The Customer Service Elite

Rank	Brand	Industry	Process Grade	People Grade	Service Index*	Percentage of Respondents Who Would Definitely Recommend The Brand
1	USAA	Insurance	A+	A+	992.6	79%
USAA keeps its promises, customers say. Ninety-six percent of home and 98 percent of auto policyholders report that USAA meets their commitments to call back regarding claim issues on time.
2	FOUR SEASONS HOTELS AND RESORTS	Hotels	A+	A+	991.3	60%
When a Four Seasons executive says the luxury chain has an "obsession to be perfect," he means it. In 2006, just 2% of guests reported major problems with their hotel stay, halved from 4% in 2005.
3	CADILLAC	Automotive	A+	A+	985.4	51%
Servicing a vehicle at a Cadillac dealer after the warranty expires is a top-notch experience, customers report. The brand scored at least 47 points higher than the industry average on all six related factors.
4	NORDSTROM	Retail	A	A-	947.1	57%
Nordstrom's famed service levels didn't disappoint our respondents. Customers ranked the courtesy of the Seattle-based department store chain's people tops among all retailers.
5	WEGMANS FOOD MARKETS	Supermarkets	A-	A	938.9	60%
You know they're good if customers rank the ease of returning things higher than Nordstrom. Wegmans received the best scores of any retailer for the ease of returning items to the store.
6	EDWARD JONES	Broker	A-	A	938.2	58%
Edward Jones ranked 50 points higher than average full-service brokers overall. Their financial advisors, which received high marks for knowledge levels, scored 11.9 points higher than the industry average.
7	LEXUS	Automotive	A+	A+	932.5	55%
At Lexus, there's no quesiton good service builds loyalty: More than 91% of customers said they would "probably" or "definitely" return to the dealer for customer-paid maintenance services.
8	UPS	Shipping	A	B+	931.5	40%
This global shipping giant ranked high on delivery timeliness and drivers' knowledge and flexibility. Only 1% of UPS customers reported problems with the service they received.
9	ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR	Rental Car	A-	A-	926.8	44%
When it comes to rental cars, price drives satisfaction more than anything else. Enterprise earned the top score on all three price factors, from the cost of additional coverages to that dreaded fuel surcharge.
10	STARBUCKS	Restaurant	B+	B+	920.3	45%
Starbucks baristas, no surprise, ranked high on their levels of friendliness, knowledge and availability. With almost 9,000 locations in the U.S., it's no wonder they also did well on convenience of locations.
11	THE RITZ-CARLTON	Hotels	A+	A+	911.4	56%
Sure, it's what you'd expect from a luxury hotel, but the Ritz gets it right, guests say. Ninety-seven percent of customers report that their reservations were accurate, and just 4% reported a billing error.
12	AMICA INSURANCE	Insurance	A+	A+	909.3	66%
When it comes to resolving auto claims--a headache for anyone who's had an accident--Amica's scores are second only to industry leader USAA, besting the insurance average by almost 90 points.
13	SOUTHWEST AIRLINES	Airlines	B	B	901.1	50%
It's not just the low fares that customers "LUV" at Southwest. The airline's check-in process, and particularly its kiosks, won significantly higher than average scores from customers.
14	WASHINGTON MUTUAL	Banking	B	B-	895.3	34%
Washington Mutual may be most known as a pioneer of free checking, but it's also notable for speedy service, customers say: 62% of respondents reported that problems were solved in one day or less.
15	CABELA'S	Retail	A-	A-	888.4	66%
The outdoor retailer's loaner program, which allows employees to borrow, test out, and review its products for free, pays off. Cabela's ranks top among all retailers when it comes to product knowledge.
16	RAYMOND JAMES FINANCIAL	Broker	B+	A	887.4	48%
At this full-service brokerage firm, which includes 4,600 advisors in 2,200 locations, people are tops.
17	PORSCHE	Automotive	A+	A+	880.2	55%
Porsche enthusiasts love to tell their friends how much they love their cars: Fifty-five percent say they would definitely recommend a Porsche, the second-highest ratio of any of the auto makers. (Lexus is No. 1.)
18	APPLE	Electronics	C-	B+	875.4	58%
Despite frustration about iPod battery replacements, Apple's customer service phone support ranks tops among electronics providers. In particular, customers rate its automated phone system as easy to navigate and good at resolving questions.
19	PUBLIX SUPER MARKETS	Supermarkets	A-	B+	872.1	60%
Customers gave this grocery chain, which is based in the Southeast, the highest marks among super markets when it comes to convenience of locations and speed of checkout.
20	HERTZ	Rental Car	B+	B	864.8	40%
Hertz's "#1 Club Gold" program, which lets frequent customers skip the rental counter, is gold indeed: Customers rated all five aspects of the car pick-up process significantly higher than the industry average.
21	FEDEX	Shipping	B+	B	857.5	43%
Customers say they recommend FedEx to their friends, family or colleagues slightly more often than they do UPS. They also give it top marks when it comes to dependability.
22	JW MARRIOTT HOTELS & RESORTS	Hotel	A+	A	854.0	51%
JW Marriott customers hail the brand's web site reservations, including the ease of booking online and quality of information on the site, with ratings above the luxury hotel category average.
23	T-MOBILE	Wireless	C	C	850.7	36%
T-Mobile has the best billing process in the industry. Customers rank T-Mobile highest on four of the five "billing" attributes, including accuracy, ease of understanding bills, and timely problem resolution.
24	BUICK	Automotive	A+	A+	827.8	46%
Buick ranks highest among non-premium auto brands in J.D. Power's customer satisfaction index study, receiving the highest scores for service advisor ratings, service quality, and dealership friendliness.
25	LINCOLN	Automotive	A+	A+	827.3	47%
Few things can irritate customers more than a pushy car dealer. Lincoln's customers give the auto brand high marks for low pressure to buy accessories they don’t want.

* The Service Index is composed of a weighting of J.D. Power's scores for "people" and "process," plus a bonus score for industry leaders. Thus, some companies with middling grades may have high service index scores because they rank first in their industries. For a full explanation of our methodology