Latest news with #UKCSI
Scottish Sun
09-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Best and worst UK retailers revealed as popular chain makes surprise drop – check where your favourite ranked
We've also listed the top-performing companies across other industries, including banking, hospitality, and insurance SHOP TO IT Best and worst UK retailers revealed as popular chain makes surprise drop – check where your favourite ranked THE Institute for Customer Service has revealed the UK's top-rated retailers for customer satisfaction in 2025. John Lewis has reclaimed its position as the UK's top-rated retailer for customer satisfaction, scoring 86.7 in the latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI). Advertisement The result places it ahead of rival Marks & Spencer, which scored 85.6 for its food division and 85.4 for non-food, after overtaking John Lewis in January. Other top performers include Holland & Barrett (85.4), Ocado (83.5), and Amazon (83.4). Each year, The Institute of Customer Service names the top 50 organisations across industries such as retail, banking, leisure, hospitality, telecommunications, and automotive. This year's UKCSI revealed that customer satisfaction in retail is improving, with 17 retailers making the top 50 list. Advertisement Non-food retailers led the way with an impressive average score of 81.5. However, the news wasn't as bright for Waitrose, John Lewis Partnership's food chain. It fell to 26th place with a score of 82.4, down from fourth last year, as it faces challenges like increased competition from discount grocers and declining consumer confidence. John Lewis' success comes after a strategic turnaround led by chairman Jason Tarry and MD Peter Ruis, focusing on better customer experience, revamped stores, improved online services, and a return to its price-match promise. Advertisement This has driven higher satisfaction and a 73% rise in profits, though its sales still lag behind M&S. Popular retailer to RETURN 13 years after collapsing into administration and shutting 236 stores Jo Causon, chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service, said: "Retail is a competitive space which consistently ranks among the top sectors for customer satisfaction. "The John Lewis turnaround is noteworthy, as an increase in customer satisfaction has coincided with a rise in profits, something we also saw with M&S. "Successful retailers understand it pays to consistently focus on the customer to drives brand loyalty, trust, and sustainable growth – and as our research shows, enables organisations to weather difficult events, such as cyberattacks." Advertisement How did each sector perform in customer satisfaction? THE latest UKCSI data shows improved customer satisfaction across most sectors over the past year and six months. Automotive : Satisfaction rose by 1.0 points since July 2024, reaching 79.5, with a smaller 0.9-point increase since January 2025. : Satisfaction rose by 1.0 points since July 2024, reaching 79.5, with a smaller 0.9-point increase since January 2025. Banks & Building Societies : Scored 81.1 in July 2025, up 1.8 points over the year and 1.1 points since January. : Scored 81.1 in July 2025, up 1.8 points over the year and 1.1 points since January. Insurance : Improved by 1.3 points year-on-year and since January, reaching 78.8. : Improved by 1.3 points year-on-year and since January, reaching 78.8. Leisure & Hospitality : Scored 80.0, up 1.0 points over the year and 0.7 points since January. : Scored 80.0, up 1.0 points over the year and 0.7 points since January. Public Services (Local) : Saw the biggest year-on-year rise in satisfaction, up 2.4 points to 72.7, and a 1.7-point increase since January. : Saw the biggest year-on-year rise in satisfaction, up 2.4 points to 72.7, and a 1.7-point increase since January. Public Services (National) : Scored 74.0, up 0.7 points year-on-year and 0.3 points since January. : Scored 74.0, up 0.7 points year-on-year and 0.3 points since January. Retail (Food) : Satisfaction climbed by 1.2 points over the year and 0.7 points since January, reaching 80.6. : Satisfaction climbed by 1.2 points over the year and 0.7 points since January, reaching 80.6. Retail (Non-food) : Scored 81.5, up 1.1 points year-on-year and 0.9 points since January. : Scored 81.5, up 1.1 points year-on-year and 0.9 points since January. Services : Saw the largest improvement overall, rising by 3.1 points to 76.6 over the year and 2.5 points since January. : Saw the largest improvement overall, rising by 3.1 points to 76.6 over the year and 2.5 points since January. Telecommunications & Media : Scored 74.4, with a 1.1-point increase year-on-year and since January. : Scored 74.4, with a 1.1-point increase year-on-year and since January. Tourism : Satisfaction rose by 1.2 points over the year and 0.9 points since January, reaching 80.5. : Satisfaction rose by 1.2 points over the year and 0.9 points since January, reaching 80.5. Transport : Improved by 2.4 points year-on-year and 1.7 points since January, scoring 73.9. : Improved by 2.4 points year-on-year and 1.7 points since January, scoring 73.9. Utilities: Rose 1.9 points over the year and 1.7 points since January, reaching 71.7. Which other companies are included in the top 50? First Direct, Starling Bank, John Lewis, and Nationwide are the top-rated organisations for customer satisfaction, with scores of 87.7, 87.0, 86.7, and 86.3 respectively. Banks and building societies are strong contenders, with seven organisations in the top 50, including three of the top five. PayPal and Klarna made their debut in the UKCSI, ranking among the 10 highest-rated organisations. Seven automotive companies and six tourism firms also feature in the top 50, while just two insurance providers, SAGA and Aviva, made the list. Advertisement Jet2 is the only transport company included, and HM Passport Office is the highest-rated organisation in the public services (national) sector. Of the top 50 organisations, 34 improved their scores by at least one point compared to July 2024, with eight achieving an increase of four points or more.
Forbes
03-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Can AI With A Human Touch Help Restore Confidence In Customer Service?
A simple question, but one for the ages: What makes great customer service? From my experience – and borne out by our research over a number of years - customers value empathy, reassurance that their needs are understood, and confidence that appropriate action is being taken. Quite simply, they want a personal response and genuine care. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) should, in theory, help businesses provide more efficient service, supporting and freeing up employees to create better and more personal interactions. AI offers new capabilities to respond faster, personalize communication, understand connections, and spot systemic issues earlier. Yet, despite these possibilities, customer satisfaction remains stubbornly low. According to the latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), a twice-yearly study of nearly 60,000 customers, satisfaction is at its lowest point in a decade, costing businesses billions every month in lost productivity and damaged customer loyalty. AI of course has huge potential to improve things. However, to fully harness its potential, we need to first understand why customer satisfaction has fallen and what the real concerns of customers are. We know that trust is becoming increasingly critical for consumers, and that there is a strong correlation between trust and customer service – our research shows that higher levels of service drive higher levels of trust. Despite growing adoption, I'm often asked: do customers really trust AI? There are many factors keeping consumers skeptical about AI in customer service, and perhaps more so about the organisations deploying it. Some examples here are frustrating chatbot experiences, a loss of control over interactions, question marks around how data and information is being used by organisations – or indeed just a genuine preference for human reassurance around complex queries and difficult situations. However, there are reasons to be enthusiastic about AI, if it's implemented correctly. Alongside improving customer interactions when implemented well, much of AI's impact comes from enhancing the customer service journey from behind the scenes. Use cases include analyzing large data sets to predict issues, providing real-time prompts to agents handling complex cases, and helping plan and allocate resources more effectively during peak times. Customer-facing AI adoption may continue to face some resistance, but its potential to improve service design and delivery – particularly for commonplace transactional interactions – offers hope for improving customer satisfaction in the future. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images AI tools used in customer-facing roles can process vast amounts of information much faster than a person. For example, IBM reports that chatbots can answer nearly four-fifths of routine questions, providing quicker and more detailed responses than a human could. Air India is one example demonstrating AI's effectiveness, with nearly 97% of inbound customer queries now handled by AI, saving time and millions of dollars. AI also helps monitor interactions, analyze persistent problems, and offer real-time insights that can improve both short-term staff deployment and long-term company strategies. On top of this, it is enabling personalized customer experiences, such as faster check-ins or tailored onboarding programs. These are all great examples of how a strategic investment in AI can complement existing service strategies to the benefit of both customers and the organisation's bottom line. When you consider that the UKCSI shows that service failures continue to cost UK businesses £7.3bn per month, there is a lot to be learned from successful process improvements – however they are achieved. Recent research by a team from Harvard and The Hebrew University found that up to 50% of participants would wait for extended periods for a human response over an AI response. Furthermore, when participants believed they were interacting with a human, they read the answers as more empathetic, even when they were actually generated by AI. So, there is something in the fact that we do as human beings trust a human response more than an automated one. As our human response to these AI generated messages demonstrates, AI service tools have evolved beyond limited and robotic messages. AI can detect emotions, pick up on social cues, and respond with the appropriate tone. It can also deliver fluent responses in multiple languages - vital for industries like travel and hospitality. Ultimately however, AI becoming more human raises ethical questions that business leaders need to answer. Uncertainty around the future implications of AI is forcing leaders need to make difficult decisions that may test their moral judgement. The right choices will protect their companies' long-term reputation with customers and employees and ensure sustainable future growth. Technology is changing by the moment and offers immense potential in unlocking knowledge and data but can be cripplingly expensive when firms don't get it right – in fact, just recently we saw UK retailer Marks & Spencer face a £300m loss because due to a large-scale cyber-attack. And indeed, when we look at the £7bn a month estimated cost of service failings I mentioned above, some of this is undoubtedly caused by an over-reliance on AI-powered solutions. Technology is not a panacea. The key to serving customers well – and ensuring they stay loyal, spend more, and recommend you to others – lies in understanding their journeys and touch points. It's not a question of either/or when it comes to technology and the human interface, what matters is the context and intent behind each customer interaction. How you make your customers feel, and whether you build or erode trust in your brand though your interactions, is what counts. As customers we are seeking reassurance that the basics will be right. We are also looking for those magic moments that spark genuine delight and get us recounting our experience to others – which in turn builds up the crucial brand affinity, trust, and reputation that truly differentiates your organisation.
