Dubai

The UAE has registered a two-point growth in customer satisfaction index (CSI) during the first half of the year, according to a Service Hero report.

The country scored a total of 77.7 satisfaction rate. Most of the 14 sectors covered by the CSI have witnessed a steady growth.

The index measures eight key service attributes on a 10-point rating scale on a before and after basis. Scores are then converted using an algorithm to a 100-point system to make reporting the scores easier to understand. The key focus points are: staff attitude, speed, location, value, reliability, product quality, call centre, website, comparison to an ideal, and likelihood to recommend.

The data show a strong improvement in various sectors, home furniture topped the list with an 83.7 satisfaction score while mobile operators stayed at the bottom with a poor 64.6 satisfaction score, followed by retails banks with 71.2.

Other industries that performed well were electronics, supermarkets and casual dining. “The UAE market offers each consumer an array of choices, and as customers express their demands and needs this will ultimately help build long-standing relationships of value that transcend people’s lives to a better place.” Faten Abu Ghazaleh, President and Founder of Service Hero, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The report also revealed that sectors like Islamic banking, home furniture and supermarkets witnessed a notable increase in customer satisfaction, with 5.5 points, 4.5 points, and 3.8 points respectively, whereas mobile operators saw decreased by 0.9 points.

While customer satisfaction has increased in general, both value for money and call centre are still at the bottom of the service index.

On the other hand, physical location (attractiveness, convenience, parking access and timings), reliability and staff were rated the highest.

When comparing the results with the 2016 index results, it is clear that all service attributes witnessed an improvement. With the call centre has topping the list with 2.6 points, and website only improving by one point.

In line with last year’s results, the index shows that customer expectations and satisfactions towards the services they receive is dependent to how sophisticated they are. In terms of demographics, Arab expats continue to be the least satisfied while Emiratis are most satisfied, noting that satisfaction has mostly increased with those aged above 50.