Customerthumbs-upforcredit unionsandSamMcCauley
CREDIT Unions have once again emerged as the big winners in the second annual survey of Irish brands based on the experiences of customers.
New entry cosmetic retailer Lush and An Post took second and third place respectively in the survey which has been published in an in-depth report by Dublin based company, Customer Experience Insights (CXi)
The purpose of the survey, which was carried out by Amarách Research for CXi, is to raise the level of customer experience excellence in Ireland.
Seven brands represented in Wexford are included in the top 10, among them home-grown Sam McCauley which came in fourth.
Commenting on the high placing, Sam McCauley said; ‘We are thrilled and honoured to be held in such high regard by our customers. Offering the best choice, value for money and convenience for our customers is central to what Sam McCauley Chemists is all about. We are committed to providing our customers with the very best shopping environment available, teamed with the widest range of products and services.’
‘We are very grateful to our loyal customers, and to our dedicated staff - a number of whom have given up to 30 and 40 years’ service to the company. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today,’ he said.
The McCauley family involvement in pharmacy dates back some 60 years when Sam’s father established the first store in Enniscorthy. The Sam McCauley Chemists Group commenced its expansion with its first branch in Redmond Square in Wexford in 1991, Sam McCauley Chemists has grown to 29 stores today, employing more than 550 people, with a turnover of more than €90 million.
David Maguire from Wexford Credit Union said movement was delighted to receive the award for the second year in a row.
‘ The credit union movement prides itself in its service to members and its strong community involvement,’ he said. Mr Maguire said the credit unions’ dedicated friendly staff provide a face-to-face service to members, which was still very welcoming.
Michael Killeen of CXi said the Credit Unions’ continuing success was down to the fact that they put members at the heart of everything they do.
‘All 339 Credit unions share the same ethos. They are a customer centric business and their culture, behaviours and activity flow from this. Looking after members comes naturally to staff while trust is at the heart of their customer relationships.’
‘ That’s why they score so highly in our Empathy, Expectations and Time & Effort CX Pillars. The local community dynamic and personal relationships are also highly valued in Ireland. It helps to explain why credit unions, An Post, pharmacies and hairdressing salons all feature among the best performers in the survey.’ Killeen said.
One of the most dramatic fallers in this year’s survey is Luas. The company was a top performer last year (22) but has dropped out of the Top 100 in the new survey. A strike at the company halted services for 12 days during the summer.
Cathy Summers from CXi says the current industrial action at Dublin Bus (Not in Top 100) will undoubtedly have an impact on how the company is perceived by consumers.
‘Industrial action is also possible at Bus Eireann (95). One of their direct competitors, CityLink, at number 5 is one of the best performers in the survey and this will undoubtedly add to the debate on private versus public bus services and proposed changes to the operations of Bus Eireann’s Expressway.’
‘In the airline sector Ryanair at 77 makes the Top 100 for the first time, its new approach to customer experience, improvements to its digital platforms and cabin baggage policy making an impression with customers. While Aer Lingus has slipped a few places it’s still comfortably ahead of its rival at number 28,’ Summers said.
According to the survey, the Insurance sector was the worst performer of all 10 categories, driven in the main by huge hikes in car premiums and difficult to understand products. While companies performed poorly under the Personalisation, Expectations and Integrity Pillars, the biggest drop was in Empathy. All 10 car insurance firms surveyed fail to make the Top 100 while new entrant AIG – in spite of its high profile sponsorship of Dublin GAA – only comes in at 146.
The Telecoms category, which includes most of the TV and internet providers, saw an improvement in its overall scores. That said only 3 of the 11 telecom brands surveyed made it into the Top 100.
A new entrant this year, the Public Sector, has plenty of room for improvement in the Time & Effort and Empathy pillars. The top performer was the Passport Office at 32 while the Gardai made it into the Top 100 at 97.
In the Utilities sector Airtricity and Electric Ireland are the most improved brands while Irish Water remains the lowest scoring of all brands in the survey.
While the Financial sector saw a very slight decline in overall scores, AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank all saw improvements in their own results, while Ulster Bank at 83, was the only bank with a branch network to make it into the Top 100.
Gerard O’Neill of Amarach Research said this year’s top 10 performers included an interesting mix of value and premium brands.
“It looks as if Irish people are beginning to loosen the purse strings again, to reward themselves, but in a much more selective fashion than previously and very often with companies who provide a superior experience. If a company has the ability to do lots of small things brilliantly for customers, it will be successful.’
“For example the biggest mover in the survey was Peter Mark which moved up 47 places to number six. Customers place great trust in their hairdresser and the company empowers staff to build on that, and to provide a tailored personal service to them.’
‘Boots and Sam McAuley Pharmacies do something very similar in their sector while a host of new entrants, all of whom actively encourage staff to engage with customers, have all performed well. These include Lush, the highest new entrant at number 2, Home Store and More, which came in at number 12, and Tiger at 26.’
Several value brands were also highly rated by consumers and overall the supermarket sector is a top performer. Aldi (8) is the leader, but M&S is at 9 while discounter Lidl is not far behind at 13. Penneys (10) was viewed as best for loyalty while Dealz (22) was best for value.
While still lagging the UK and the US, Ireland has seen a modest uplift in its overall CX score in 2016 with the top 10 brands in particular seeing improvements. Last year only three brands would have made the UK Top 10, this year the number is five.
However the findings show it is the Expectations pillar which continues to be the most significant gap for Irish businesses and this indicates that companies here are still over promising and under-delivering.