Jet2, Booking.com and Virgin Atlantic have emerged as among the top ten UK companies offering the best customer experiences of 2018, a new survey shows.
The study demonstrates that it is the emotional aspects of customer experience that help companies stand out from the competition and create growth.
Leisure carrier Jet2 was fifth in the list above Booking.com in sixth place and Virgin Atlantic ninth.
Lush was top followed by Netflix, John Lewis and First Direct. Ocado, Disney and Ikea make up the list of the top UK companies for customer experience.
Nearly 6,000 UK consumers were asked to think of a company that ‘gets them’ and rate that company against 21 emotional cues, including ‘They notice and appreciate my loyalty’ or ‘They make me feel smart.’
The study by global branding agency C Space collected opinions on more than 1,000 top companies, across 19 industries.
It highlights 21 emotional cues that drive where and why people choose to spend and statistically links those factors to company growth metrics.
The report says companies which display the same emotional cues that people value in strong human relationships – such as making customers feel smart and proud, noticing and appreciating loyalty, being interested in ongoing dialogue and sharing customers’ values – outperform companies that do not.
Companies that deliver better on these emotional cues saw a direct correlation to growth.
These cues are linked to increased volume and frequency of purchase and also likelihood to recommend.
UK Top 10:
1 LUSH
2 Netflix
3 John Lewis
4 First Direct
5 Jet2
6 Booking.com
7 Ocado
8 Disney
9 Virgin Atlantic
10 Ikea
Charles Trevail, CEO of both C Space and brand consultancy Interbrand, said: “Customers have the ultimate power – the power of choice. Choice is a powerful force, and one that isn’t entirely rational.
“Choices are made in the context of a customer’s experience – past, present and future. It stands to reason that customers choose companies that offer better experiences – who meet our emotional needs as well as our functional ones.
“Companies that connect with who we want to be, not who the data says we were. It follows, therefore, that company growth comes from understanding and designing for people – the emotions they feel, the daily decisions they make, the challenges they face, and everything that happens in between.
“Our research shows that mapping emotional cues on to customer experience is the key to competitive advantage and growth.
“The companies that customers rate most highly are the ones that understand relevance, what to stand for and when to listen.
“If a customer believes a company is ‘getting it right’ they are more likely to behave in ways that help drive growth through repeat purchase, recommendation and loyalty.”