Britain best for customer service

More than 46 per cent of consumers think Britain is best for customer service, surging ahead of the US on 25.5 per cent, according to new research.

Research by the Institute of Customer Service shows that Germany is a long way behind in third on 7.9 per cent while other major European tourist destinations – France, Spain, Italy and Greece – all scored poorly.
Despite difficult trading conditions, almost 40 organisations or professions achieved a customer satisfaction score of 80 per cent or above - the benchmark for world class customer satisfaction.

The study of 25,000 people revealed John Lewis is the best individual organisation and the first to top 90 per cent in the ratings. Other top performers include the Fire and Ambulance Services, Waitrose, M&S, Mazda and the RAC.
Jo Causon, the Institute’s chief executive, said: “This is an exceptional result for those 37 organisations from a wide variety of sectors, which achieved above 80 per cent - the benchmark for world-class customer satisfaction.”

Overall, the UK achieved an average rating of 74 per cent in the Institute’s UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), up from 72 in the previous study six months ago.

The UKCSI allows consumers to rate service across 13 public, private and third sectors - covering professionalism, quality and efficiency, ease of doing business, problem solving and timeliness.

Top 10 success stories:
•John Lewis (90.9)
•Fire Service (89.8)
•Waitrose (87.1)
•M&S - food (87.0)
•Ambulance Service (86.4)
•Mazda (86.2)
•RAC (86)
•M&S – non-food (84.5)
•P&O Ferries (83.9)
•Center Parcs (83.8)