John Lewis loses top slot in customer service poll

John Lewis has been abruptly toppled from its position as the king of customer service in the UK, with Amazon taking the crown.

In this year's Institute of Customer Service Customer Satisfaction Index, it's only in sixth place - the first time it has dropped out of the top three in the last seven years.

But, says the ICS, "It is one of the organisations that has consistently delivered excellent levels of customer service and, alongside organisations like Waitrose, Nationwide and M&S Food, has scored higher than 80 in every UKCSI since 2013."

Amazon, which was rated second in the last survey, now takes top spot. It doesn't always get things right - we recently reported on the customer who found a sex toy in his shopping cart after giving the firm a poor review - but it has come a long way.

Over the last year, it has improved its delivery services with the launch of Amazon Prime Now in London, Birmingham and Newcastle, as well as grocery delivery service Amazon Pantry.

"Challenger brands, often unencumbered by legacy systems and processes are gaining on their larger competitors by offering straightforward, personal, seamless and quick service experience," says Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service.

Second and third are energy provider Utility Warehouse, new to the top ten, and HSBC-owned online bank First Direct.

One piece of good news is that utility companies finally seem to be cleaning up their act, putting on 1.9 points over the last year. Last January, Which? found suppliers were still failing on the basics of customer service such as dealing with complaints or ensuring bills were accurate and clear.
%VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-shopping%
Interestingly, it seems that our definition of good customer service is changing. Competence of staff is now customers' biggest priority, with the condition of delivered goods and speed of response in writing mattering less.

"Core ingredients of excellent customer service - employee competence, attitudes and behaviour - have become even more significant differentiators," says Causon.

"Mass marketing or a 'one size fits all' customer experience is delivering diminishing returns and diluting valuable customer relationships."

The top 10 companies for customer service
1 Amazon.co.uk – 86.6
2 Utility Warehouse – 86.4
3 First Direct – 85.7
4 Specsavers – 85.4
5 Waitrose – 85.0
6 John Lewis – 84.9
7 New Look – 84.3
8 SAGA Insurance – 84.1
9 Nationwide – 83.7
10 M&S Food – 83.5