NEW YORK, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon's Web site ranks No. 1 among the sites of 10 telecommunications providers by providing customers with a gratifying set of online tools for doing business with the company, according to a recent study conducted by The Customer Respect Group. The study focused on online account management and self-help support.

Terry Golesworth, president of The Customer Respect Group, said, "We conducted an objective evaluation on 10 leading telecommunications Web sites to determine how well customers could self serve and manage their own accounts online. Verizon has built a Web presence that is, without any question, the best available, providing a level of customer service and support that exceeds all other providers."

The Customer Respect Group is an international research and consulting firm that focuses on how corporations treat their online customers. In the organization's most recent study, Verizon's account management and online help portals surfaced as the most user-friendly sites that also give customers the information they need for effective online transactions. The study is the only one to bring an objective and consistent measure to the analysis of corporate performance from the online customers' perspective.

"We're honored to receive the No. 1 rating in such an important study," said Mark Studness, director of e-commerce for Verizon. "The results underscore our commitment to providing the best online experience to our customers."

Verizon customers who prefer to manage their account online sign in to verizon.com/myaccount and are presented with the "My Account" portal, which allows them to click on any of the four service quadrants in the account window and go directly to the relevant service's Web site -- phone, Internet, TV or Verizon Wireless.

Each customer's "My Account" page is personalized with a summary of the customer's current services, or presents Verizon's best offer to add a new service. On average, more than 91,700 customers per day signed in to "My Account" in 2007 to manage their Verizon services.

Verizon's online support tool (help.verizon.com) offers information about all of Verizon's consumer products and services -- including FiOS Internet and FiOS TV, and other services such as the security suite and backup storage products. Customers can also get help with questions about Verizon Wireless or DIRECTV through instant redirects to relevant Web pages.

"On average, more than 56,900 customers per day visit our help center on help.verizon.com to find answers or fast facts," said Studness.

"Our industry-leading Enhanced Customer Support Portal is smarter than ever, allowing customers to find information and answers faster," he said

Created on Nov. 1, 2001, Verizon's Web site has been a boon to customers and the company, opening a channel that more than 5.9 million customers use regularly and more than 518,000 visitors explore daily. In 2007, there were more than 189 million site visits, more than 884 million page views, and more than 1.27 million customers placing orders online. The company last year collected more than $1.68 billion in payments online, up 22 percent over 2006. Verizon offers a broad range of products and services for consumers as well as businesses. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com/.

[See related news release from The Customer Respect Group at the group's Web site at http://www.customerrespect.com]/

Verizon Communications Inc. , headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 63.7 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of nearly 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com/.

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CONTACT: Ellen Yu, +1-908-559-3496, ellen.yu@verizon.com, or Jim Smith,
+1-908-559-3477, james.albert.smith@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/
http://www.customerrespect.com/

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