05/24/06 BASKING RIDGE, NJ ? Verizon Wireless, the wireless industry leader in customer loyalty, announced today that the company has once again been recognized for its dedication to customer satisfaction, ranking in the top spot in the wireless phone service category in Brandweek magazine's 2006 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Index®.
Brand Keys, the New York-based brand and customer loyalty research consultancy, interviewed more than 20,000 consumers to discover which of 230 brands in 35 categories command the highest measure of customer loyalty. Of the brands measured in the wireless phone service category, Verizon Wireless best met or exceeded customer expectations of the "ideal" brand, the one whose customers will demonstrate the highest levels of loyalty and profitability over the coming months, according to the Brand Keys survey.
In Q1 2006, Verizon Wireless added more retail customers than any other wireless brand during the first quarter with retail net additions accounting for 1.6 million of the company's 1.7 million total net additions. Verizon Wireless also posted a record-low 1.18% churn rate in Q1 ? the percentage of customers who disconnect their service in a given period of time ? well below the industry average. The company has posted the lowest churn rate among the largest national wireless carriers for the past six quarters.