Amazon tops customer satisfaction survey for 6th consecutive time

Amazon has retained its place as the top UK organisation for customer satisfaction while Iceland has taken top place among food retailers for the first time, according to a survey.

Amazon topped the customer satisfaction table for the sixth successive time  but frozen food chain Iceland is the biggest riser. Picture: Alex Hewitt

Iceland beat Aldi and Waitrose to be named the highest performing supermarket and is the only food retailer in the top ten, having climbed 26 places in the last six months in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index published by the Institute of Customer Service.

Amazon took top place for the sixth consecutive time in the biannual survey with a score of 86.7 points out of 100, only just ahead of John Lewis on 86.5 and Next and Yorkshire Bank, both on 86.1.

Yorkshire Bank was one of four financial institutions to make the top ten alongside first direct, Nationwide and M&S Bank.

The banking sector overall performed better than ever before, reaching a score of 80.4 and exceeding the overall average score of 77.9. However, the index shows a slight fall in overall customer satisfaction after a peak in 2012-13.

The institute warned that the difficult retail environment meant that survival would be driven by how well customers were served.

The index rates customer satisfaction across 13 sectors based on the views of 10,000 consumers.

More than 30 different customer measures are surveyed, such as staff professionalism, the quality and efficiency of the service, trust and transparency, the actual customer experience and complaint handling.

Jo Causon, chief executive of the Institute for Customer Service, said: “The stagnation in customer service levels should be of concern for the UK economy.

“This comes at a time when, just nine months from Brexit, we need more than ever before to show that Britain is a great place to do business with and in. Alongside tangible financial measures, trust, reputation and recommendation are crucial benefits of a deliberate and consistent focus on achieving high levels of customer satisfaction.

“The UKCSI shows that customers who give the highest ratings for customer satisfaction express strong levels of loyalty, which brands will need in difficult and unpredictable market conditions.”