Executive Summary
When visiting a city, travelers typically interact with a wide range of service providers, from hotel personnel to waiters, taxi drivers, store clerks, and ticket agents. These interactions are an important part of the overall travel experience, and help shape the traveler’s opinion of the area and their likelihood to return. Cities that provide consistently friendly and efficient service to travelers can increase their attractiveness as a destination, bringing much-needed revenue to the area. Conversely, poor service experiences, particularly when they result in long waits, added expense or disrupted plans, can harm a city’s reputation and unfavorably influence a visitor’s intention to come back for future visits.
In order to evaluate and compare the service quality among major US cities, three research companies – The Cicerone Group, NetReflector and GMI – conducted a first-time national survey. The survey was fielded between December 16 and December 21, 2009, and included consumers 18 years of age or older who had traveled to one or more of the 30 largest US cities in the past two years.
Importance of Customer Service
Respondents were first asked to rate the importance of receiving good customer service when they travel. Based on a scale of 1 (Not important) to 7 (Very important) , the average rating received was 6.39. Eighty-five percent (85%) of respondents gave a rating of 6 or 7, while only 1% gave a rating of 1 – 3. Ratings averaged somewhat higher among women (6.53 ) than men (6.21 ), and increased with the age of the respondent.
Importance of Customer Service When Traveling
| 7 – Very Important | 60% |
| 6 | 25% |
| 5 | 11% |
| 4 – Neutral | 3% |
| 3 | 1% |
| 2 | 0% |
| 1 – Not Important | 0% |
.
| Gender | Avg Rating |
| Male | 6.21 |
| Female | 6.53 |
.
| Age | Avg Rating |
| 18 – 24 | 6.18 |
| 25 – 34 | 6.25 |
| 35 – 44 | 6.39 |
| 45 – 54 | 6.50 |
| 55 – 64 | 6.53 |
| 65+ | 6.55 |
Industry Comparisons
Respondents were next asked to rate the service they typically receive from different sources when traveling, using a scale of 1 (Terrible) to 7 (Excellent). Highest rated among the choices were hotels and restaurants. Taxis received the lowest service ratings.
Average Rating for OVERALL Customer Service Typically Received by Travelers
| Source | Avg Rating |
| Hotels | 5.70 |
| Restaurants | 5.68 |
| Retail stores | 5.27 |
| Car rental companies | 5.18 |
| Airlines | 5.06 |
| Taxis | 4.69 |
City Rankings
Respondents were presented with a list of the 30 largest US cities and asked to identify the ones they had traveled to in the past two years, not including their city of residence. For each city chosen, the respondents were asked to rate the customer service they typically receive from all sources, using a scale of 1 (Terrible) to 7 (Excellent). In addition, they were asked to rate each city by the friendliness and the knowledge of the service personnel they interacted with.
Highest ranked for overall service quality were three southern cities: Charlotte, Nashville and Austin. Three western cities – Seattle, Portland and Las Vegas – were tied for fourth place. At the bottom of the rankings were Detroit, San Jose and Los Angeles. Only one city from the Midwest (Columbus), and no cities from the Northeast/Atlantic States were ranked in the top 10.
Average Rating for OVERALL Customer Service Typically Received by Travelers (1=Terrible, 7=Excellent)
| City | Avg Rating | Rank |
| Charlotte | 6.08 | 1 |
| Nashville | 6.07 | 2 |
| Austin | 5.94 | 3 |
| Las Vegas | 5.90 | 4 |
| Seattle | 5.90 | 4 |
| Portland (OR) | 5.90 | 4 |
| Louisville | 5.82 | 7 |
| San Antonio | 5.82 | 7 |
| Fort Worth | 5.74 | 9 |
| Columbus | 5.70 | 10 |
| Indianapolis | 5.69 | 11 |
| San Diego | 5.64 | 12 |
| Chicago | 5.61 | 13 |
| Dallas | 5.59 | 14 |
| Denver | 5.58 | 15 |
| San Francisco | 5.54 | 16 |
| Memphis | 5.53 | 17 |
| Washington DC | 5.51 | 18 |
| Milwaukee | 5.50 | 19 |
| Jacksonville | 5.43 | 20 |
| Boston | 5.40 | 21 |
| Houston | 5.38 | 22 |
| Baltimore | 5.37 | 23 |
| Phoenix | 5.36 | 24 |
| New York | 5.29 | 25 |
| Philadelphia | 5.19 | 26 |
| El Paso | 5.06 | 27 |
| Los Angeles | 5.03 | 28 |
| San Jose | 4.90 | 29 |
| Detroit | 4.34 | 30 |
Rankings for the cities with the friendliest service follow a similar pattern, with Southern and Western cities at the top. Boston was included among the five cities with the least friendly service, although it was rated in the middle of the pack for the knowledge of its service workers.
Average Rating for FRIENDLINESS of Customer Service Typically Received by Travelers (1=Terrible, 7=Excellent)
| City | Avg Rating | Rank |
| Charlotte | 6.08 | 1 |
| Portland (OR) | 6.06 | 2 |
| Nashville | 6.05 | 3 |
| Austin | 6.03 | 4 |
| Seattle | 5.87 | 5 |
| Las Vegas | 5.85 | 6 |
| San Antonio | 5.84 | 7 |
| Louisville | 5.83 | 8 |
| San Diego | 5.75 | 9 |
| Fort Worth | 5.73 | 10 |
| Houston | 5.71 | 11 |
| Indianapolis | 5.69 | 12 |
| Memphis | 5.55 | 13 |
| Dallas | 5.54 | 14 |
| Denver | 5.51 | 15 |
| San Francisco | 5.46 | 16 |
| Chicago | 5.46 | 16 |
| Phoenix | 5.45 | 18 |
| Jacksonville | 5.45 | 19 |
| Columbus | 5.44 | 20 |
| Washington DC | 5.35 | 21 |
| Baltimore | 5.35 | 21 |
| El Paso | 5.33 | 23 |
| Milwaukee | 5.31 | 24 |
| San Jose | 5.29 | 25 |
| Boston | 5.28 | 26 |
| Los Angeles | 5.04 | 27 |
| New York | 5.02 | 28 |
| Philadelphia | 4.97 | 29 |
| Detroit | 4.50 | 30 |
While customer service quality is often equated with a friendly and welcoming attitude, the knowledge of service providers is also an important factor, as it contributes to better purchasing decisions, more efficient interactions and a lower incidence of errors. Knowledgeable service is particularly important for travelers, who may not be familiar with the area or the company they are receiving service from, and who may have limited opportunity to rectify problems or return merchandise.
Average Rating for KNOWLEDGE of Customer Service Personnel (1=Terrible, 7=Excellent)
| City | Avg Rating | Rank |
| Seattle | 5.91 | 1 |
| Houston | 5.89 | 2 |
| Charlotte | 5.86 | 3 |
| Las Vegas | 5.85 | 4 |
| San Francisco | 5.82 | 5 |
| Nashville | 5.78 | 6 |
| Portland (OR) | 5.76 | 7 |
| San Antonio | 5.70 | 8 |
| New York | 5.68 | 9 |
| Washington DC | 5.67 | 10 |
| Memphis | 5.63 | 11 |
| Chicago | 5.62 | 12 |
| Austin | 5.56 | 13 |
| Fort Worth | 5.56 | 13 |
| Boston | 5.55 | 15 |
| San Diego | 5.55 | 15 |
| Louisville | 5.55 | 15 |
| Phoenix | 5.49 | 18 |
| Dallas | 5.46 | 19 |
| Jacksonville | 5.45 | 20 |
| Indianapolis | 5.44 | 21 |
| Denver | 5.41 | 22 |
| Columbus | 5.35 | 23 |
| Milwaukee | 5.31 | 24 |
| Baltimore | 5.27 | 25 |
| San Jose | 5.27 | 25 |
| Philadelphia | 5.22 | 27 |
| Los Angeles | 5.12 | 28 |
| El Paso | 5.11 | 29 |
| Detroit | 4.69 | 30 |
By Peter Gurney
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