Amazon and John Lewis ranked best brands for customer service

The ranking, dominated by retail brands, forms part of a study by service design consultancy Engine into customer attitudes as well as what makes for a good customer experience.

Engine co-founder Joe Heapy said: “Amazon is taking the customer experience to a whole new level, continually rolling out new business models – be it Prime, Prime Wardrobe, Alexa and Echo, Amazon Fresh or the Dash ordering button – to deliver customers the things they want as quickly as possible.”

Commenting on John Lewis, Heapy said: “Although a much more traditional brand, John Lewis keeps upping its game too, be it [with] in-store iPhone apps, a dedicated smart home space or a new ‘experiential’ store including a beauty spa, travel agent and community room.”

However, as a sector, retail came in third place for customer service behind restaurants and hotels.

The industry suffered a 1.7% year-on-year drop in the proportion of people citing it as one of the best sectors for service – the fourth biggest fall among the 14 sectors covered.

The study also revealed that consumers are more than twice as likely to recommend a company or brand based on the quality of service than they are on price.

Heapy said: “This is a reassuring reminder for retailers that are worried about competing on price. Quality is far more important.”