CFI Group Releases National Customer Satisfaction Index () Results

Airlines, Mobile Phone Service Providers, and Energy Utilities

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LONDON –  May 30, 2012 – Customer satisfaction at the national level grew just 0.1% in the first quarter of 2012, after falling by 0.3% in Q4 of 2011, according to the National Customer Satisfaction Index () results released today. The index is currently 74.6 on a 0-100 scale. The slight increase is the result of gains for mobile phones and the lowest-scoring industries in the UK: airlines and energy utilities.

Customer satisfaction with Energy Utilities improves by 3% to an NCSI score of 69 – still a very low score by NCSI standards, but a five-year high for the industry. By contrast, Energy Utilities in the United States have an average score of 76.7 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), where there is much more competition in the industry.

• Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) has the highest customer satisfaction, rising 1% to 73, well ahead of the rest of the “Big Six” energy companies. E.ON is the closest competitor (up 1%) at 69.

• npower shows the most improvement, surging 8% to 68. Scottish Power is unchanged at 68.

• British Gas advances by 3% to 67.

• Only EDF declines, dropping 4% to an NCSI score of 65.

Airline passenger satisfaction rises from 68 to 69, but remains well below average for a service industry. However, UK airlines outperform airlines in the US, which have an average score of 65 on the ACSI.

•Virgin Atlantic passengers still rate the airline best for customer satisfaction (+1% to 74).
 
•British Airways (BA) improves for the second year, up from 70 to 72, closing in on Virgin.

•Flybe improves from 69 to 70; EasyJet from 65 to 66.

Customer satisfaction with Mobile Phone Service rises to a score of 75, while Wireless Telephone Service in the US declines (71).

• Tesco Mobile increases customer satisfaction from 82 to 84, a very high score for any company, regardless of industry.

• O2 advances (+ 3% to 76) ahead of Virgin Mobile (+1%), Orange (+4%) and T-Mobile (+1%), all at 75.

• Vodafone is the only mobile company to decline, down from 73 to 72.

• Three improves (from 67 to 69), but remains in last place.

Full results and benchmark scores from the National Customer Satisfaction Index available at www.cfigroup.com.


About
The National Customer Satisfaction Index applies the technology and methodology of CFI Group and the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Results are based on survey data from than 6000 customers collected via online panel during Q1 of 2012. This methodology was developed at the University of Michigan and has been adopted worldwide as a leading macro- and micro-level indicator by universities, governments, and countries including the United States (www.theacsi.org), the United Kingdom, Sweden, Singapore, Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and Barbados.