Credit Union tops customer experience ranking for record 9th year in a row

Since its first publication back in 2015 the CXi Customer Experience Report has provided an important and detailed insight into how consumers feel about brands in Ireland, and this year is no different.

The report is published annually by the CX Company and the findings are based on a survey conducted in partnership with Amarách Research, where a cross-section of almost 18,000 consumers are asked to give their feedback on over 150 companies spanning 11 business sectors.

This year 85% of organisations in the survey improved their overall customer experience scores, meaning there are encouraging signs that focus is being put on listening to customers, identifying issues and improving experiences.

Nevertheless, despite this year's improvements, customer experience scores are still slightly below the peak they reached in 2015.

So, what did this year’s report reveal?

Top 10

Sitting at the top of the leaderboard yet again this year is the Credit Union. Amazingly, it's the brand’s ninth year in a row in pole position, and it's the only brand to have remained in the top 10 since the survey started in 2015.

The key reason according to the report is that staff treat all customers as valued members. When someone joins a Credit Union, they're not simply joining a banking service, rather they join a caring group fixated with providing relevant services to people they know in local communities. As such, Credit Unions get to know members as if they are members of their own family. And this personal touch is clearly appreciated by Irish consumers.

In second place was Allcare Pharmacies, which rose 15 places from last year. According to the report Allcare Pharmacies has continued to grow its market share at pace while never losing its focus on customer experience for both its patients and customers. It maintains its investment in technology, particularly around communications for its vulnerable customers, while continuing to invest in bright new retail fit outs across the country. 

In third spot was Powercity, which rose an impressive 29 places compared to last year. The retailer has focused on making it easier for customers to do business with the company and continues to offer great value to customers who gave it a 14% value improvement score versus 2022. 

Smyths Toystore is in fourth place, up a whopping 38 places compared to last year, while Specsavers rounds out the top five. 

All brands in the top ten improved their customer experience scores over the past year with the biggest increases coming from Smyths Toystore and PowerCity. However only the Credit Union had a score that was higher than eight.

Overall, Eir was the brand with the most improved score this year, up 22.2% compared to last year. However it still only came in at number 143 on the list. That being said, Eir still has a number of good deals available for those looking to upgrade their broadband and TV - check them out here!

DAA was the next most improved company, with its score rising 17.1% compared to 2022, allowing it to rise 20 places to number 110 in this year's rankings. 

In terms of jumps, the biggest risers in the table were the Irish Passport Office (up 68 places to number 18), Aer Lingus (up 58 places to number 41) and Smyths Toystore which rose 38 places.

As for bonkers.ie? We aren't included in the annual survey. For now. But maybe next year! 

Here’s a closer look at this year's top ten as well as the respective companies' customer experience scores.

Bottom 10

Where there are companies killing it when it comes to customer experience and going above and beyond, there are also those who, well, aren’t.

And at the bottom was RTE, which has clearly suffered in the wake of the Ryan Tubridy pay scandal.

Just ahead of RTE is Facebook.

Also featuring in the bottom ten were Free Now, Ryanair, Go Ahead, and Ticketmaster which has received a lot of backlash in recent weeks over its poor handling of tickets sales for Taylor Swift and Coldplay. 

Brands in the energy sector also struggled this year, unsurprising given the continued energy crisis, with Electric Ireland, Energia, SSE Airtricity and Bord Gáis Energy all seeing falls in their rankings. Confusion over billing and difficulty getting through to call centres were big bugbears among consumers. However Flogas bucked the trend and saw a rise in its ranking.

RTE was the brand with the biggest customer experience score decrease, down -17.1% compared to last year. This was followed by Ticketmaster, which saw its score drop by -11.1% and the NCT, which saw its score drop by -6.3%. The NCT has seen itself in the headlines throughout the year after long testing delays and its refusal to accept cash angered customers.

In terms of falls, the biggest fallers in the table were Very (down 68 places to number 92), Just Eat (down 68 places to number 128) and Currys/PC World which fell 66 places to 106

Are you happy with your service providers?

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Let’s hear from you!

What do you think of the results from the latest Customer Experience Report? Are you surprised with how any of the companies ranked? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below! 

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