• by Laurie Petersen , December 28, 2006

The "real people" have spoken--and they name these companies as tops for customer service in their respective categories for 2006: Subway, Olive Garden, Cici's Pizza, Marriott, Southwest Airlines, BP, Nordstrom, Stride Rite, Ace Hardware, Dick's Sporting Goods, Publix, Walgreens, RadioShack and credit unions.

That last winner, the homely credit union, suggests that the amount of marketing dollars a company spends has no direct correlation to a consumer's relationship with the entity. (Many credit unions are employee-sponsored and make no specific marketing cash outlay.)

The year-end results are based on a nationwide online survey of 5,000 consumers conducted quarterly by Findlay, OH-based Corporate Research International, which specializes in mystery shopping and customer satisfaction. CRI saw little change in category positions for this year.

"The customers who use a company's services on a regular basis are the best sources for providing accurate feedback," said Mike Mallett, CEO of CRI, in a statement. "These results are a huge help for companies who want to know how they're being perceived by their customers, and who want to find better ways to serve their customers and stay ahead of their competition."

Category Winners:

Fast Food Restaurants
Subway
Quiznos
Sonic

Full-Service Restaurants
Olive Garden
Outback Steakhouse
Texas Roadhouse

Pizza Restaurants
Cici's Pizza
Papa Murphy's Take 'n' Bake Pizza
Papa John's

Convenience Stores
BP
Chevron/Texaco (Tie)
Shell (Tie)
Exxon Mobil

Department Stores
Nordstrom
Saks Fifth Avenue
Bloomingdale's

Shoe Stores
Stride Rite
Payless ShoeSource
Shoe Carnival

Home Improvement Stores
Ace Hardware
True Value
Lowe's

Supermarkets
Publix
Kroger
Safeway

Sporting Goods Stores
Dick's Sporting Goods
Foot Locker
Finish Line

Drug Stores
Walgreens
CVS/pharmacy
Rite Aid

Electronics Stores
RadioShack
Best Buy
Circuit City

Banks
Credit Unions
Washington Mutual
Wachovia

Hotels
Marriott
Hyatt
Hilton

Airlines
Southwest Airlines
JetBlue
American Airlines