FedEx ranks highest in air, international and ground delivery categories. UPS placed second in all three categories.
"As carriers create one-stop shopping for delivery services, they need to be certain their performance in key factors that determine overall customer satisfaction is outstanding, and those factors vary in importance among air, ground and international services," said J.D. Power spokesman Curt Carlson. "Failure to do so puts the loyalty of their customers at risk."
The study finds that while pickup and delivery factors are very important for all three types of service, "value for the price paid" is also important for both air and international services.
Additionally, air service business customers look for good driver relationships, while international customers appreciate good account executive performance to help resolve problems, the study said.
The report is based on 922 telephone interviews with shipping managers and other business personnel from a representative sample of U.S. businesses that have at least 10 employees and that spend $10,000 or more annually to ship packages of up to 150 lbs.