The Sweet Smell of Customer Experience Excellence

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Bath and beauty retailer Lush has been named the number one customer experience brand in the UK by KPMG Nunwood.

Customer specialists KPMG Nunwood have released their latest Customer Experience Excellence Centre analysis. Now in its sixth year, the research draws on over 10,000 consumer interviews to provide a comprehensive and in-depth look at UK customer experience.

Topping this year’s chart as the provider of the best customer experience in the UK, is bath and beauty retailer Lush, which has risen six spots in the chart in the last three years to a CEE score of 8.32.

What is the secret to their customer experience success?

KMPG Nunwood highlights Lush’ moral and ethical background, which is not a message used solely to differentiate the brand from other retailers, but the values are implemented across all aspects of the company and have a strong position within Lush’ customer experience strategy too.

Mark Constantine, one of Lush’s founders, highlighted the example of waste reduction to help the planet.

He told KPMG Nunwood about the importance of creating products that shoppers truly need, rather than force purchases by discounting items.

Constantine said: "If you only give proper value and you don’t discount, you just give good service where you really focus on getting the right thing for that person with as much skill as you can, you will be doing more for the environment than more or less anything else you could do."

Joining Lush in the top 5 UK customer experience brands for 2015 are First Direct (down to second place with a CEE score of 8.26), John Lewis (down to one spot to third place with a score of 8.12), Richer Sounds (moving from 22nd place to fourth with a score of 8.08) and QVC (who dropped from third place to fifth with a score of 8.05).

SEE ALSO: How QVC Engages With Customers Through a Differentiated Discovery Driven Shopping Experience

In a separate piece of research launched today, Lush also tops the chart for providing the best customer service in the UK. The cosmetics brand leads the way in the poll by consumer champion Which? with a customer service score of 89 per cent.

Which? surveyed over 3,500 members of the public in May 2015 about the big brands they had interacted with in the previous 12 months, whether face to face or by email, telephone, writing or social networking sites.

Each brand was rated on making their customers feel valued, knowledge of products and services, helpfulness of staff, resolving complaints or problems and access to customer support. Respondents were also asked to give brands an overall rating for customer service, which is where the customer service score comes from.

Rounding out the top 5 of brands providing the best customer service in the UK are First Direct (customer service score of 86 per cent), Lakeland (84 per cent), Body Shop and John Lewis (both receiving a score of 83 per cent).


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