Guide to the UK Customer Satisfaction Index

The UK Customer Satisfaction Index is a bi-annual survey and report conducted by the Institute of Customer Service. Learn more about the UKCSI and how it acts as a national barometer of customer satisfaction across multiple industries and organisations. 

About the UKCSI

The UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) from the Institute of Customer Service calculates an overall score based on how customers rate organisations across 26 measures, each categorised into one of five dimensions of customer satisfaction: experience, complaint handling, customer ethos, emotional connection and ethics.

Overall Scores

The current overall index score is 78.2 out of 100, 0.9 points higher than in July 2025 but still 0.2 points lower than in July 2022. Across the five dimensions of customer satisfaction, experience scores the highest (79.4), while complaint handling still scores lowest (63.1). Customer ethos (77.6), emotional connection (77.3) and ethics (76.4) score similarly.

By Sector

All 13 UKCSI sectors have a higher level of customer satisfaction than in January 2025. Retail (Non-Food) leads with 81.6, while Utilities lags with 73.1. However, improvement since July 2025 is greatest in Services (+3.8pts), Transport (+3.1pts) and Utilities (+3.1).

By Organisation

Of the 272 organisations included in the UKCSI, 120 have improved their score by at least 2 points in the past 12 months. The 10 highest-scoring organisations span 87.0 to 84.7 and several sectors. These are: First Direct, John Lewis, Hays Travel, Nationwide, Jet2holidays, Starling Bank, Petplan, Tesco Mobile, PayPal, and tied for 10^th place is Holland & Barrett, M&S and M&S (Food).

Many of these same organisations score among the highest for the five dimensions of customer satisfaction. For both experience, customer ethos and emotional connection, First Direct is top-rated. NS&I (National Savings and Investments) scores highest for complaint handling, John Lewis for ethics.

Drivers of Customer Satisfaction

Two main factors are shown to have improved average customer satisfaction: more organisations have improved their effectiveness in complaint handling, delivering ‘right-first-time’ experiences, customer care, and more customers feel that organisations have demonstrated genuine care and understood and responded to customers’ personal needs and situations.

Customer Finances

42.6% of customers are more optimistic about the immediate prospects of their own financial well-being in the next 12 months compared with 31.1% who are optimistic about growth in the UK economy over the same period.

Customer Values

Around a quarter of customers say that, in the last 12 months, good value (31.5%), best price (26.9%) and quality of product or service (26.3%) have become more important to them when choosing to buy from or use an organisation.

What Would Customers Pay Extra For?

Across all customers and sectors, leading factors that would motivate customers to pay extra are speed/convenience (27.7%), a better, more personalised service experience (22.1%) and easy access to customer service advisors (19.3%).

Consumers Making a Major Purchase

While 28% of consumers believe that now is a good time to make a major purchase (such as a car, furniture or television), 31% disagree and 41% are unsure. Just 6.8% of customers with poor or very poor financial well-being feel this is a good time to make a major purchase, whereas 59% say that it’s a bad time and 34.2% are unsure.

Recommendations for Organisations

1. Personalised Care
2. Harnessing artificial intelligence
3. Investing in quality and value
4. Trust, transparency and reputation
5. Right first time experiences, problems and complaints
6. Engaging the workforce of today and tomorrow
7. Resilience and risk management
8. Wider societal impact
9. Leadership, culture and long-term focus

About Whistl Contact Solutions

Whistl Contact Solutions provides outsourced customer service and call centre services to help you boost your company’s customer service, loyalty, and success. Our omni-channel and multi-channel solutions include inbound and outbound customer service support through channels like phone, email, social media, and live chat.

Get in touch to find out more about UK-based solutions that deliver human and empathetic service, driving real results. 

Figures taken from last update in January 2026