02 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
We are seeing deep-seated problems of financial,
mental or physical well-being affecting significant
numbers of customers. These issues are likely to
be further exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.
Organisations have a vital role in helping customers
deal with the impact of rising prices though
transparency about the best offers, practical advice
about budgeting and household management,
flexibility over payment options where it is
appropriate and finding innovative ways of reducing
costs. Individual organisations cannot remove the
cost of living crisis or the causes of vulnerability
or social exclusion. But the combined actions of
organisations can make a significant positive impact
on the lives of millions of customers. I also believe
it’s critical that organisations engage in and influence
public policy to find the the most effective ways for
government, organisations and other stakeholders to
help customers manage the impact of rising costs.
Maintaining a personal connection with customers
will be central to customer satisfaction and well-being
in the next year. This means being available to speak
to customers, especially for complex or personally
sensitive issues. It will require empathy, emotional
intelligence and the ability to respond to a customer’s
unique situation and needs. A stark finding in this
UKCSI is evidence of the damaging impact caused
by organisations failing to respond to the personal
situation of customers who are experiencing low
levels of financial, mental or physical well-being.
Overall customer satisfaction in the UK is flat: any
improvement we saw in the latter part of 2021 has
stalled since January 2022 and there are early signs
that satisfaction is declining in some sectors. In the
next 6 months, the environment will get even tougher
through a combination of rising inflation, geopolitical
upheaval, supply chain blockages, recruitment
challenges, the escalating cost of living and potential
future COVID-19 risks. Organisations cannot avoid
these issues: they will need to develop service strategies
that are responsive to evolving customer needs but also
protect short and long-term business performance.
For me it's clear that a carefully calibrated focus on
service is crucial to addressing economic performance
and productivity and broader challenges of societal
polarisation, inclusivity and well-being.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the number of problems and
complaints continues to increase. This UKCSI shows
that 17.3% of customers experienced a problem
with an organisation, the highest level ever recorded
in the UKCSI. Fortunately, customer satisfaction
with complaint handling has improved over the last
2 years; organisations in general have got better
at service recovery, proactive communication and
managing problems. But the scale of problems and
complaints is hugely damaging to productivity,
costing organisations billions of pounds in time,
resources and lost opportunities. Some of the
growth in problems has been caused by macro and
global issues that can’t easily be solved by individual
organisations. However, there is likely to be a
growing expectation from customers, government,
regulators and other stakeholders that organisations
act with greater agility and innovation to prevent
problems and improve productivity, communication
with customers and service performance.
Foreword
Joanna Causon Chief Executive
03UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
I hope that the UKCSI and indeed the range of
research, products and services The Institute provides
will help you evolve your service strategy, maintaining
a focus on what is important but responding with
agility to the changing environment and customer
needs. Now, more than ever, I welcome your feedback
and engagement and look forward to supporting your
service strategy in the challenging months ahead with
practical tools, knowledge and advice.
In responding to the cost of living crisis, organisations
need to recognise that, for most customers, quality
remains a leading consideration in choosing an
organisation, product or service. Over a third of
customers continue to say they would be willing to pay
more to guarantee excellent service. Even customers
who are most severely affected by rising prices want
the best product or service they can afford from an
organisation they trust. There is an increased need
to understand the trade-offs different customers are
willing to consider in terms of price, quality, availability,
environmental sustainability and access to service
and support. Organisations will need to ensure they
maintain essential services and are transparent about
the level of service they provide depending on the
product, services and price points customers choose.
In tough economic times, it’s tempting to focus solely
on short-term sales and what is perceived to be cost
reduction; the link between high levels of customer
satisfaction and business performance can sometimes
be obscured by current challenges. But evidence from
the UKCSI and the breadth of our research suggests
that focusing on customer service can help protect
sales and market share, improve resilience to supply
chain problems, retain key employees and build the
capabilities required for future growth.
04 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
JULY 2022
UK Customer
Satisfaction Index
The state of customer satisfaction in the UK
05UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Executive summary
Part 1 The state of customer satisfaction in the UK
Part 2 Customer satisfaction and business performance
Part 3 Evolving customer expectations, behaviours and attitudes
Part 4 Recommendations for organisations
UKCSI Key facts
Organisations in the UKCSI
About the UKCSI
UKCSI sector reports
Breakthrough research from The Institute
About The Institute
Contents
6
16
38
46
60
68
69
70
71
72
74
JULY 2022
UK Customer
Satisfaction Index
The state of customer satisfaction in the UK
Executive
Summary
The UK Customer Satisfaction is a national benchmark of customer satisfaction based on 45,000
customer responses. The July 2022 UKCSI is based two sets of data, collected between 13 September
and 8 October 2021 (after the relaxation of most Covid-19 restrictions in England but before the
emergence of the Omicron variant) and between 21 March and 14 April 2022 (after the removal, from
24 February, of the legal requirement in England to self-isolate following a positive Covid-19 test).
07UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
The July 2022 UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) is
78.4 (out of 100), up 1 point compared to a year ago but
the same level as in January 2022
Jul-21 Jan-22 Jul-22Jan-21Jul-20Jan-20Jul-19Jan-19Jul-18Jan-18Jul-17Jan-17Jul-16Jan-16Jul-15Jan-15Jul-14Jan-14Jul-13Jan-13Jul-12Jan-12Jul-11Jan-11Jul-10Jan-10Jul-09Jan-09
78.4
77.4
78.4
76.9
77.0
76.8
77.1
77.7
77.9
78.1
78.2
77.8
77.4
77.0
76.2
76.0
76.3
77.1
77.9
78.2
78.0
77.4
77.3
76.7
75.6
75.2
74.1
72.0
08 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
The trend for improved complaint handling, alongside
more customers experiencing a problem with an
organisation, has continued
Despite the improvement in complaint handling
the number of customers experiencing a problem
rose to 17.3%, higher than both July 2021
(14.9%) and January 2022 (16.4%). There has
been an increase in the number of problems
relating to the quality / reliability of goods and
services and suitability of goods / services.
Measure July-22 July-21 Year-on-year
change
The handling of the complaint 6.6 6.0 0.6
Speed of resolving your complaint 6.6 5.9 0.7
09UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Sector Jul-21 Jan-22 Jul-22 Change
from
Jul-21 to
Jul-22
Change
from
Jan-22 to
Jul-22
Highest scoring organisation
in the sector
Highest
organisation's
score
Automotive 79.1 80.7 81.0 1.9 0.3
Suzuki
85.9
Banks &
Building Societies
78.8 80.2 80.3 1.5 0.1
rst direct
85.3
Insurance 79.0 80.5 80.8 1.8 0.3
SAGA Insurance
84.6
Leisure 80.7 81.7 81.8 1.1 0.1
Netix
84.3
Public Services
(Local)
73.7 73.4 72.3 -1.4 -1.1
your local Fire Service
83.5
Public Services
(National)
77.3 76.9 75.3 -2.0 -1.6
Disclosure
and Barring Service
81.6
Retail (Food) 80.4 81.0 81.7 1.3 0.7
Ocado
85.8
Retail (Non-food) 81.2 81.5 81.9 0.7 0.4
John Lewis
86.3
Services 76.6 77.4 76.7 0.1 -0.7
Timpson
86.4
Telecommunications
& Media
75.2 76.3 76.6 1.4 0.3
Tesco Mobile
86.1
Tourism 78.8 80.4 80.7 1.9 0.3
Marriott
84.8
Transport 71.5 75.1 75.8 4.3 0.7
Merseyrail
83.6
Utilities 73.5 74.5 74.1 0.6 -0.4
UK Power Networks
86.5
p Increase in UKCSI score of less than one point q Fall in UKCSI score p Increase in UKCSI score of one point or more
8 sectors have an average level of customer satisfaction
that is at least 1 point higher than in July 2021 but the
rate of improvement has slowed since January 2022
10 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Average customer satisfaction in the Transport
sector improved throughout 2021 and is 4.3
points higher than in July 2021 but just 0.7
points more than in January 2022.
In Tourism, 6 of the 23 organisations listed in
the UKCSI have an average level of satisfaction
at least 4 points higher than in July 2021. Across
the sector, customer satisfaction is 1.9 points
higher than a year ago but almost at the same
level (0.3 points higher) as in January 2022.
In the Utilities sector, average satisfaction
improved by 0.6 points compared to July 2021 but
is slightly lower (by 0.4 points) than January 2022.
Satisfaction with Water companies is 76.1, up by
1.5 points compared to a year ago. Satisfaction
with Energy companies is 73.2, almost the same
as in July 2021 and 0.9 points lower than January
2022. Although the period in which the latest
UKCSI data was collected (21 March to 14 April
2022) does not yet fully reflect recent energy
prices rises, customers’ average satisfaction with
price / cost in the Energy sector dropped by 0.3
points compared to a year ago, to 6.6 (out of 10).
116 organisations (42 % of the total receiving a
UKCSI score) have improved by at least 2 points
compared to a year ago. 22 organisations (8%
of those receiving a UKCSI score) have fallen by 2
points or more, compared to July 2021.
However, there are signs that the overall
improvement in customer satisfaction has slowed.
Only 46 organisations have improved by at least
2 points compared to January 2022, whereas 198
organisations have a UKCSI score that has moved
(up or down) by fewer than 2 points.
279
Organisations and organisation
types in the UKCSI
Organisations have improved
yoy by at least 2 points,
compared to July 2021
116
22
Organisations have experienced
a yoy drop of at least 2 points,
compared to July 2021
11UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Jul-22
Rank
Organisation Sector
Jul-22
Score
Jul-21
Score
Jul-21
Rank
Change
in score
Jul-21 to
Jul-22
1
UK Power Networks
Utilities 86.5 78.6 101 7.9
2
Timpson
Services 86.4 77.5 131 8.9
3
John Lewis
Retail (Non-food) 86.3 84.4 2 1.9
4
Tesco Mobile
Telecommunications & Media 86.1 83.9 5 2.2
5
Suzuki
Automotive 85.9 84.0 3 1.9
5
M & S
Retail (Non-food) 85.9 82.1 24 3.8
7
Ocado
Retail (Food) 85.8 79.7 70 6.1
8
Waitrose
Retail (Food) 85.6 81.9 26 3.7
9
Apple
Retail (Non-food) 85.4 80.2 62 5.2
10
rst direct
Banks & Building Societies 85.3 86.6 1 -1.3
p Increase in UKCSI score of less than one point q Fall in UKCSI score p Increase in UKCSI score of one point or more
10 highest rated organisations
12 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Supermarket sales have fallen year on year. On average,
supermarkets with customer satisfaction below the
sector average have suffered the biggest drop in sales
Supermarket sales fell by 4.4% during the 12
weeks to 15 May 2022, compared to the same
period in 2021, according to Kantar’s latest take-
home grocery data
1
.
The overall drop in sales has affected most of
the Retail (Food) organisations that appear in the
UKCSI. But organisations with a UKCSI score at
least 1 point below the sector suffered an average
drop in sales of 9.1%, compared to a 3.8% drop
for those with a UKCSI score that is 1 point or more
higher than the sector average.
In the Banks and Building Societies sector, the volume
of current account switching is close to its pre-Covid 19
level
The number of current account switches completing 1 October – 31 December 2021 was 32% higher
than for the same period in 2020 and approaching the volume of switches completing between October
and December 2019, just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic
2
.
Santander achieved the highest number of net current account gains, 36,494. Its January 2022 UKCSI
3
score of 80.1 was almost at the same level as the sector average (80.2) and 2.2 points higher than the
previous year. Nationwide recorded 33,691 net current account gains: its January 2022 UKCSI score of
83.7 was 3.5 points higher than the sector average.
Banks and Building Societies receiving a UKCSI score at least 1 point below the sector average sustained
an average of 8,811 current account losses.
1
Source: Kantar World Panel
2
Source: Current Account Switching Service Dashboard: Issue 34
3
The January 2022 UKCSI corresponds most closely to current account switches completed between 1 October and December 2021
Annual sales growth for
the 12 weeks to 15 May 2022
Food retailers with UKCSI
at least 1 point below
sector average
-9.1%
Food retailers with UKCSI
at least 1 point above
sector average
-3.8%
13UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
4
Customers were asked, to score the balance of price and service they would prefer to accept. A score of 8 -10 implies a preference for excellent service, even if it
costs more. A score of 1 – 3 is interpreted as a preference for low-cost, no-frills service.
5
This data is from The Institute’s research, Customer Behaviour: Evolution or Watershed?, published in May 2022.
45% of customers chose an organisation because of at
least one aspect of its local relevance or commitment
Key aspects of localness appear to be an
organisation employing local people (22% chose
an organisation for this reason), followed by
support for, or engagement in the community
(20%) and feeling a personal connection to
the organisation (17%). Customers who feel a
personal connection to an organisation have
a particularly high average level satisfaction
(85.7 out of 100), followed by people favouring
an organisation because it supports the local
community (83.5) or employs local people (82.7).
Did you choose to use xx
for any of following reasons?
They support and are active in the local community
20%
They employ local people
22%
I feel a personal connection to them
17%
Across the UKCSI, there is evidence of a widening
polarisation in expectations about affordability of
excellent service
35% of customers indicated that they would
be prepared to pay more to guarantee excellent
service
4
, whereas just 12% would be willing to
sacrifice quality of customer service to receive
the lowest possible price. But in the Energy
sector, 20% of customers prefer low-cost, no frill
service, a higher level than any other sector and 2
percentage points more than in July 2021.
Reflecting increased financial pressures, 58%
of customers
5
say that low prices will become
more important in influencing their choice of
organisation, product or service across all sectors
in the next 2 years.
% customers
for whom low prices
will be more important when
choosing an organisation,
product or service,
in the next 2 years
58%
% customers who
would be prepared to
pay more to guarantee
excellent service
35%
14 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Increased risks of vulnerability mean it has become
more important to respond to a customer’s personal
situation and needs
For customers who suffer from poor financial, mental or physical well-being, the impact of an
organisation failing to respond to personal needs and context is stark. These customers’ average
satisfaction of 45.4 is 37.4 points lower than similar customers who dealt with an organisation that
understood and responded to their personal needs.
Yes, they responded to
my personal situation
and needsLevel of well-being
No, they did not respond to
my personal situation
and needs
Very good / good well-being
84.9 58.8
Very poor / poor well-being
82.8 45.4
Customer satisfaction index scores out of 100
60% of customers felt an organisation responded to
their personal needs and situation but 11% said the
organisation they dealt with failed to do so
Customers who felt an organisation responded to their personal needs and situation gave an average
UKCSI score of 83.7, much higher than when an organisation failed to respond to personal needs
(53.9) or when a customer did not require a personalised experience (76.4). Customers who felt that an
organisation did not respond to their personal needs and situation were much more likely than others to
cite more friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff, ease of contacting the right person to help and speed of
response and resolution as key priorities for improvement.
15UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
10 areas of focus for
organisations
On the surface, the overall profile of customer satisfaction in the UKCSI appears to be flat. Many
organisations received higher customer satisfaction scores compared to a year ago but in many sectors
the rate of improvement has slowed since January 2022. However, a combination of evolving customer
expectations and behaviours, geopolitical upheaval, supply chain blockages, the severity of the cost of
living crisis and potential future COVID-19 risks mean that the future outlook is hazardous. We conclude
our update on the state of customer satisfaction in the UK by highlighting 10 areas of focus which will
be critical to customer experience and business performance in the next 6 months.
Maintain focus on problem and complaint handling
6
Develop strategies to prevent problems from occurring
5
A sustained commitment to customer service
10
Enable customers to make environmentally sustainable choices
8
Demonstrate local relevance and engagement
9
Demonstrate transparency, ethical governance and practice
2
Deliver efficiency in key transactions and interactions
4
Make a personal connection and respond to individual customer needs
1
Invest in developing the skills, capabilities and behaviours for excellent service
7
Understand and respond to the impact of the cost of living crisis on your employees and customers
3
16 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
The state of
customer
satisfaction
in the UK
1
17UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
The July 2022 UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) is
78.4 (out of 100), up 1 point compared to a year ago but
the same level as in January 2022
Jul-21 Jan-22 Jul-22Jan-21Jul-20Jan-20Jul-19Jan-19Jul-18Jan-18Jul-17Jan-17Jul-16Jan-16Jul-15Jan-15Jul-14Jan-14Jul-13Jan-13Jul-12Jan-12Jul-11Jan-11Jul-10Jan-10Jul-09Jan-09
78.4
77.4
78.4
76.9
77.0
76.8
77.1
77.7
77.9
78.1
78.2
77.8
77.4
77.0
76.2
76.0
76.3
77.1
77.9
78.2
78.0
77.4
77.3
76.7
75.6
75.2
74.1
72.0
The July 2022 UKCSI is based two sets of data, collected between 13 September and 8 October 2021
(after the relaxation of most Covid-19 restrictions in England but before the emergence of the Omicron
variant) and between 21 March and 14 April 2022 (after the removal, from 24 February, of the legal
requirement in England to self-isolate following a positive Covid-19 test).
Customer satisfaction
in the UK is at the same
level as 6 months ago
18 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
The biggest area of improvement in customer satisfaction is complaint handling. Average satisfaction with
organisations’ handling of a complaint is 6.6 (out of 10), an increase of 0.6 points compared to a year ago.
Measure July-22 July-21 Year-on-year
change
The outcome of the complaint 6.8 6.1 0.7
The handling of the complaint 6.6 6.0 0.6
The attitude of staff 6.9 6.3 0.6
Speed of resolving your complaint 6.6 5.9 0.7
The trend for improved complaint handling, alongside
more customers experiencing a problem with an
organisation, has continued
Despite the improvement in complaint handling the number of customers experiencing a problem rose
to 17.3%, higher than both July 2021 (14.9%) and January 2021 (16.4%). There has been an increase in
the number of problems relating to the quality / reliability of goods and services and suitability of goods
/ services, especially in the Insurance, Retail (Non-food), Tourism, Transport and Utilities sectors.
Complaint handling measures (scale of 1 – 10)
19UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Number of times each issue was cited as the cause of a customer’s problem with an organisation
Type of problem July-22 July-21 Year-on-year
change
Quality or reliability of goods / services 42.8% 35.7% 7.1%
Suitability of goods / services
(e.g. didn`t do what you expected)
26.4% 21.4% 5.0%
Availability of goods / services
(e.g. couldn`t find what you wanted)
23.8% 20.9% 2.9%
Late delivery or slow service 19.4% 21.1% -1.7%
Staff competence 19.8% 18.2% 1.6%
Staff attitude 15.4% 16.0% -0.6%
Cost 10.7% 11.5% -0.8%
XX not keeping its promises and commitments 14.6% 15.5% -0.9%
20 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
35.1% of the customer experiences recorded in the UKCSI were conducted in person, 4.7 percentage
points more than in July 2021. The increased number of in person experiences is particularly evident in
the Leisure, Retail and Tourism sectors.
More customer experiences were conducted in person,
compared to the July 2021 UKCSI
42.8%
41.7%
36.2%
30.4%
32.2%
35.1%
16.6% 16.2% 17.4%
18.6%
18.3%
16.9%
39.4%
41.1%
45.5%
50.1%
48.7%
47.3%
1.3% 1.1%
0.9%
0.9%
0.8% 0.8%
Jan-20 Jul-20 Jan-21 Jul-21 Jan-22
Jul-22
In person
Over the phone
Digital
In writing
Breakdown of customer experiences in the UKCSI by channel 2020 - 2022
21UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Customer satisfaction with in person experiences was 1.3 points higher than in July 2021. Average levels
of satisfaction are higher than a year ago for experiences in all channels except for over the phone (0.5
points lower) and in writing (4 points lower).
Jul-21Jul-22
1.3
0.4
1.6
0.8
0.1
5.4
-4.0
4.9
-0.5
In writing (letter)
Messaging services
(e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger)
Social media posts
(e.g. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
App
Web chat
Text
Email
On their website
Over the phone
(e.g. called a contact centre)
In person
(e.g. visited a store / branch / ofce)
80.2
74.4
78.9
72.1
70.9
73.5
81.3
73.6
69.3
81.5
73.9
79.3
73.7
75.8
74.3
81.4
79.0
78.3
65.3
Average customer satisfaction by channel used
5
In the July 2022 UKCSI, Social media posts and Messaging services are reported separately. Previously, Social Media was reported as a generic channel
Year-on-year change
Index scores out of 100
22 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
8 sectors have a an average level of customer satisfaction
at least 1 point higher than in July 2021 but the
improvement has slowed since January 2022
Jan-22
Jul-22
Jul-21
79.1
78.8
79.0
80.7
73.7
77.3
80.4
81.2
76.6
75.2
78.8
71.5
80.7
80.2
80.5
81.7
73.4
76.9
81.0
81.5
77.4
76.3
80.4
75.1
81.0
80.3
80.8
81.8
72.3
75.3
81.7
81.9
76.7
76.6
80.7
75.8
73.5
74.5
74.1
Utilities
Transport
Tourism
Telecommunications
Services
Retail (Non-food)
Retail (Food)
Public Services (National)
Public Services (Local)
Leisure
Insurance
Banks & Building Societies
Automotive
Customer satisfaction by sector: July 2021 – July 2022
23UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
1 sector up by more
than 4 points
7 sectors up by
1 - 1.9 points
3 sectors up by
less than one point
2 sectors down by at
least one point
Transport
Automotive
Banks & Building
Societies
Insurance
Leisure
Retail (Food)
Telecomms &
Media
Tourism
Services
Utilities
Retail
(Non-food)
Public Services
(Local)
Public Services
(National)
Average customer satisfaction in the Transport sector improved throughout 2021 and is 4.3 points
higher than in July 2021 but just 0.7 points more than in January 2022.
Change in customer satisfaction compared to July 2021, by sector
24 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Average customer satisfaction with organisations in the Automotive, Banks and Building Societies,
Insurance, Leisure, Retail (Food), Telecommunications and Media and Tourism sectors is more than 1 point
higher than in July 2021. However, the overall improvement has slowed; in each of these sectors, the
average level of satisfaction in the July 2022 UKCSI is similar to its January 2021 level.
In the Utilities sector, average satisfaction with Water companies improved by 1.5 points to 76.1.
Satisfaction with Energy companies is 73.2, almost the same as in July 2021 and 0.9 points lower than
January 2022. Although the period in which the latest UKCSI data was collected (21 March to 14 April 2022)
does not yet fully reflect the scale and impact of recent energy prices rises, customers’ average satisfaction
with price / cost in the Energy sector dropped by 0.3 points compared to a year ago, to 6.6 (out of 10).
71.7
72.2
73.1
74.1
73.2
74.0
73.8
74.6
75.9
76.1
Jul-20 Jan-21 Jul-21 Jan-22 Jul-22
Energy
Water
Customer satisfaction with Energy and Water companies
Index scores out of 100
25UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
The overall fall in customer satisfaction in the
Public Services sectors conceals a mixture of
results for organisations and organisation types.
Average customer satisfaction in the Public
Services (Local) sector fell year on year by 1.4
points to 72.3. Most of the decline was caused
by a 4.6 drop for GP surgery / health centre, to
70.8, its lowest ever score. By contrast, each
of your local Fire Service, your local Ambulance
Service and your local Police Service improved by
at least 3 points compared to a year ago.
In the Public Services (National) sector, Disclosure
and Barring Service, HM Passport Office and
National Highways all have a UKCSI score at least
3 points higher than in July 2021.
26 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
The January 2022 UKCSI is based on two sets
of data, collected between 13 September and
8 October 2021 (after the relaxation of most
Covid-19 restrictions in England but before the
emergence of the Omicron variant) and between
21 March and 14 April 2022 (after the removal,
from 24 February, of the legal requirement
in England to self-isolate following a positive
COVID-19 test).
The UKCSI usually focuses on year on year
comparisons and trends in customer satisfaction.
Since the July 2020 UKCSI, we have also reviewed
how customer satisfaction has evolved through
phases of the COVID-19 pandemic by examining
data about customer experiences from the specific
time periods in which the research was conducted.
Average satisfaction for customer experiences
recorded in March and April 2022 was slightly
lower, by 0.7 points, than for those recorded in
September and October 2021. In the Automotive
and Utilities sectors, average satisfaction for
experiences recorded in March and April 2022
is at least 2 points lower than for the those
received in September and October 2021. This
evidence suggests that, across several sectors,
there are likely to be substantial challenges in
maintaining or improving customer satisfaction
in the next 6 months.
Customer satisfaction
in the context of the
COVID-19 pandemic
Customer responses
that make up the July 2022 UKCSI
Index scores out of 100
77.4
July 2021
UKCSI
78.4
July 2022
UKCSI
78.7
Responses
given
13 Sept -
8 Oct 2021
78.0
Responses
given
21 March -
14 April 2022
78.4
Jan 2022
UKCSI
8 December 2021
COVID-19 Plan B measures
invoked in England
21 March 2022
In Scotland, legal requirement for rms
to follow government COVID-19 guidance is
lifted. But the legal requirement to wear face
masks on public transport remains til 18 April
24 Feb 2022
In England, government
removes legal requirement
to self-isolate following
a positive COVID-19 test
19 July 2021
England removes
most COVID-19
restrictions
13 Sept 2021
76.7% of people in
the UK aged 12 and
over have received
2 vaccine doses
Average customer satisfaction by UKCSI reporting period
27UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
UKCSI reporting periods: July 2021 – July 2022
Overall CSI July 2021
UKCSI
Responses
given
13 Sept -
8 Oct
2021
Jan 2022
UKCSI
Responses
given
21 March -
14 April
2022
July 2022
UKCSI
yoy
change
Change
between
March / April
2022 and
Sept / Oct
2021
responses
UK all-sector average
77.4 78.7 78.4 78.0 78.4 1.0 -0.7
Automotive
79.1 82.1 80.7 79.9 81.0 1.9 -2.2
Banks & Building Societies
78.8 80.8 80.2 79.9 80.3 1.5 -0.9
Insurance
79.0 81.4 80.5 80.2 80.8 1.8 -1.2
Leisure
80.7 82.0 81.7 81.6 81.8 1.1 -0.4
Public Services (Local)
73.7 72.3 73.4 72.3 72.3 -1.4 0.0
Public Services (National)
77.3 75.6 76.9 75.1 75.3 -2.0 -0.5
Retail (Food)
80.4 81.8 81.0 81.5 81.7 1.3 -0.3
Retail (Non-food)
81.2 81.5 81.5 82.3 81.9 0.7 0.8
Services
76.6 77.5 77.4 75.8 76.7 0.1 -1.7
Telecommunications & Media
75.2 76.7 76.3 76.4 76.6 1.4 -0.3
Tourism
78.8 80.6 80.4 80.9 80.7 1.9 0.3
Transport
71.5 75.9 75.1 75.7 75.8 4.3 -0.2
Airlines (Transport Sector)
70.5 78.6 76.6 77.9 78.3 7.8 -0.7
Utilities
73.5 75.1 74.5 73.0 74.1 0.6 -2.1
Average satisfaction with airlines showed the biggest drop of any sector (or subsector) during the height of
the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 – 21 but in the last year has improved more than any other sector. Average
customer satisfaction with airlines is 78.3, up 7.8 points compared to a year ago. However, average
satisfaction for the most recent set of customer responses, collected in March and April 2022 is slightly
lower than for those collected in September and October 2021, suggesting that disruption caused by staff
shortages and flight cancellations is likely to have an adverse impact on customer satisfaction.
Customer responses
that make up the
July 2022 UKCSI
28 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
In the July 2022 UKCSI, 116 organisations (42% of the total receiving a UKCSI score) have improved by
at least 2 points compared to a year ago. 22 organisations (8% of those receiving a UKCSI score) have
fallen by 2 points or more. However, since January 2022, there are signs that the overall improvement in
customer satisfaction has slowed. Only 46 organisations improved by at least 2 points compared to January
2022, whereas 198 organisations have a UKCSI score that has moved (up or down) by fewer than 2 points.
10%
42%
28%
18%
16%
26%
52%
20%
27%
14%
6%
8%
Jan-20Jul-20 Jan-21Jul-21 Jan-2
2J
ul-22
% of organisations whose UKCSI
has improved yoy by at least two points
% organisations whose UKCSI score
has declined yoy by at least 2 points
% of organisations that have improved or declined by at least 2 points, compared to the
previous year
6 of the organisations that declined by at least 2 points, compared to July 2021, are from the Utilities
sector and 4 are from the Public Services (National) sector. The smallest gap between the highest and
lowest rated organisations in any sector is 7.8 points, in Insurance and Retail (Food). The gap between
the highest and lowest rated organisations is greatest in the Utilities (20.8 points), Public Services (Local)
(19.7 points), Services (18.9 points) and Telecommunications and Media (16 points) sectors.
279
Organisations and
organisation
types in the UKCSI
116
Organisations have
improved yoy by
at least 2 points,
compared to July 2021
22
Organisations have
experienced a yoy
drop of at least 2 points,
compared to July 2021
29UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Number of organisations in each sector whose customer satisfaction has improved or declined,
compared to July 2021
Sector Total number of
organisations
Number of
organisations
that have
improved by 2
points or more
Number of
organisations
that have
dropped by 2
points or more
Number of
organisations
that have moved
by less than 2
points
Gap between
highest
and lowest
organisation
Automotive
27 13 2 11 11.5
Banks & Building Societies
18 8 0 9 11.9
Insurance
26 11 2 12 7.8
Leisure
24 10 0 10 11.3
Public Services (Local)
7 4 1 2 19.7
Public Services (National)
13 3 4 3 15.9
Retail (Food)
12 5 0 6 7.8
Retail (Non-food)
23 8 2 11 8.2
Services
19 5 3 10 18.9
Telecommunications & Media
14 3 0 10 16.0
Tourism
23 6 1 14 8.8
Transport
38 27 1 8 15.4
Utilities
35 13 6 15 20.8
HM Land Registry 74.7
(Public Services National)
Natural Resources Wales 76.1
(Public Services National)
easyjet Holidays 78.7
(Tourism)
C2C 75.8
(Transport)
Merseyrail 83.6
(Transport)
Scottish and Southern 67.4
Electricity Networks (Utilities)
6 organisations have appeared in the UKCSI for the first time.
30 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
The top
50 organisations
p Increase in UKCSI score of less than one point q Fall in UKCSI score p Increase in UKCSI score of one point or more
Jul-22
Rank
Organisation Sector Jul-22
Score
Jul-21
Score
Jul-21
Rank
Change
in score
Jul-21 to
Jul-22
1
UK Power Networks
Utilities 86.5 78.6 101 7.9
2
Timpson
Services 86.4 77.5 131 8.9
3
John Lewis
Retail (Non-food) 86.3 84.4 2 1.9
4
Tesco Mobile
Telecommunications & Media 86.1 83.9 5 2.2
5=
Suzuki
Automotive 85.9 84.0 3 1.9
5=
M & S
Retail (Non-food) 85.9 82.1 24 3.8
7
Ocado
Retail (Food) 85.8 79.7 70 6.1
8
Waitrose
Retail (Food) 85.6 81.9 26 3.7
9
Apple
Retail (Non-food) 85.4 80.2 62 5.2
10
rst direct
Banks & Building Societies 85.3 86.6 1 -1.3
11=
M & S (food)
Retail (Food) 85.1 82.6 18 2.5
11=
Pets at Home
Retail (Non-food) 85.1 83.2 16 1.9
13
Marriott
Tourism 84.8 78.9 91 5.9
14
Costco
Retail (Non-food) 84.7
NO DATA NO DATA NO DATA
15=
SAGA Insurance
Insurance 84.6 83.8 7 0.8
15=
Green Flag
Services 84.6 81.2 41 3.4
17
Netix
Leisure 84.3 83.4 13 0.9
18
M & S Energy
Utilities 84.1 77.9 119 6.2
19=
Holland & Barrett
Retail (Non-food) 84.0 81.6 34 2.4
19=
Greggs
Leisure 84.0 83.5 9 0.5
19=
Amazon Prime Video
Leisure 84.0 81.4 37 2.6
22=
BMW
Automotive 83.7 79.6 73 4.1
22=
Jet2holidays.com
Tourism 83.7 83.5 9 0.2
22=
Amazon.co.uk
Retail (Non-food) 83.7 84.0 3 -0.3
25=
Merseyrail
Transport 83.6
NO DATA NO DATA NO DATA
25=
Virgin Money
Insurance 83.6 76.8 148 6.8
31UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Jul-22
Rank
Organisation Sector Jul-22
Score
Jul-21
Score
Jul-21
Rank
Change
in score
Jul-21 to
Jul-22
25=
Pizza Hut
Leisure 83.6 77.8 121 5.8
25=
Ikea
Retail (Non-food) 83.6 81.7 32 1.9
25=
Caffe Nero
Leisure 83.6 79.2 87 4.4
30
Next
Retail (Non-food) 83.5 81.4 37 2.1
31
Honda
Automotive 83.4 77.8 121 5.6
32=
Aldi
Retail (Food) 83.3 83.3 15 0.0
32=
Toby Carvery
Leisure 83.3 78.7 96 4.6
34=
Jet2
Transport 83.2 81.1 44 2.1
34=
Bank of Scotland
Banks & Building Societies 83.2 79.6 73 3.6
36
Yorkshire Bank
Banks & Building Societies 83.1
NO DATA NO DATA NO DATA
37
Nationwide
Banks & Building Societies 83.0 82.4 19 0.6
38
The Co-operative Bank
Banks & Building Societies 82.9 83.4 13 -0.5
39=
Kia
Automotive 82.8 79.8 67 3.0
39=
LV=
Insurance 82.8 82.2 23 0.6
39=
Superdrug
Retail (Non-food) 82.8 80.0 64 2.8
42=
Nissan
Automotive 82.7 81.8 29 0.9
42=
booking.com
Tourism 82.7 81.7 32 1.0
42=
Iceland
Retail (Food) 82.7 79.6 73 3.1
42=
Trivago
Tourism 82.7 81.9 26 0.8
42=
Subway
Leisure 82.7 78.5 104 4.2
47=
British Airways Holidays
Tourism 82.6 76.4 159 6.2
47=
Specsavers
Retail (Non-food) 82.6 83.5 9 -0.9
49=
Mercedes-Benz
Automotive 82.4 77.5 131 4.9
49=
Premier Inn
Tourism 82.4 82.0 25 0.4
49=
Audi
Automotive 82.4 78.9 91 3.5
49=
The Co-operative Energy
Utilities 82.4 70.7 238 11.7
p Increase in UKCSI score of less than one point q Fall in UKCSI score p Increase in UKCSI score of one point or more
32 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
23 of the top 50 rated organisations are from
the Retail (Non-food), Retail (Food) or Leisure
sectors. In July 2021, Tourism companies were
absent from the top 50 UKCSI organisations. In
July 2022, the presence of 6 Tourism companies
in the top 50 illustrates the overall improvement
in customer satisfaction in the sector. The
number of Insurance companies amongst the 50
highest rated organisations has fallen from 8 in
January 2022 to 3 in this UKCSI.
The biggest gap between the top 50
organisations and others are for the 4
complaint handling measures and the number
of experiences rated as being right first time.
On average, 12.9% of customers of top 50
organisations experienced a problem, up by 2.1
percentage points compared to July 2021 but
4.6 percentage points lower than the average of
other organisations in the UKCSI.
Key differentiators of the top 50 organisations in the UKCSI (scores out of 10 unless stated)
Top 50
Organisations
Remaining
Organisations
Difference
UKCSI (out of 100)
83.7 77.7 6.0
Proportion of customers giving a 9 or 10 out of 10
39.5% 28.0% 11.5%
The outcome of the complaint
7.8 6.7 1.1
Speed of resolving your complaint
7.6 6.5 1.1
The handling of the complaint
7.6 6.6 1.0
The attitude of staff (dealing with a complaint)
7.8 6.9 0.9
Reputation of the organisation
8.3 7.6 0.7
XX makes it easy to contact the right person to help
8.3 7.6 0.7
Price/cost
8.2 7.5 0.7
% experiencing a problem
12.9% 17.5% -4.6%
% of experiences right rst time
86.3% 79.6% 6.7%
Effort
4.8 5.4 -0.6
33UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Experience
Measures the quality of customers’ experiences and
interactions with organisations
Dimension (score out of 100)
July
2022
Ethics
Reputation, openness and transparency and the extent
to which an organisation is deemed to “do the right thing”
Customer Ethos
Extent to which customers perceive that organisations
genuinely care about customers and build the experience
around their customers’ needs
Complaint Handling
How organisations respond and deal with problems and
complaints
Emotional Connection
The extent to which an organisation engenders feelings
of trust and reassurance
79.4
76.6
77.7
66.4
77.6
July
2021
78.3
75.8
76.8
60.2
76.7
Year-on-
year
change
1.1
0.8
0.9
6.2
0.9
The UKCSI is based on 26 measures which are categorised in 5 dimensions of customer satisfaction.
5 dimensions
of customer satisfaction
34 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Top rated organisations
by customer satisfaction
dimension
UKCSI dimensions
John Lewis
Ocado
Tesco Mobile
Suzuki
UK Power
Networks
M & S (Retail
Non-food)
rst direct
Amazon.co.uk
Timpson
Waitrose
UK Power
Networks
Northern
Ireland Water
CrossCountry
Apple
Essex and
Suffolk Water
Companies
House
London North
Eastern Railway
BMW
Virgin Money
M & S (Retail
Non-food)
UK Power
Networks
Timpson
Ocado
Pets at Home
Suzuki
Tesco Mobile
Waitrose
Apple
M & S (Retail
Non-food)
John Lewis
John Lewis
UK Power
Networks
Waitrose
Timpson
Apple
M & S
(Retail Food)
M & S (Retail
Non-food)
rst direct
Suzuki
Costco
Tesco Mobile
UK Power
Networks
M & S
(Retail Food)
Timpson
John Lewis
Waitrose
Tesco Mobile
Apple
SAGA Insurance
Pets at Home
Green Flag
Experience
Complaint
Handling
Customer
Ethos
Emotional
Connection
Ethics
35UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
UK Power Networks is amongst the highest rated
organisations on all 5 dimensions of customer
satisfaction. John Lewis, Timpson and Waitrose
are amongst the highest rated organisations
on 4 dimensions: Experience; Customer Ethos;
Emotional Connection and Ethics.
The Complaint Handling dimension features a
wider spread of organisations amongst the
top performers than the other dimensions. For
Complaint Handling, only organisations for
whom at least 10 complaints were recorded
receive a published score. This means that,
whereas for the Experience, Customer Ethos,
Emotional Connection and Ethics dimensions
every organisation receives a score, organisations
generating particularly low levels of complaints
may not receive published ratings for satisfaction
with complaint handling.
36 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
20 most improved
organisations
20 most improved organisations
over one year
UKCSI
score July
2021
UKCSI
score July
2022
YOY
Change
Compared
to sector
average
Sector
Ryanair
54.2 68.2 14.0 -7.6
Transport
The Co-operative Energy
70.7 82.4 11.7 8.3 Utilities
Virgin Atlantic
70.4 82.1 11.7 6.3 Transport
Timpson
77.5 86.4 8.9
9.7
Services
Virgin Holidays
70.9 79.8 8.9 -0.9 Tourism
More Than
73.5 82.1 8.6 1.3 Insurance
Grand Central
71.4 79.9 8.5 4.1 Transport
London North Eastern Railway
73.2 81.5 8.3 5.7 Transport
Great Northern
68.8 77.0 8.2
1.2
Transport
Lastminute.com
71.0 79.1 8.1 -1.6 Tourism
UK Power Networks
78.6 86.5 7.9 12.4 Utilities
Heathrow Express
73.5 80.8 7.3
5.0
Transport
Brittany Ferries
73.6 80.8 7.2 5.0 Transport
Essex and Suffolk Water
71.8 78.8 7.0
4.7
Utilities
Utility Warehouse
74.0 80.9 6.9 6.8 Utilities
Northern Ireland Water
72.7 79.6 6.9 5.5 Utilities
Virgin Money
76.8 83.6 6.8 2.8 Insurance
British Airways
73.7 80.3 6.6 4.5 Transport
TUI Airways
73.4 79.9 6.5 4.1 Transport
South Staffordshire Water
70.1 76.6 6.5 2.5 Utilities
Organisation is at least 1 point higher than the sector average Organisation is at least 1 point lower than the sector average
37UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
9 of the most improved organisations, compared
to July 2021, are from the Transport sector and 6
are from Utilities sector.
13 of the 20 most improved organisations have
a UKCSI score at least 4 points higher than their
sector average. Ryanair is the most improved
organisation but its UKCSI score of 68.2 is 7.6
points below the Transport sector average.
Across these 20 most improved organisations,
the biggest gains were for customer satisfaction
with complaint handling, making it easier to
contact the right person to help and speed of
response, especially over the phone or via text,
web chat or social media. However, 33.7%
of the customer sample who interacted with
these organisations experienced a problem, 8.8
percentage points more than a year ago. The
average level of effort rose by 0.4 points to 6.6
(out of 10). Even though these organisations
have achieved improved levels of customer
satisfaction compared to a year ago, the extent
of customers experiencing a problem is likely
to have significant implications for cost and
productivity.
38 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Customer
satisfaction
and business
performance
2
In this section we examine evidence of the relationship between customer satisfaction and business
performance in the Retail (Food) and Banks and Building Societies sectors as well as the links between
the high levels of customer satisfaction and the strongest ratings for trust, recommendation, loyalty and
reputation.
39UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
In the Retail (Food) sector, the link between customer
satisfaction and sales performance is shaped by a
context of falling sales, price ination and evolving
channel use
Supermarket sales fell by 4.4% during the 12 weeks to 15 May 2022 compared to the same period
in 2021, according to Kantar’s latest take-home grocery data
6
. The drop in sales is likely to have been
influenced by the resurgence of office-based working and re-opening of cafes and restaurants. Kantar
also reported a 7% increase in food prices in the 4 weeks preceding 15 May, the highest level of grocery
inflation since May 2009.
The proportion of online and email customer
experiences is lower than a year ago but higher than
pre-pandemic levels
Breakdown of customer experiences by channel recorded by the UKCSI in the Retail (Food) sector
Jan-20 Jul-20 Jan-21 Jul-21 Jan-22 Jul-22
In person (e.g. visited a store/branch/office) 77.7% 77.9% 72.3% 65.7% 66.9% 69.6%
Over the phone (e.g. called a contact centre) 4.4% 3.7% 4.1% 5.0% 4.7% 4.1%
On their website 11.3% 11.3% 14.7% 18.3% 17.4% 15.3%
Email 3.8% 3.8% 4.9% 6.2% 5.5% 5.5%
Text 0.6% 0.5% 0.7% 1.0% 0.9% 0.6%
Web chat 0.5% 0.6% 0.7% 1.0% 1.0% 1.0%
App 1.2% 1.4% 1.7% 1.8% 2.4% 2.5%
Social media 0.5% 0.6% 0.8% 0.9% 1.0% 1.3%
In writing (letter) 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.2%
6
Source: Kantar World Panel
40 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Aldi and Lidl were the only major supermarket chains
for whom sales growth was recorded in the 12 weeks
to 15 May 2022
Both appear to have recovered strongly from the
downturn in supermarket sales in earlier phases
of the Covid-19 pandemic, when there were more
home deliveries and fewer visits to supermarkets.
Aldi’s sales grew by 5.8%. Its customer
satisfaction score of 83.3 (out of 100) is the same
as in July 2021 and 1.6 points higher than the
sector average. Lidl’s sales grew by 6%. Its UKCSI
score of 81.3 is just below the sector average
(81.7) but 2.6 points higher than a year ago.
The overall drop in grocery take-home sales has
affected most of the Retail (Food) organisations
that appear in the UKCSI. But organisations
with a UKCSI score at least 1 point below the
sector suffered an average drop in sales of 9.1%,
compared to 3.8% for those with a UKCSI score
that is 1 point or more higher than the sector
average.
-10%
-8%
-6%
-4%
-2%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
Annual sales growth for the 12 weeks to 15 May 2022
Source: Kantar Worldpanel
Aldi
Ocado
Co-op Food
Waitrose
Sainsbury's
Iceland
Tesco
ASDA
Morrisons
Lidl
UKCSI score
Retail (Food) July 2022 UKCSI* = 81.7
Customer satisfaction and sales growth: the Retail (Food) sector
*
Note that M & S (food), which has a UKCSI score of 85.1 is not included in Kantar's research so does not appear here.
41UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Food retailers with
UKCSI at least 1 point
below sector average
-9.1%
Food retailers with
UKCSI within + / - 1 point
of sector average
-2.5%
Food retailers with
UKCSI at least
1 point above sector average
-3.8%
Annual sales growth for the 12 weeks to 15 May 2022
Ocado is the highest rated food retailer in the July
2022 UKCSI. Its rating of 85.8 is 4.1 points above
sector average and 6.1 points higher than a year
ago. Although Ocado’s sales fell by 8%, its sales
were 6.1% higher than 2 years ago.
Despite an 8.9% fall in sales, Waitrose’s
improvement in customer satisfaction has
continued. Its UKCSI score is 85.6, an increase of
3.7 points compared to a year ago.
Tesco’s market share increased by 0.4% to 27.4%.
Its UKCSI score is 81.7, the same level as the
sector average and slightly higher than its July
2021 score (81.1).
As the cost-of-living crisis intensifies, it is likely
that more customers will need to make savings
by reviewing the products or brands they choose,
or cutting down on non-essential items. Retailers
will therefore need to look creatively at ways to
deliver value, by maintaining supplies of essential
products, assessing the impact of price changes
on customers and giving practical advice about
how to budget and make the most of food
purchases. Increasingly, organisations will need
to understand the impact of personal context on
the trade-offs customers are prepared to make
between different buying criteria.
42 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
In the Banks and Building Societies sector,
the volume of current account switching is close to its
pre-Covid-19 level
In this UKCSI we have reviewed data from the latest Current Account Switch Service (CASS) dashboard
7
covering switches completed between 1 October and 31 December 2021, alongside the corresponding
UKCSI period, January 2022.
The number of current account switches completing 1 October – 31 December 2021 was 32% higher
than for the same period in 2020 and close to the volume of switches completing between October and
December 2019, just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The recovery in the level of account
switches is likely to reflect incentives offered on new accounts and the need for customers to switch
because of the closure of Tesco and M&S’ current account offerings.
Santander achieved the highest number of net current account gains, 36,494. Its January 2022 UKCSI score
of 80.1 was almost at the same level as the sector average (80.2) and 2.2 points higher than the previous
year. Nationwide recorded 33,691 net current account gains: its January 2022 UKCSI score of 83.7 was 3.5
points higher than the sector average. Starling Bank attracted 10,364 current account gains but did receive
sufficient responses to be listed in the January 2022 UKCSI.
Banks and Building Societies receiving a UKCSI score at least 1 point below the sector average sustained an
average of 8,811 current account losses. HSBC’s net current account loss was 14,875, although some of
this was caused by the closure of its M&S branded current account.
Volume of current account switches
1 Oct 2019 – 31 Dec 2019 1 Oct 2020 – 31 Dec 2020 1 Oct 2021 – 31 Dec 2021
262,106 189,273 248,902
7
Current Account Switching Service Dashboard Issue 34
43UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Nationwide
The Co-operative
Bank
Tesco
Halifax
NatWest
Lloyds
Barclays
Santander
Bank of
Scotland
HSBC*
TSB
RBS
Virgin Money
Ulster Bank
-30,000
-20,000
-10,000
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
76 78 80 82 84
Current Account Net Gains / Losses
Banks & Building Societies January 2022 UKCSI = 80.2
Average current account quarterly net gains
Customer satisfaction and current account net gains and losses
Banks & Building Societies
with UKCSI within 1 point
( +/- ) of sector average
Banks & Building Societies with
a UKCSI at least 1 point above
sector average
Net current account gains Net current account gains
6,878 8,161
Banks & Building Societies
with a UKCSI at least 1 point
below sector average
Net current account losses
-8,811
*
Note: HSBC switching data includes first direct
44 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Service related, non-financial benefits continue to be the main reasons people prefer their new current
account to their old one. Online banking (53%), mobile banking/banking app ease (42%), customer service
(40%) and location of branches (22%) were cited as leading reasons for people preferring their new
current account.
Consumer research carried out for CASS
8
found that 18% of people feel the cost-of-living crisis is pushing
them to seek out product features such as additional overdraft facilities and 10% feel they need banking
services that can help them better track their spending. The CASS dashboard highlighted that customers
who have experienced a major life event in the past year (22%) are much more likely than other customers
(9%) to consider switching their current account.
Financial organisations will need to respond to
customers’ concerns in the cost-of-living crisis
Evidence from the UKCSI and CASS suggests that financial organisations will need to respond
appropriately to help customers mitigate the severity of the cost-of-living crisis, as many organisations
did in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be a need for flexibility in policies and processes,
for example in debt management, whilst recognising the need for organisations to manage their own
financial sustainability. It will become more critical that employees are trained to identify customers who
are experiencing financial difficulties, respond with empathy and offer solutions that are appropriate
to changes in personal circumstances. Perhaps above all, there will be an increased expectation that
organisations engage proactively with customers, providing practical help and advice, signposting
support available from third parties and encouraging customers who are worried about their financial
situation to make contact.
8
Source: www.independent.co.uk/money/more-than-8m-current-accounts-moved-under-ditching-and-switching-service-b2067148.html
45UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Achieving a 9 or 10 for customer satisfaction is linked
to especially high levels of trust, recommendation,
loyalty and reputation
Across the average of all organisations in the UKCSI, achieving a 9 or 10 (out of 10) for customer
satisfaction has a much stronger effect even than an 8 out of 10 in generating the highest levels of trust,
recommendation, loyalty and reputation.
Customers who score
an organisation 9 or 10 out of 10
for customer satisfaction
Customers who score
an organisation 8 - 8.9 out of 10
for customer satisfaction
Trust
% of customers who give an
organisation a 9 or 10
trust rating
96% 48%
Recommendation
% of customers scoring an organisation
9 or 10 on likelihood to recommend
95% 55%
Loyalty
% of customers scoring an organisation
9 or 10 on intention to remain a customer
96% 65%
Reputation
% of customers who give an organisation a
9 or 10 when asked “how would you rate
the reputation of this organisation”
86% 35%
46 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Evolving customer
expectations,
behaviours and
attitudes
3
In May 2022, The Institute published new research
9
examining how customer expectations and
behaviours have evolved since 2020 and how they may change in the next 2 years. The research was
conducted during February and March 2022, at a time when inflationary pressures were growing.
Since then, rises in energy, fuel and food prices and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have further impacted
business and consumer confidence. In this section, we assess the latest evidence about how the cost-of-
living crisis is affecting customer needs and satisfaction.
9
Customer Behaviour: Evolution or Watershed? (2022)
47UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
There have been
pronounced shifts in
customer expectations
and preferences since 2020
Being able to access UK-based customer service,
speed and responsiveness, quality of products
and services, online reviews and having a local
connection have become more influential in
many customers’ choice of organisations.
Expectations about organisations’ effective
use of technology and data, environmental
sustainability and positive impact in local
communities have also increased. Buying
behaviour and consumption have become
more considered and mindful; many customers
have deliberately bought things that will
last longer, thought more carefully about
whether to make a purchase, or reduced their
consumption of physical goods. More than
half of customers have chosen an organisation
for an ethical reason, with local engagement
and environmental sustainability especially
prominent.
48 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
In 5 key sectors, quality will be the biggest inuence on
customers’ choice of organisations in the next 2 years
During February and March 2022, quality of products, service and experience remained the leading
consideration for customers when choosing an organisation, product or service. In 5 sectors that provide
essential services – Utilities, Retail (Food), Retail (Non-food), Insurance and Telecommunications – an
average of 75% of customers rated quality as one of their top 3 priorities for choosing an organisation
in the next 2 years, followed by convenience (53%) and low cost (42%).
Quality Convenience Low cost Speed Easy Reputation Environment Ethical Localness
Utilities 65% 46% 52% 31% 27% 29% 26% 18% 5%
Food 80% 61% 41% 27% 19% 14% 21% 16% 21%
Insurance 74% 50% 44% 32% 30% 35% 15% 17% 5%
Telecomms 77% 50% 40% 46% 26% 25% 17% 14% 4%
Retail
(Non-food)
81% 57% 35% 32% 21% 20% 22% 19% 13%
Average
of 5 sectors
75% 53% 42% 34% 25% 25% 20% 17% 10%
At least 5 percentage points higher than the the average of the 5 sectors
At least 5 percentage points lower than the average of the 5 sectors
% of customers rating each attribute as one of their top 3 priorities in choosing an organisation
49UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Evidence of a widening polarisation in expectations
about affordability of excellent service
In research conducted for the July 2022 UKCSI, 35% of customers indicated that they would be
prepared to pay more to guarantee excellent service
10
, whereas just 12% would be willing to sacrifice
quality of customer service to receive the lowest possible price.
In the Energy sector, 30% of customers would be willing to pay more for excellent service, 5 percentage
points more than a year ago but 5 percentage points below the all-sector average. But 20% of
customers prefer low-cost, no frills service, a higher level than any other sector and 2 percentage points
more than in July 2021. This evidence may be indicative of a growing polarisation between customers
who are relatively affluent and may even have increased the level of their assets during the COVID-19
pandemic and people on lower incomes who are increasingly threatened by financial hardship.
10
Customers were asked, to score the balance of price and service they would prefer to accept. A score of 8 - 10 implies a preference for excellent service, even if it
costs more. A score of 1 - 3 is interpreted as a preference for low-cost, no-frills service.
July 2021
% customers who prefer
low-cost, no-frills service
% customers who prefer
excellent service, even if it costs more
35%
32%
30%
UK all sector
average
Energy
Sector
July 2022 July 2022 July 2021
UK all sector
average
Energy
Sector
July 2022 July 2021 July 2022 July 2021
12% 12%
20%
18%
25%
50 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Reecting increased nancial pressures, 58% of
customers
11
assert that low prices will become more
important in inuencing their choice of organisation,
product or service in the next 2 years
50% believe it will be more important to choose a trustworthy organisation. Over 40% of customers will
attach greater importance to ease, simplicity, responsiveness and quality of customer service, being able
to interact with an organisation in a convenient way and commitment to environmental sustainability.
11
This data is from The Institute’s research, Customer Behaviour: Evolution or Watershed? (2022)
Which factors will be more or less important when you buy things or choose an organisation
in the next 2 years?
More important No change
Less important
Low prices
58%
37% 5%
Choosing a company you trust
50% 47% 3%
Easy and simple
43% 53% 4%
Choosing to use a company that is environmentally friendly
41% 50% 9%
Quality and receiving the best level of service possible
42% 54% 4%
Being able to interact with a company in a way that’s convenient to me at the time I want
42% 53% 5%
Speedy response and/or delivery
41% 54% 5%
Choosing to use a company that has good ethical practices
40% 52% 8%
Choosing a local company
38% 56% 8%
Choosing a company that treats its employees well
37% 58% 5%
Choosing a company that is well-managed
36% 60% 4%
Choosing a well-known brand
24% 62% 14%
51UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Increased risk of vulnerability means it has become
more important to respond to a customer’s personal
situation and needs
Our research suggests that at least 30% of customers have experienced a deterioration in either their
physical or mental well-being in the last 2 years. 22% of people have needed to take responsibility for
caring for a family member. In the July 2022 UKCSI, 12% of customers describe their financial well-being
as either poor or very poor. 13% feel they have poor physical well-being and 11% suffer from a low
level of mental well-being. The risks of vulnerability and exclusion have become more acute, influenced
by the impact of COVID-19 and deepening financial pressures. As a result, it has become more critical
that organisations understand and respond to customers’ particular circumstances and needs.
How customers rate their current level of well-being
53%
34% 12%
1%
Your nancial well-being
56% 30% 13%
1%
Your physical well-being
61% 27% 11%
1%
Your mental well-being
Very good / good Average Poor or very poor Prefer not to say
52 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
For customers who suffer from poor well-being,
the impact of an organisation failing to respond to
personal needs and context is stark
Yes, they responded to
my personal situation
and needsLevel of well-being
No, they did not respond to
my personal situation
and needs
Didn’t need them to
respond to my persona
l
situation and needs
Very good /
good well-being
84.9 58.8 76.9
Average well-being
82.0 50.4 74.1
Very poor /
poor well-being
82.8 45.4 73.5
When dealing with XX, did you feel that they responded to your personal situation and needs?
(average customer satisfaction index scores out of 100)
Customers who feel an organisation responded to their personal situation and needs have relatively high
and similar levels of satisfaction, whatever their claimed state of well-being. In general, customers are
much less satisfied with organisations if they believe an organisation did not respond appropriately to
their particular needs. For customers who suffer from poor well-being, the impact of an organisation
failing to respond to personal needs and context is stark. These customers’ average satisfaction of 45.4
(out of 100) is 37.4 points lower than similar customers who dealt with an organisation that understood
and responded to their personal needs.
53UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Across all customers, 60% of people felt an
organisation responded to their personal needs and
situation but 11% said an organisation failed to do so
A further 24% said that they didn’t need an organisation to respond to their personal needs in relation
to the experience they commented on in the UKCSI. Customers were most likely to feel an organisation
responded to their personal needs and situation in the Automotive sector and least likely in the Utilities
sector. They were more likely to say they didn’t need an organisation to respond to their personal needs
and situation in the Retail (Food) sector.
When dealing with XX, did you feel that they responded to your personal situation and needs?
Yes No No, but I didn't
need them to
Don't know
UK all sector average
60.0% 10.9% 24.4% 4.7%
Automotive
71.1% 9.2% 16.6% 3.1%
Banks & Building Societies
61.5% 7.9% 26.7% 3.9%
Insurance
66.9% 7.3% 21.3% 4.4%
Leisure
60.5% 6.4% 28.7% 4.3%
Public Services (Local)
63.1% 19.0% 13.9% 4.0%
Public Services (National)
61.7% 13.6% 19.1% 5.6%
Retail (Food)
50.3% 6.1% 39.4% 4.1%
Retail (Non-food)
55.2% 8.0% 31.3% 5.5%
Services
61.5% 14.0% 20.1% 4.4%
Telecommunications & Media
59.5% 13.0% 21.5% 5.9%
Tourism
61.2% 9.0% 25.1% 4.7%
Transport
55.4% 12.8% 26.9% 4.9%
Utilities
51.8% 15.3% 27.0% 5.9%
At least 5 percentage points more than the UK average said that
an organisation responded to their personal needs and situation
At least 5 percentage points more than the UK average said that an
organisation failed to respond to their personal needs and situation
54 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Customers who felt an organisation responded to their personal needs and situation gave an average
UKCSI score of 83.7, much higher than when an organisation failed to respond to personal needs (54.9)
or when a customer did not require a personalised experience (76.4). This gap in customer satisfaction is
evident in all sectors and is most pronounced in the Public Services and Services sectors.
When dealing with XX, did you feel that they responded to your personal situation and needs?
(average customer satisfaction index scores out of 100)
83.7
53.9
76.4
83.8
61.7
74.5
84.6
53.5
78.2
83.7
61.2
77.2
84.8
62.0
80.2
82.3
42.4
69.9
82.6
46.5
73.6
85.5
61.2
80.5
86.1
64.4
81.3
82.9
48.5
75.5
83.1
52.3
74.7
84.4
65.0
78.9
82.4
58.3
71.3
82.1
51.3
70.0
Yes
No
No, but I didn’t need them to
Utilities
Transport
Tourism
Telecommunications
Services
Retail (Non-food)
Retail (Food)
Public Services (National)
Public Services (Local)
Leisure
Insurance
Banks & Building Societies
Automotive
UK all-sector average
55UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
What are the top 3 things the organisation you dealt with should improve?
15.0%
29.4%
13.7%
24.7%
13.7%
11.9%
13.2%
30.5%
8.9%
14.5%
8.5%
19.8%
8.3%
15.2%
7.7%
7.9%
7.6%
7.4%
7.6%
8.5%
7.0%
5.1%
5.6%
4.5%
5.4%
8.0%
4.7%
5.4%
4.2%
2.2%
3.9%
2.6%
3.7%
5.7%
3.6%
6.2%
3.5%
10.3%
3.0%
7.0%
2.5%
7.8%
2.2%
1.3%
1.5%
1.2%
More friendly / helpful staff
Easier to contact the right person to help me
Better website navigation
More knowledgeable staff
Quality of product / service
Speed of response / resolution
Reliability of product / service
Availability of product / service
Better app design
Have more staff available
Product / service range
Access to information on social media
Better choice of ways to contact them
Billing
Have more branches/stores available
Opening times
Punctuality
Transparency
Better understanding of my personal needs
Better proactive communication
Invest in staff training
More attractive physical environment
Better COVID-19 related measures
All customers
Customers who feel the
organisation they dealt with
did not respond to their
personal situation and needs
Responding to customers’ personal needs and
situation requires friendly, helpful, knowledgeable
staff
The leading issues customers want organisations to improve are developing more helpful, friendly,
knowledgeable staff, making it easier to contact the right person and better website navigation.
Customers who felt that an organisation did not respond to their personal needs and situation were
much more likely than others to cite more friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff, ease of contacting the
right person to help and speed of response and resolution as key priorities for improvement.
56 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
The growing
salience of localness
This UKCSI provides further evidence of the growing relevance of “localness” in how customers perceive
and choose organisations. In the July 2022 UKCSI, 45% of customers chose an organisation because
of at least one aspect of its local relevance or commitment. Key aspects of localness appear to be an
organisation employing local people (22% chose an organisation for this reason), followed by support for,
or engagement in the community (20%) and feeling a personal connection to the organisation (17%).
% customers choosing an organisation for its local relevance or engagement
Did not choose an organisation
because of its local relevance or engagement
55%
Top 3 reasons for choice:
I feel a personal connection to them
They support and are active in the local community
They employ local people
22%
20%
17%
Chose an organisation for
at least one aspect of its localness
45%
Customers are most likely to choose an organisation because of its local relevance in the Automotive, Retail
(Food), Tourism and Transport sectors.
57UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Did you choose an organisation for any of the following reasons?
Sector % customers
who chose an
organisation for
at least 1 aspect
of its local
engagement
They employ
local people
They support
and are active
in the local
community
I feel a personal
connection to
them
UK all-sector average
45.4% 21.7% 19.9% 16.5%
Automotive
54.6% 25.7% 19.1% 20.0%
Banks & Building Societies
45.1% 20.0% 18.3% 18.3%
Insurance
43.0% 19.5% 17.9% 16.3%
Leisure
47.3% 25.5% 19.2% 16.1%
Retail (Food)
49.5% 26.1% 25.1% 16.9%
Retail (Non-food)
44.4% 19.4% 19.0% 20.5%
Services
46.2% 25.9% 19.1% 12.7%
Telecommunications & Media
37.0% 14.2% 17.4% 16.3%
Tourism
49.1% 21.0% 21.2% 18.9%
Transport
49.1% 26.0% 24.0% 14.3%
Utilities
34.6% 15.7% 18.5% 11.6%
At least 5 percentage points more than the UK all-sector average
58 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
82.7
83.5
85.7
76.0
They employ
local people
They support and are
active in the local
community
I feel a personal
connection to them
Did not choose an
organisation because
of its local relevance
or engagement
Customers who chose an organisation because of its
localness have higher levels of satisfaction than those
who did not
Customers who feel a personal connection to an organisation have a particularly high average level of
satisfaction (85.7), followed by people favouring an organisation because it supports the local community
(83.5) or employs local people (82.7).
Did you choose an organisation for any of the following reasons?
Customer satisfaction index scores out of 100
59UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Evolving customer
expectations, behaviours
and attitudes:
key takeouts
• In 5 sectors that provide essential services
– Utilities, Retail (Food), Retail (Non-food),
Insurance and Telecommunications – an
average of 75% of customers rated quality as
one of their top 3 priorities for choosing an
organisation in the next 2 years
• 35% of customers would be prepared to
pay more to guarantee excellent service,
compared to 12% who would be willing to
sacrifice quality of customer service to receive
the lowest possible price. But in the Energy
sector, 20% of customers prefer low-cost,
no-frills service, a higher level than any other
sector and 2 percentage points more than in
July 2021
• 58% of customers claim that low prices will
be become more important in influencing
their choice of organisation, product or
service in the next 2 years
• 12% of customers describe their financial well-
being as either poor or very poor. 13% feel they
have poor physical well-being and 11% suffer
from a low level of mental well-being
• For customers who suffer from poor well-
being, average satisfaction with organisations
is 82.8 (out of 100), when an organisation
responds to their personal needs and situation.
When an organisation fails to do so, average
satisfaction is just 45.4
• Across all customers, 60% of people felt an
organisation responded to their personal
needs and situation but 11% said an
organisation failed to do so
• Customers who felt that an organisation
did not respond to their personal needs and
situation were much more likely than others
to cite more friendly, helpful, knowledgeable
staff, ease of contacting the right person to
help and speed of response and resolution as
key priorities for improvement
• 45% of customers chose an organisation
because of at least one aspect of its local
relevance or commitment. Key aspects of
localness are an organisation employing
local people (22% chose an organisation
for this reason), followed by support for,
or engagement in the community (20%)
and feeling a personal connection to the
organisation (17%)
• Customers who feel a personal connection
to an organisation have a particularly high
average level of satisfaction (85.7), followed
by people favouring an organisation because
it supports the local community (83.5) or
employs local people (82.7).
60 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Recommendations
for organisations
4
61UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
On the surface, the overall profile of customer satisfaction in the UKCSI appears to be flat. Many
organisations received higher customer satisfaction scores compared to a year ago but in many sectors
the rate of improvement has slowed since January 2022. However, a combination of evolving customer
expectations and behaviours, geopolitical upheaval, supply chain blockages, the severity of the cost of
living crisis and potential future COVID-19 risks mean that the future outlook is hazardous.
We conclude our update on the state of customer satisfaction in the UK by highlighting 10 areas of focus
which will be critical to customer experience and business performance in the next 6 months.
Make a personal connection
and respond to individual
customer needs
1
Demonstrate transparency, ethical
governance and practice
2
Understand and respond to the
impact of the cost of living crisis on
your employees and customers
3
Maintain focus on problem
and complaint handling
6
Demonstrate local relevance
and engagement
9
Enable customers to make
environmentally sustainable
choices
8
Invest in developing the skills,
capabilities and behaviours for
excellent service
7
Develop strategies to prevent
problems from occurring
5
A sustained commitment
to customer service
10
Deliver efficiency in
key transactions and interactions
4
62 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
1) Make a personal
connection and
respond to individual
customer needs
• Demonstrate empathy and emotional intelligence in interactions with customers and colleagues
• Enable customers to speak to an employee when it is needed
• Give relevant, practical advice and recommendations to help customers get the most from
products and services
• Demonstrate flexibility in policies or processes to respond appropriately to changes in a customer’s
personal circumstances
• Proactively communicate relevant information and advice to support well-being
• Train employees to identify potential indicators of vulnerability and respond with appropriate
behaviours, advice and action
• Enable employees to access key information about a customer’s previous interactions or product
usage, so they can offer informed, personal service
• Invite customers to give personal information that will enable better service; explain how the
information will be used
• Respond to customers’ channel preferences for different types of contact and experience
• Provide offers that recognise and reward customer commitment and loyalty
• Invite feedback from customers and communicate about action taken as a result of feedback
• Encourage employees delivering service or designing customer experiences to consider the
expectations and needs of diverse customers.
63UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
2) Demonstrate
transparency, ethical
governance and
practice
• Be clear and transparent about prices,
terms and conditions and changes to these.
Avoid hidden costs
• Provide transparent information about
the consequences of product and service
choices for levels of service and support
• Demonstrate fair treatment of all
employees in pay, conditions and
employment practices
• Ensure that sales or service incentives
promote behaviours that support customer
experience objectives
• Practise transparent governance and
reporting of business and financial
performance, customer satisfaction,
employee engagement and environmental
impact
• Develop collaborative and respectful
relationships with regulators, suppliers,
partners and other stakeholders
• Continually review how effectively the
organisation identifies and meets the needs
of vulnerable customers, or customers whose
personal circumstances have changed
• Share best practice, especially about
managing the needs of vulnerable
customers, to help raise standards
• Ensure your risk management strategy and
mitigation anticipates changing customer
expectations and behaviours.
3) Understand and respond
to the impact of the cost
of living crisis on your
employees and customers
• Assess the financial, physical and mental
well-being of your employees
• Provide advice and support to help
employees manage the impact of inflation
in their personal lives
• Understand the extent of vulnerability and
your customers’ exposure to the cost of
living crisis
• Review debt management policy and
processes for customers who are
experiencing financial challenges because
of rising costs
• Accelerate activity to identify cost savings
• Review pricing of all products and services
in order to limit the need for increased
pricing of essential services
• Be transparent about the reasons for price
increases
• Train employees to respond with empathy,
appropriate communication and procedures
for customers who are experiencing
financial challenges
• Ensure that resource planning takes into
account increased need for customer contact
• Review your risk management planning
to take into the impact of inflation and
potential economic and geopolitical shocks
• Develop a public policy position about how
best organisations, government and other
stakeholders should help customers manage
the impact of the cost of living crisis
• Share best practice about managing the
needs of vulnerable customers, to help
raise standards.
64 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
4) Deliver efciency in
key transactions and
interactions
• Measure and benchmark the number of
customer experiences that are right first
time
• Deliver consistency in quality and
performance of products and services
• Identify problems quickly and put in place
actions to address them
• Make it easy to access accurate information
and advice, whichever channel a customer
chooses to use
• Ensure invoicing or billing is accurate and
complete
• Review resilience of operations and
supply chains, identify potential risks and
contingency
• Ensure all service channels are appropriately
resourced
• Measure the effectiveness and consistency
of the customer experience across all key
touchpoints and channels.
5) Develop strategies to
prevent problems from
occurring
• Benchmark and measure the number of
experiences that are right first time, from
the customers’ perspective
• Conduct root cause analysis on the causes
of complaints
• Review and map customer journeys to
identify pain points and opportunities to
improve
• Develop short and long-term strategies
to prevent problems, especially those that
significantly damage customer satisfaction
• Continuously review resilience of supply
chains, operations and infrastructure and
identify potential risks and contingency
• Develop capabilities and processes that
promote innovation and agility.
65UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
6) Maintain focus
on problem and
complaint handling
• Provide straightforward ways to complain
through all available channels
• Set standards for complaint handling
including behaviours, expectations
about time to resolve, ownership and
empowerment, keeping customers
informed until the complaint is resolved,
when to escalate a complaint
• Focus on developing first point of contact
behaviours that are empathetic and helpful
• Resolve complaints as quickly as possible
• Ensure there is clear accountability for
resolving complaints
• Equip employees with appropriate skills
and knowledge to manage complaints
effectively and consistently
• Make sure there is an escalation point /
process if customers do not accept the
outcome of the complaint
• Follow up complaints to check they
have been resolved from the customer’s
perspective
• Conduct root cause analysis, based on
customer feedback, into the causes of
complaints
• Develop strategic programmes to address
causes of complaints and prevent them
from occurring.
66 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
8) Enable customers to
make environmentally
sustainable choices
• Provide clear and transparent information
that helps customers understand impact
of their choices on environmental
sustainability
• Integrate environmental sustainability into
a coherent customer proposition alongside
price, quality, convenience and customer
service
• Create messages which are clear and
specific about both environmental benefits
of the product and personal benefits to the
customer
• Demonstrate how the organisation is
embedding environmental sustainability in
its operations, products and services and
supply chains
• Work with charities, independent third
parties or other organisations to raise
awareness, promote best practice and give
practical advice about how customers can
lead more sustainable lives.
7) Invest in developing
the skills, capabilities
and behaviours for
excellent service
• Empathy, emotional intelligence and the
ability to make a personal connection
• Enhanced communication and relationship
management skills
• Problem solving, managing complaints and
complex issues
• Ability to use digital tools effectively and
coach customers to use digital tools and
applications
• Design of digital applications that enable
better customer experiences
• Design of customer experience journeys in
an omnichannel context
• Ability to interact with customers across
different channels
• Specialist technical skills, for example in
infrastructure maintenance, cybersecurity,
risk management and logistics.
The Institute’s recent research on Customer
Behaviours and evidence from this UKCSI
suggest that many customers have heightened
expectations about the quality of digital
customer experiences alongside the desire
for a direct human connection, especially for
complex or sensitive issues. Skills shortages and
recruitment challenges mean that the imperative
to train and develop employees has become
even more critical to customer satisfaction and
business performance.
Our research suggests that the following skills,
capabilities and behaviours will be central to
customer experience:
67UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
9) Demonstrate local
relevance and
engagement
• Ensure that the make-up of the workforce
reflects the communities in which the
organisation operates
• Engage local suppliers where possible
• Develop an understanding of key local
issues and challenges in the communities in
which the organisation operates
• Support local charities and community
engagement
• Give employees the opportunity to
volunteer to support local community
initiatives
• Support and participate in local economic
development partnerships
• Consider locally focused communications
channels, such as social media and
local news media, in the context of the
organisation’s communications strategy
• Develop relationships with local schools
and colleges to support students’
education performance and motivation
and give them a greater understanding of
employment opportunities.
10) A sustained
commitment to
customer service
• Define clear customer service objectives
and ensure they are communicated across
the organisation
• Set clear accountability for customer
service, with specific customer objectives
and incentives for leaders across the
organisation
• Measure, benchmark and report on
customer satisfaction across key elements
of the customer experience
• Use customer insight to inform strategy
development
• Ensure there is customer service experience
in the boardroom.
68 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
UKCSI
Key facts
Number of years UKCSI has run.
The UKCSI is published twice a year, normally in
January and July.
Number of sectors the UKCSI covers.
11 in the private sector as well as the local and
national public sectors. The Institute also publishes
sector reports with a detailed breakdown of scores by
sector and organisation.
Number of unique responses included in July
2022, from over 10,000 customers. Customers are
geographically and demographically representative
of the UK population and participate in the survey
through an online panel. Customers are asked to
provide a score for organisations based on their most
recent interaction.
Number of responses per sector, except for Transport
and Utilities which have 6,000 responses.
Number of individual organisations and organisation types
which received a UKCSI rating. 265 named organisations
which have exceeded a minimum sample size are scored in
the 13 sector reports. In addition, scores are given for 14
generic providers including “your local Council”, “your local
restaurant/takeaway” etc.
14
13
45,000
3,000
279
69UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Organisations
included in the July
2022 UKCSI
Automotive
Audi
BMW
Citroen
Dacia
Fiat
Ford
Honda
Hyundai
Jaguar
Kia
Land Rover
Lexus
Mazda
Mercedes-Benz
Mini
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Peugeot
Renault
Seat
Škoda UK
Suzuki
Tesla
Toyota
Vauxhall
Volkswagen
Volvo
Banks & Building Societies
Bank of Scotland
Barclays
first direct
Halifax
HSBC
Lloyds
M & S
Metro Bank
Nationwide
NatWest
RBS
Sainsbury's
Santander
Tesco
The Co-operative Bank
TSB
Virgin Money
Yorkshire Bank
Insurance
AA Insurance
Admiral
Aviva
AXA
BUPA
Churchill
Co-op Insurance
Direct Line
Esure
Halifax
Hastings Direct Insurance
Legal and General
Lloyds
LV=
More Than
Nationwide Insurance
Petplan
Prudential
RAC
RIAS
SAGA Insurance
Sainsbury's
Swinton
Tesco
Virgin Money
Zurich
Leisure
Amazon Prime Video
Burger King
Caffe Nero
Cineworld
Costa Coffee
Deliveroo
Domino's Pizza
Greggs
Harvester
JD Wetherspoon
Just Eat
KFC
McDonald's
Nando's
Netflix
Now TV
Pizza Hut
Spotify
Starbucks
Subway
Toby Carvery
Vue Cinema
your local independent coffee shop
your local restaurant/takeaway
Public Services (Local)
GP surgery / health centre
Library
your Housing Association
your local Ambulance Service
your local Council
your local Fire Service
your local Police Service
Public Services (National)
Companies House
Disclosure and Barring Service
DVLA
HM Land Registry
HM Passport Office
HMRC (Inland Revenue)
Jobcentre Plus
National Highways
Natural Resources Wales
NHS / hospital service
Post Office
The Environment Agency
The university I attend
Retail (Food)
Aldi
ASDA
Co-op Food
Iceland
Lidl
M & S (food)
Morrisons
Ocado
Sainsbury's
Tesco
Waitrose
your local farmers' market/farm shop
Retail (Non-food)
Amazon.co.uk
Apple
Argos
B&Q
Boots UK
Costco
Currys/PC World
Ebay
H&M
Holland & Barrett
Home Bargains
Ikea
John Lewis
M & S
Matalan
Next
Pets at Home
Poundland
Primark
Specsavers
Superdrug
TK Maxx
Wilko
Services
AA
Autoglass
British Gas Home Services
DHL
DPD
Green Flag
Halfords autocentre
Hermes
Hertz
Homeserve
Kwik Fit
RAC
Royal Mail / Parcelforce
Timpson
Uber
Western Union
Yodel
your local solicitor
your local tradesman
Telecommunications & Media
BT
EE (including T-Mobile or Orange)
giffgaff
O2
Plusnet
Sky
Sky Mobile
TalkTalk
Tesco Mobile
Three
Utility Warehouse
Virgin Media
Virgin Mobile
Vodafone
Tourism
Airbnb
booking.com
British Airways Holidays
Butlins
Center Parcs
easyJet Holidays
Expedia
Haven Holidays
Hilton
Holiday Inn
Hoseasons
Hotels.com
Jet2holidays.com
Lastminute.com
Marriott
On the Beach
P&O Cruises
Premier Inn
SAGA Holidays
Travelodge
Trivago
TUI
Virgin Holidays
Transport
Arriva - Bus group
Avanti West Coast
British Airways
Brittany Ferries
C2C
CrossCountry
East Midlands Railway
easyJet
Eurotunnel
First Group - bus companies
Gatwick Express
Grand Central
Great Northern
Great Western Railway
Greater Anglia
Heathrow Express
Jet2
London North Eastern Railway
London Northwestern Railway
London Underground
Manchester Metrolink
Merseyrail
National Express
Northern / Northern Trains
P&O Ferries
Ryanair
ScotRail / ScotRail Trains
South Western Railway
Southeastern (train operating
company)
Southern
Stagecoach (Bus)
Thameslink
The Trainline.com
TransPennine Express
Transport for Wales
TUI Airways
Virgin Atlantic
West Midlands Railway
Utilities
Affinity Water
Anglian Water
Bristol Water
British Gas
Bulb
Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water)
E.ON (energy)
EDF Energy
Essex and Suffolk Water
M & S Energy
Northern Ireland Water
Northumbrian Water
npower
Octopus Energy
OVO Energy
Power NI
Scottish and Southern Electricity
Networks
Scottish and Southern Energy
(SSE)
Scottish Gas
Scottish Power
Scottish Water
Severn Trent Water
Shell Energy
South East Water
South Staffordshire Water
South West Water
Southern Water
Thames Water
The Co-operative Energy
UK Power Networks
United Utilities (water)
Utilita
Utility Warehouse
Wessex Water
Yorkshire Water
70 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
A barometer of customer satisfaction
in the UK since 2008
The UKCSI (UK Customer Satisfaction Index)
provides insight into the state of customer
satisfaction in the UK for 13 key sectors. The
UKCSI is published twice a year, in January and
July. Each UKCSI incorporates two sets of data to
create a rolling measure of customer satisfaction.
The July 2022 UKCSI includes responses from
surveys conducted between 13 September to 8
October 2021 and 21 March to 14 April 2022.
45,000 customer responses
The UKCSI is based on an online survey of over
10,000 consumers, who are representative of the
UK adult population by region, age and gender.
The July 2022 UKCSI comprises 45,000 responses,
3,000 from each sector except for Transport and
Utilities which include 6,000 responses each.
Customers are asked to rate their experience
of dealing with a specific organisation in the
previous three months. Customers rate only
one organisation per sector. Each customer can
complete the survey for up to five different sectors.
Over 25 metrics of the quality of customers’
interactions and relationship with
organisations
Customers rate the quality of their experiences and
relationship with organisations on over 25 metrics
including employee professionalism, product /
service quality, ease of dealing with an organisation,
timeliness, complaint handling and attitudes
towards trust, reputation, an organisation’s
customer ethos and ethical behaviour.
Metrics reflect the priorities identified by
customers, as well as attributes that show
a strong relationship with overall customer
satisfaction. The UKCSI also includes measures of
customer effort and a Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Customers rate organisations on a scale of 1 – 10
except for the question “how likely would you be
to recommend xx to friends and family”, which
is a scale of 0 – 10.
279 organisations received a UKCSI rating
These include 265 named organisations and 14
generic providers including “your local Council”,
“your local restaurant/takeaway” etc. Customers
select an organisation to rate from a randomised
list of leading and emerging players in each
sector which is reviewed before each UKCSI.
Customers can also select an organisation to
rate that is not on the list. Organisations which
exceed a minimum sample size are given a score
and are named within one of the 13 sector
reports.
How the UKCSI is calculated
Index scores are expressed as a number out of
100. The UKCSI score for each organisation is
the average of all of its customers’ satisfaction
scores, multiplied by ten, with a weighting
applied reflecting the priority score for each
measure. The sector score is the mean average
of all responses for that sector, multiplied by ten.
The overall UKCSI is based on the mean average
of each sector’s score.
About the
UKCSI
71UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
UKCSI sector
reports*
* Two sector reports are available as a membership benefit to The Institute’s Trusted Advisory Network
members; one report for Discovery Roadmap and Council members. For Corporate and Pathway
members, discounts apply.
Sector reports are available for purchase by non members at www.instituteofcustomerservice.com
13 reports are available with sector-specic insight and recommendations
• Customer satisfaction performance of leading organisations on over 25 customer experience metrics
• Channel use and satisfaction
• Drivers of complaints and satisfaction with complaint handling
• Links between satisfaction and future buying behaviours
• Recommendations and opportunities to improve
Sector resource packs
• Key sector and organisational measures in
spreadsheet format
• Sector satisfaction by age, region, gender
• Key issues organisations should improve
• Satisfaction by product type in the Banking,
Insurance and Telecommunications &
Media sectors
Sub-sector customer experience measures
• Leisure (Quick Service Restaurants;
Entertainment)
• Transport (Air; Rail; Coach / Bus)
• Retail Non-food (Fashion retailers)
• Utilities (Energy; Water)
Automotive
Banks & Building Societies
Insurance
Leisure
Public Services (Local)
Public Services (National)
Retail (Food)
Retail (Non-food)
Services
Telecommunications & Media
Tourism
Transport
Utilities
72 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
Breakthrough
research from The
Institute
Work with a Purpose:
Building a shared vision of the future
• Examines impact and learnings from Covid-19
• Identifies skills and capabilities organisations will need to achieve
sustainable customer experience and business performance
• Assesses what employees want from work and how organisations will
need to engage with and support their employees
• Highlights key factors that will influence work culture and practice and
implications for job design, skills and training, organisational culture,
structures and measurement.
Customer Behaviours:
Evolution or Watershed?
• Examines how customer expectations and behaviours have evolved in
the last 2 years and how they will change in the future
• Assesses if there are customer segments that can be defined around
key behaviours
• Identifies key actions and recommendations to help organisations
respond effectively to evolving customer expectations and behaviours.
73UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
To find out more about The Institute’s research programme, contact us at:
T: 0207 260 2620
Green Goes Mainstream?
Customer service and the green agenda
• Examines how customer attitudes and behaviours are influenced by the
green agenda
• Reviews how organisations are addressing the green agenda through
their operations, supply chains and in their engagement with customers
and employees
• Identifies key enablers for organisations to incorporate the green
agenda effectively in their customer proposition.
Who Do You Trust?
Improving trust through customer service
• Highlights the key factors that influence customers’ trust, or can reduce
trust in organisations
• Introduces a model of customer trust based on 7 dimensions
• Defines actions and enablers for organisations to build trust in their
relationships with customers, employees, suppliers and key stakeholders.
74 UK Customer Satisfaction Index | July 2022
T: 020 7260 2620
July 2022
instituteofcustomerservice.com
ISBN 978-1-913314-81-1
About The Institute of Customer Service
The Institute of Customer Service is the UK’s
independent, professional body for customer
service.
Our purpose is to enable organisations to achieve
tangible business benefits through excellent
customer service aligned to their business goals
and to help individuals maximise their career
potential and employability by developing their
customer service skills.
We provide tools and services to support
continuous customer service improvement and a
framework for our members to share and learn
from each other.
We are independent – setting standards so that
our customers can improve their customers’
experiences and their business performance.
The Institute is the secretariat for the All Party
Parliamentary Group on Customer Service.
Key Activities
• Research and reports on the latest customer
service trends and thinking
• Publication of the UK Customer Satisfaction
Index (UKCSI) twice a year
• Benchmarking customer experience to identify
areas for improvement, drawing on the views
of both customers and employees
• Bespoke customer insight and research
• Training and accreditation programmes for
customer service professionals
• Professional qualifications for individuals at all
stages of their career
• Public policy development.
For further information please visit
www.instituteofcustomerservice.com
