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DENVER (AP) -- Qwest Communications International Inc. improved its service score but still ranked below other local phone-service providers in a University of Michigan study.
Based on interviews with customers, Qwest's satisfaction score jumped six points in the past year, from 56 to 62 in the university's annual American Customer Satisfaction Index released Wednesday. The top score is 100.
BellSouth scored 74 and SBC Communications 69.
Qwest's senior vice president of marketing, Mark Pitchford, said the company's internal surveys showed a similar increase in customer satisfaction since Qwest announced a series of customer service initiatives in October.
Pitchford said the company's goal is to rank No. 1, with at least 80 percent of its customers rating it good or excellent in service.
The Michigan study's author, Claes Fornell, said Qwest's score dropped 26 points between 1995 and 2002 amid accounting scandals and customer service problems.
The company's 2003 rating was slightly below 2000's.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
