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Food retailers perform well in customer service study

Figures released by the Institute of Customer Service from its latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index have shown that retail food was the second highest scoring of… View Article

GENERAL MERCHANDISE NEWS

Food retailers perform well in customer service study

Figures released by the Institute of Customer Service from its latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index have shown that retail food was the second highest scoring of the 13 sectors included in the study.

Food retailers scored an average of 80.9 within the UKCSI, maintaining an above average score.

Marks & Spencer achieved the highest rating at 85.6, closely followed by Waitrose with a score of 85. Meanwhile discounter Aldi scored 84.2 – the third highest in retail food and almost eight points above the all-sector average.

Only 6% of organisations in the sector failed to meet customer expectations – the lowest proportion of all 13 sectors surveyed. In fact, 76% met customer expectations, giving food retail the highest across the board success rate of all sectors surveyed.

The data also shows that 58% of customers would not sacrifice quality of customer service in the name of cheaper deals. A further 26% were found to be more focused on customer service and were willing to pay a premium in order to receive it.

Jo Causon, ICS chief executive, said: “Within the retail food sector, customer service clearly has a strong influence on people’s choice of retailer. Organisations in this sector have been quick to realise the importance of maintaining the highest levels of customer service to respond to increased competition in the sector, as well as the ease with which customers can vote with their feet. The sector is well placed to provide examples of best practise to other industries.  

“As a whole the retail food sector is continuing to perform strongly, with many organisations that perform best in UKCSI reaping the benefits through growth in sales and market share. It is clear that the competitive environment we’re seeing in retail food will not be defined by price alone. Instead we expect to see market share captured by the firms that balance cost of goods with quality of service.”

The UKCSI involved more than 12,000 interviews with consumers about their customer experiences. During these interviews customers gave insight into 197 of the UK’s leading brands across 13 different sectors. Of these, retail food ranked in second  place with a drop of just 0.1 points between January and July 2014.

 

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