Despite the demise of many high street stores including Comet, Jessops and HMV, new research has revealed that the retail sector continues to triumph in customer satisfaction ratings.
The latest annual UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) revealed that ASOS topped the chart with a satisfaction score of 92.7 out of 100 – setting a new record for the Index and only just fending off John Lewis with 92.3.
Other retailers to make the top ten included Amazon (89.6), Iceland (87) and Debenhams (86.2), which rounded off the list.
The national measure of customer satisfaction surveyed 26,000 consumer responses across 13 business sectors to gauge the quality of UK customer service through 26,000 consumer responses each year. Consumers are asked to rate organisations on their professionalism, quality & efficiency, ease of doing business, problem-solving, timeliness, and the way complaints are handled by staff.
The research found the best performing sector to be non-food retail, which achieved the greatest increase in customer satisfaction to score 85.2 (out of 100) in the latest Index, stretching its lead over other industries.
Food retail was the second-best performing sector (82.1), with services narrowly behind (82). Automotive (81.3), leisure (80.7) and tourism (80.5) also scored highly, whilst the financial services industries scored 78.8 (insurance) and 78.0 (banks).
According to the ICS, the latest UKCSI results show a strong correlation between customer satisfaction and market share in this highly competitive industry.
Jo Causon, chief executive of the ICS, explained: “The continued improvement in UK customer satisfaction reflects a keen awareness that in a difficult economic climate, service is a key market differentiator.”
Replies (0)
Please login or register to join the discussion.
There are currently no replies, be the first to post a reply.