Delta Air Lines' Reservations Premium Sales and Service teams have been recognized for customer service excellence by the J.D. Power Certified Contact Center Program for the second year in a row.

The certification signifies that Delta's Premium Sales and Service teams, which provide assistance to customers including SkyMiles Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion members, have attained the high benchmark established by J.D. Power for contact center customer service and operational performance.

"I would like to thank our Premium Sales and Service colleagues, along with all of our Reservation Sales and Customer Care employees, for their hard work and commitment to our customers," said Ed Bastian, Delta's President. "Earning this recognition for the second consecutive year is important validation that Delta people continue to deliver exceptional customer experiences."

The certification process conducted by J.D. Power, the global marketing information services company, took months to complete and required Delta to pass an audit of best practices for contact centers. This included comprehensive customer satisfaction surveys randomly conducted by J.D. Power, as well as site visits to Delta's centers in Chisholm, Minn.; Cincinnati; Minneapolis/St. Paul; and Salt Lake City, whose teams assist with Premium Sales and Service calls.

"We are honored to once again achieve this respected distinction from J.D. Power based on the high level of customer service provided by our Premium Sales and Service specialists," said Charisse Evans, Delta's Vice President – Reservation Sales and Customer Care. "I am extremely proud of our dedicated colleagues who, along with the support of nearly 80,000 Delta employees worldwide, continue to raise the bar by exceeding our customers' expectations."

To earn J.D. Power certification, centers must perform within the top 20 percent of customer service scores based on criteria that include a specialist's courtesy, job knowledge and concern for the customer; promptness in answering customer calls; and a timely resolution of the customer's request or problem. J.D. Power also evaluates the customer's ease in navigating a company's interactive voice response system; the clarity of information provided by the system; and the ease of understanding the phone menu instructions.

J.D. Power said its research indicated, "Customers calling the Delta Premium Sales and Service team rated them particularly well on the automated phone system, as well as on their representatives' courtesy, knowledge and concern; timeliness of resolution; and promptness in speaking to the representative."