>
First Direct and John Lewis Lead UK Quality Customer Service Company: How’s Your Favorite Brand Doing?
- The UKCSI has published its latest customer service rankings in the UK
- Retailer Next clawed its way from 63rd place to the top ten this year
First Direct has been crowned the best customer service company in the UK, according to newly published rankings.
The latest figures from the UK Customer Service Institute show that the stalwart John Lewis finished second, having moved up from seventh last year.
UK Power Networks, Tesco Mobile and Marks & Spencer Food also made the top five, while recent UK strike patient Amazon made it to 10th.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE TOP 10 BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE COMPANIES
Rankings: John Lewis was named to the Best Customer Service Providers list by First Direct
The vote of confidence for the tech giant comes despite the cost of a subscription to Amazon Prime rising from £79 to £95 in recent months.
Starling Bank, Next, Suzuki and M&S also appear in the top 10, while Next worked its way up from 63rd a year ago.
Car group Suzuki was joint eighth with Marks & Spencer in all 13 sectors measured from 281 organizations, rising from 17th last year.
Despite the cost-of-living crisis, almost three times as many customers as a year ago said they were willing to pay more for excellent service rather than being saddled with poor, but cheap, no-frills service.
While the latest UKCSI findings, which are based on the opinion of 10,000 consumers, highlight companies with strong customer service, many consumers have experienced delivery delays, long waiting times and downright poor service in recent years.
Tellingly, the UKCSI said: ‘More organizations have seen a decline in customer satisfaction than an improvement as the gap between the best and worst performers widens.’
Failing to get things right the first time and solve customers’ problems effectively will cost UK businesses an estimated £11.4bn a month in staff hours, with employees working an average of 4.8 days a month. spend on handling customer issues, according to UKCSI.
It added, “The number of organizations whose customer satisfaction has dropped by at least two points is nearly double the number that have improved by the same amount.”
Jo Causon, chief executive of The Institute of Customer Service, said: ‘It’s been a tough few years for UK businesses, but today’s results are a timely reminder that we can’t stick to a short-term firefighting approach.
“The productivity decline of staff who spend almost one day a week solving problems cannot be overemphasized.
“As consumer finances continue to tighten, it is essential to take the time to lay the foundations for an effective, long-lasting service experience to pull the country out of recession.”
Separate findings published today by regulator Ofgem have exposed the most complained providers for broadband, TV and telephone services.
The regulator found that between July and September 2022, Shell Energy registered the most complaints for both broadband and fixed telephony.