Customer satisfaction on the rise despite the curfew
Satisfaction ratings bounced back in September and customer confidence remains high despite the new lockdown measures, according to the latest Customer Sentiment Tracker from Feed It Back and KAM Media.
According to 182,699 customers who completed a Feed It Back survey for a visit in September, the hospitality net promoter score (NPS) has risen to 60, after a low in August of 54. This compares to 57 in September 2019. The ‘premium casual’ segment is leading the way (68) closely followed by ‘leisure’ (63) and pubs (61.)
Satisfaction ratings were also up compared with August, for food and drink quality, service levels, atmosphere and cleanliness. Even ‘value for money’ saw a small improvement in hospitality customers’ eyes compared with August.
Carlo Platia, CEO at Feed It Back: “Last month’s EOTHO scheme may have attracted customers back into hospitality but they were definitely harsher critics, with August’s ratings and NPS dropping across the board. September has bought a new level of customer appreciation with NPS and satisfaction ratings rising. And the vast majority of customers still feel very safe.”
The tracker also shows that customer confidence saw a rise in September, with the latest lockdown measures seemingly having little effect on the customers who chose to visit a pub or restaurant. 96% say their experience left them feeling safe enough to return. This didn’t change even after the 10pm curfew kicked in. The figure has in fact been consistently above 94% since hospitality re-opened at the start of July.
Consumer confidence of the general public towards eating and drinking out has however been somewhat damaged by the introduction of the curfew, with sales hit hard in the sector. 13% of UK adults say they are now more concerned about visit a venue and 14% say they now intend to visit pubs and restaurants less frequently.
Katy Moses, MD at KAM Media: “For the overall British public, there is no doubt that confidence has been shaken. But those who are still actually visiting the venues are having safe and enjoyable experiences and they plan to return. This really is testament to all the operators who are working so hard to protect their customers and their businesses right now. For hospitality this means continuing to build customer confidence. It also clearly highlights how critical it is to look after your current customer base. Winning totally new customers will be harder than ever before, so looking after your current customers is, as always, the number one priority.”
The latest tracker also shows how cleanliness is still firmly on hospitality customers’ radars with the proportion of complaints relating to ‘cleanliness’ increasing by 200% compared with September 2019. The proportion of ‘value for money’ and ‘atmosphere’ related complaints have also seen a rise year-on-year.
The Customer Sentiment Tracker measures key KPI’s focussed on customer sentiment including NPS and satisfaction ratings covering cleanliness, atmosphere, service and value. To receive the tracker direct to your inbox, email allears@feeditback.com
KAM Media
KAM Media is a boutique research consultancy, specialising in hospitality and retail. Our research and insights tools, and services, are designed to give our clients the critical knowledge needed to understand why, where, when and how to create an impactful and engaging customer experience, at every stage of the journey.
For more information contact:
Katie Jenkins – KAM Media – katie@kam-media.co.uk
Feed It Back
Feed It Back is a company that tracks the word on the street about operators, through immediate feedback on experiences and online review platforms, such as Facebook and TripAdvisor. It aggregates all feedback into one easy to use platform that allows operators to efficiently deal with feedback they otherwise wouldn’t have heard, reward employees for excellent service and turn negative experiences into positives.
It currently boasts a range of clients including: Loungers, Boston Tea Party, Tenpin, Brains, and Paul UK, to name a few.
For further information, contact allears@feeditback.com