Customer satisfaction in the non-food retail sector has gone up over the past year, according to the latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index published today.
The latest index indicates an overall customer satisfaction rating of 82.1 out of 100 – 0.5 points higher than its July 2015 score and the highest of any sector surveyed.
The results form part of an ongoing trend in increasing satisfaction since 2011, according to the Institute of Customer Service, the organisation that produces the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI).
The UKCSI is a national measure of customer satisfaction based on 10,000 consumer responses and provides insights into the state and direction of customer satisfaction at a national level across 13 key sectors and for individual organisations.
The data offers important insights into key metrics, including complaints, trust and changing channel use.
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Nine organisations within the sector have improved, while four demonstrated a fall in customer satisfaction. Amazon was the highest scorer in the industry, with Homebase as the most improved.
On average, the UKCSI score was 82.7 for organisations where customers said they had issues resolved immediately, but when this did not happen the score dropped to an average of 59. Meanwhile, customer effort increased by 0.4 points – which suggests customers had to spend more time dealing with organisations than they did a year ago.
However, 24 per cent of people surveyed across all sectors said if they had an issue or complaint, they would not report it, with 51 per cent of them believing speaking up would not make a difference.
“’Getting it right first time‘ has to be a prerequisite for any organisation,” Institute of Customer Service chief executive Jo Causon said.
“Customers expect to be dealt with quickly and competently – as soon as they start to feel let down or ignored, their trust is lost.
“It‘s encouraging to see the non-food retail sector is making progress, but prevention is always better than cure, so the industry should take note of the areas which need to be focused on.
“Efficiency, effectiveness and empathy are key, and organisations should always follow up with customers to ensure that the problem is resolved.”
To view the UKCSI in full, click here
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