The top telecommunications companies in Canada rate higher than those in the United States and Britain for online customer service, reported the Consumer Respect Group, an international research and consulting firm that focuses on how corporations treat their online customers. CRG released the findings from its First Quarter 2007 Online Customer Respect Study of the Telecommunications Industry on March 5, revealing that the top five Canadian companies earned an average rating of 6.1, with Virgin Mobile Canada topping the list with a rating of 7.3. "As companies reach across traditional business lines to gain new customers, we see a race to capture customer data to perform new campaigns," said CRG president Terry Golesworthy. "Companies need to make sure they do not cross a line that might damage their overall brand reputations." The study evaluated 54 websites on the basis of criteria like site usability, communication and trust.

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