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STELLAService Launches"STELLA Monthly Benchmarks," First-ever Ranking of Nation's Best Customer Service ProvidersNew York, NY, Nov 21, 2012 (PRWeb.com via COMTEX) -- Aiming to enhance the online shopping experience for consumers and retailers alike as the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, STELLAService today launched STELLA Monthly Benchmarks, the first-ever monthly ranking of the best performing customer service providers in the nation. The new STELLA Monthly Benchmarks, which will be issued on the third Wednesday of every month, was created to provide consumers with a trusted tool for smarter shopping, while offering retailers an independent, reliable benchmark for measuring and enhancing their customer service. The STELLA Monthly Benchmarks will be published each month online at: http://stellaservice.com/benchmarks. STELLA Monthly Benchmarks will shed light on the five best performing companies in their respective retail categories in four critical service areas - phone, email, shipping and returns. It will also reveal how these companies are trending month-over-month, taking into account all four service areas. Based on daily customer service evaluations conducted by STELLAService's nationwide network of full-time analysts and mystery shoppers, STELLA Monthly Benchmarks includes the country's largest 50 retailers, as well as the five largest retailers in 11 categories: Apparel, Automotive Parts, Beauty, Department Stores, Consumer Electronics, Home Improvements, Housewares, Mass Merchant, Office Supplies, Sporting Goods and Sportswear. "While there is limited variance in pricing among most retailers, customer service is still wildly uneven, even though consumers consistently rank it as a key factor influencing where they shop," said STELLAService CEO Jordy Leiser. "STELLA Monthly Benchmarks help highlight top performers in the industry. For the first time, consumers, investors, media, and retailers alike will have an independent benchmark that they can look to for the most current assessment of the most customer-friendly retailers in the nation." Among the findings in the October 2012 STELLA Monthly Benchmarks issued today: Among Apparel/Accessories retailers, Zappos ranked first in two of four service areas (Top Phone Support and Top Returns) Among Mass Merchant retailers, Buy.com ranked first in two of four service areas (Top Email Support and Top Shipping) Among Electronics retailers, Apple ranked first in three of four service areas (Top Phone, Top Shipping and Top Returns) Top Phone Support o Apparel/Accessories - Zappos.com o Electronics - Store.Apple.com o Mass Merchant - Overstock.com Zappos.com was a standout, answering questions completely 100% of the time. Top Email Support o Apparel/Accessories - LLBean.com o Electronics - Shopping.HP.com o Mass Merchant - Buy.com LLBean.com was best in class for response time, replying in 34 minutes. Top Shipping o Apparel/Accessories - Gap.com o Electronics - Store.Apple.com o Mass Merchant - Buy.com Amazon.com, which is often recognized for its fast delivery, was bested in October by Buy.com, which was nearly perfect in interactions with STELLAService. Both Buy.com and Costco.com managed to deliver orders in less than two days. Top Returns o Apparel/Accessories - Zappos.com o Electronics - Store.Apple.com o Mass Merchant - Amazon.com Zappos.com processed refunds in 6 days compared to the category average of 9 days. STELLA Monthly Benchmarks coverage currently includes the following companies: Abercrombie.com, AdvanceAutoParts.com, Amazon.com, Store.Apple.com, AutoAnything.com, AutoPartsWarehouse.com, AutoZone.com, Shop.Avon.com, BassPro.com, BestBuy.com, Bloomingdales.com, Build.com, Buy.com, Cabelas.com, CrateandBarrel.com, Cooking.com, Costco.com, Dell.com, Dermstore.com, DicksSportingGoods.com, EsteeLauder.com, Fanatics.com, FootLocker.com, Fragrancenet.com, Gap.com, Gilt.com, Grainger.com, HSN.com, Home Depot.com, Shopping.HP.com, JCPenney.com, Kohls.com, LLBean.com, Lowes.com, Shop.Lululemon.com, Macys.com, NeimanMarcus.com, Newegg.com, Store.Nike.com, Nordstrom.com, NorthernTool.com, OfficeDepot.com, OfficeMax.com, OneKingsLane.com, OreillyAuto.com, Overstock.com, QVC.com, REI.com, RestorationHardware.com, SaksFifthAvenue.com, Sears.com, Sephora.com, SportsmansGuide.com, Shoplet.com, Store.Sony.com, Staples.com, Target.com, TigerDirect.com, UnderArmour.com, UrbanOutfitters.com, VictoriasSecret.com, Vistaprint.com, Walmart.com, Wayfair.com, Williams-Sonoma.com and Zappos.com. Beginning in January 2013, STELLAService will also publish the first STELLA Index, a quarterly ranking of the top 20 performers among all retailers included in the STELLA Monthly Benchmarks. About STELLAService Dedicated to helping consumers make more informed online shopping decisions, STELLAService is the first and only independent provider of customer service ratings for online retailers. The company leverages a nationwide network of full-time mystery shoppers to evaluate each site undercover, ensuring findings that are unbiased and true to the shopping experience. Based in New York City, the company also publishes reports and other research to help companies worldwide improve their service operations. STELLAService has been profiled in Advertising Age ("STELLAService strives to give e-tailers credibility") and its data has been featured in outlets such as Time, SmartMoney, Consumerist, and CNN. Based in New York City, the company also publishes reports and other research to help companies worldwide improve their service operations. For more information, visit http://www.STELLAService.com. Follow us on Twitter at @STELLAService. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/STELLAService. # # # Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/11/prweb10160366.htm PRWeb.com |