• by Emily Burg , May 16, 2007

Verizon Wireless has topped the results of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) for the fourth year in a row, besting the industry average and all other measured wireless companies.

The accolades follow Verizon Wireless' announcement that it leads the competition in customer loyalty, based on customer retention and turnover rates. The company posted a record-low 1.1% churn rate in the first quarter, and has reported the lowest churn rate among its competitors for 10 consecutive quarters.

Verizon Wireless has used the customer loyalty statistic in its marketing and PR campaigns, although it has no immediate plans to promote the ACSI results, according to spokesman Tom Pica. "We just found out about it, so we don't know what we're going to do yet," Pica told Marketing Daily, adding in that in the past the company has not incorporated ASCI into its advertising or marketing.

"We lead many third-party surveys, and this confirms our customers' satisfaction with us," Pica said.

The ACSI is produced by the Stephen M. Ross Business School at the University of Michigan, in partnership with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and consulting firm CFI Group.

The cornerstone of Verizon Wireless' marketing campaign is the reliability of its network, on which it often boasts it has spent $37 billion over the past seven years to increase its coverage and capacity. In advance of the start of this year's hurricane season, the company is making an extra effort to remind its customers in the Southeast that it has spent significantly on making sure its network will be strong, no matter what Mother Nature may bring.

"It's part of our DNA to be ready for disasters as well as the needs of the marketplace," Pica said--explaining that in addition to its efforts in hurricane preparedness, for which the company had invested $6 billion in 2006, Verizon Wireless has recently been called upon by emergency officials around the country to help support their efforts in combating wildfires.

"We can enhance our network in remote areas when duty calls. We can provide wireless service where it's needed, whether it's a hurricane or a wildfire," Pica said. "We set up new networks in Georgia, Minnesota and Arizona at the request of firefighter officials," continuing to extend its brand message that "we're reliable and we're there when they need us."