score to 793 points, which is still not enough to beat a segment average of 805. Customer satisfaction is equally as important in the non-contract market, where Metro by T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, and Cricket all managed to offer above-average assistance to their subscribers, unlike the now-defunct Virgin Mobile.
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Of course, excellent customer care is not everything, and it's definitely worth highlighting that J.D. Power recently conducted some research on nationwide wireless network quality too, declaring Verizon the winner across all six regions evaluated between July and December 2019. Once again, choosing the nation's best carrier depends on both who makes the assessment, and most importantly, how.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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