Supermarkets score highly in customer service research while utilities and banks rank poorly

Supermarkets and pharmacy chains are among the businesses giving customers the best experiences in the Republic, while certain banks, travel companies such as taxi app Free Now, and energy companies are among those giving a poor experience, according to new research.

The Irish Customer Service Report (CXi survey), an annual piece of research carried out on behalf of consultancy the CX Company, says overall the experiences of Irish customers have started to improve since the end of Covid lockdowns.

The research, which ranks more than 150 companies and brands based upon the experiences of customers surveyed by Amarach Consulting, puts the Irish Credit Union brand at the top of the pile for the eighth straight year.

Dunnes Stores, which made improvements to its app over the year, has replaced Aldi has as the highest-ranked supermarket group here. It jumped 19 places to sixth. SuperValu came in 11th place, while British retailer Marks & Spencer, which offers grocery, clothes and homewares in Ireland, came in fourth position. Pharmacy chains McCauley’s, Hickey’s, Life and Boots were all in the top 10.

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Telco Eir, Facebook and Irish Water were all near the bottom of the rankings. CX Company said AIB had an “annus horribilis”, dropping 51 places to 125th, while utility companies such as Bord Gáis Energy, Electric Ireland, Energia and Flogas achieved poor rankings due to confusion over billing and difficulty getting through to call centres.

Free Now fell 53 places to 132nd over perceptions of “no shows, long wait times and unfriendly drivers”, according to research.