In a survey of more than 7,500 consumers, advisory firm KPMG identified the top companies when it comes to providing customer service. The survey evaluated more than 250 top companies across 10 business sectors, and identified the Navy Federal Credit, USAA, Disney Parks, H-E-B Grocery, Calvin Klein, Publix, Wegmans, Avon, JetBlue Airways, and Amazon as the top 10 customer service providers.
One of the key metrics of success for companies was personalized experience, which goes a long way toward making customers feel appreciated and makes them more likely to keep coming back.
Julio J. Hernandez, global Customer Center of Excellence lead and U.S. customer advisory lead at New York-based KPMG, said in a statement that customers want to be valued as individuals:
“In 2018, the concept of individuality and the unique sense of self remain equally relevant—however, now companies must not only show that they know their customers’ names but that they know them as a person. Today’s immediate gratifications consumers want to feel valued and recognized as an individual. In a world where consumers realize that their personal data has value, firms need to understand what information customers want to share and how they want to be engaged.”
Three of the top 10 companies on KPGM’s survey were grocers, and all three have moved up the rankings since last year after making changes to better suit customers’ growing expectations for shopping experiences. “The leading grocery retailers demonstrate an immersive and often sensorial experience, which keeps them at the top of the rankings," the report stated.
KPGM’s report also found a correlation between outstanding customer service and revenue growth, which demonstrates the importance of investing in customer experience to drive profitability. “Financial analysis showed the brands ranked in the top 50 experienced 50 percent higher revenue growth than the bottom 50 and generated earnings before income, taxes, depreciation, and amortization growth more than three times higher than the bottom 50,” according to the report.
The firm’s rankings were based on six pillars of customer experience excellence, which by KPGM’s definition includes integrity, personalization, resolution, expectations, time and effort, and empathy.