What Are The Best And Worst Companies For Customer Service?
Customer service can really affect your opinion of a brand. You might be saving buckets on your flight ticket, energy bills or mobile contract, but if you can’t get through to someone helpful on the line, they will soon go down in your estimations. There’s no fixed recipe for making a customer happy, but it’s easy to distinguish poor customer service experiences from good ones. However last month, Which? released this year’s low down on the best and worst companies for customer service in the UK. So let’s take a look at the results.
The Best and Worst Customer Service
Although Ryanair managed to avoid coming last for a second year in the listing of 100 companies, it came a close third and was only rescued by the shocking customer service of Npower. With stores and supermarkets such as Lush, Lakeland, Waitrose and John Lewis ranking amongst the best customer service providers, one could argue that brands with a more public presence on the high street fared better. However the fact that the winner of this year’s best customer service was telephone and internet-based bank First Direct, it seems that Npower doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
The Which? 100 listing shows that overall the energy giants performed very poorly, whilst banks, building societies and supermarkets generally had much more positive feedback in the polls. But why exactly is this?
How Did They Decide?
There are many elements of customer service, from the experience you get in the shop to the support you receive on the phone. It can be hard to define moments that make you angry or happy when dealing with a company, but to make it easier Which? created five categories. ‘Each brand was rated on making its customers feel valued, knowledge of products and services, helpfulness of staff, resolving complaints or problems, and access to customer support.’ So from those frustrating automated calls to staff going above and beyond the call of duty, they were able to sort the best from the rest.
Which? then asked thousands of members of the public to give their opinion on the biggest brands throughout the UK, from supermarkets and high street retailers, to energy companies and banks. The results showed that the most annoying aspects of customer service include rude staff, repetitive hold music, being transferred and automated telephone systems. It seems that people have no time for these approaches to dealing with ‘valued customers’, and the worse offenders can’t hide from the results of this survey.
Studies such as these are powerful tools to fight bad customer service in the UK. When you need to talk to customer support or even when you purchase something in store, you want the experience to be easy, stress-free and pleasant. By making your voice heard as a consumer, you can help to combat negligent brands and support those companies who treat their customers with the respect they deserve! So if you’ve had a bad experience with a brand recently, or a surprisingly good one, let the world know!
Article written by Kelly Gilmour-Grassam a freelance copywriter from Yorkshire. She loves the great outdoors and trying new and interesting cuisine. Follow her at @KellyGGrassam. This article was written with helpful information from Every Contact number.
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