Consumer satisfaction scores dipped in 2022

UK customer satisfaction levels have declined marginally over the past year, according to the latest data from the Institute of Customer Service – down 0.7 points to 77.7. 

By the numbers

• The January 2023 UK Customer Satisfaction Index* (UKCSI) shows declines across the five categories that make up the index: Experience: 78.7 (down from 79.3 a year ago); Complaint handling: 63.3 (down from 65.8); Customer ethos: 77.0 (down from 77.8); Emotional connection: 76.8 (down from 77.8); Ethics 75.8 (down from 76.8).

• More organisations have declined (63) than improved (37) by at least two points compared to January 2022 – and half of them are in the transport and utilities sectors.
• The leading causes of problems experienced by customers are quality or reliability (41.7%), suitability (24.1%) and availability (22.2%) of goods and services, followed by late delivery (20.9%), staff competence (20.0%) staff attitude (16.4%), and cost (10.8%). 
• 16.5% of customers experienced a problem with an organisation, around the same level as in January 2021, but 2.9 percentage points more than in January 2020.
• 80% of customers who asked a company for help to manage the cost of living said that their trust in that company had increased as a result of their contact.

Why it matters

The Institute’s chief executive expressed concern that the overall average score could mask deeper issues with the potential to threaten organisations’ performance, long-term profitability and the quality of customer experience, in 2023 and beyond.

For businesses, it’s worth noting that the key differences between the top 50 organisations and the rest include satisfaction with complaint handling, pricing, and measures of emotional connection and customer ethos.

Key quote

“Despite a widespread priority to economise on spending, more than a third of customers would be willing to pay more to guarantee excellent service and this continues to rise” – Joanna Causon, Chief Executive, Institute for Customer Service. 

*The UKCSI is a national benchmark of customer satisfaction covering 281 organisations or organisation types across 13 sectors. The UKCSI score is based on how customers rate organisations across 26 measures covering satisfaction with transactional experiences as well as broader relationship needs. 

Sourced from Institute of Customer Service