Customer satisfaction in the UK has fallen to its lowest level since January 2010, according to the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI). And one of the primary approaches to addressing the problem is to improve customer experience, according to the Institute of Customer Service, which conducts the survey.
UKCSI is based on a six-monthly online survey of consumers demographically representative of the UK population. The January 2015 UKCSI uses 28 metrics, and includes 39,000 responses from more than 10,000 individual customers, and
“Many organisations are struggling to keep pace with a business environment that has undergone rapid change in recent months,” said Jo Causon, CEO of the Institute of Customer Service. “Some brands are improving customer satisfaction by operating in an agile and innovative way, but overall it is clear that a new approach is required for this new environment. Businesses need to take a look at the experience they are delivering to customers and 
identify how it can be improved.”
Among the survey’s findings:
- The only two metrics that improved since January 2013: “outcome of the complaint” and “on-time delivery”
- Of the 13 sectors of the UK economy segmented, only the utilities and banking sectors improved customer satisfaction during 2014
- Respondents indicated that the “speed and responsiveness”, “complaints handling” and “staff behavior” metrics have deteriorated most in the previous two years