AT&T at the bottom of another Consumer Reports survey

AT&T came out at the bottom of the latest Consumer Reports customer satisfaction survey, headed for the ratings pub's January 2012 issue.

Verizon, as it did last year, came out on top — which in particular received props for its texting and data service satisfaction — followed closely by Sprint and farther along by T-Mobile.

Though regional and prepaid carriers — while not a fit for everyone — received the best scores of all.

"Our survey indicates that subscribers to prepaid and smaller standard-service providers are happiest overall with their cell-phone service," Consumer Reports' Paul Reynolds said in a blog post. The major carriers are still the leading options for consumers, he added, though how well they satisfied their customers "ranged widely."

Despite its customers being the least satisfied, AT&T is having a banner quarter. Led by the iPhone 4S, AT&T's smartphone sales are expected to beat its previous quarterly record of 6.1 million devices.

Still, customer service expert Laurie Brown, in her own press statement, said AT&T needs to turn things around. "Customers have the power – now more than ever. They have a voice. They have other providers to choose from, when they once didn’t. It’s not ok to be fourth place anymore, you have to give the best service or you are going to lose customers," she said.

More specifically, she offered actionable steps AT&T can take to make sure CR's 2012 report isn't more of the same news. First, she said, they can change their policies, so that customer service reps aren't forced to upsell new services to customers calling with problems. Second, they should train employees better, so there's less reliance on managers. Third, they can "reward creative solutions to problems," and finally, the can set realistic goals to turn their numbers around.

Sprint — making a grab for Verizon's spot — has certainly shown that the latter is possible.

The service report also found subscribers to fall into general categories — and recommends carriers for each group.

Among survey respondents, 34% said they never or rarely access the Web or emails from their phones, making them candidates for "the basics." Another group — 18% of who don't yet have a smartphone — want to "smarten up" with new features but aren't willing to exceed $80 a month. Finally, there are those who "want it all" and are willing to spend $100 or more a month to get it; 41% of those surveyed, falling in this category, said they access the Web or email a minimum of five times a day, and are willing to spend $100 or more a month for fast, widespread coverage.