Some Brands Improved Customer Service Despite Pandemic

The market research firm analyzed 85,073 U.S. consumers’ perceptions of 220 companies across 13 industries to score their experience on a scale of 0 to 100. Each “CX Index” score was made up of customers’ impressions on qualities such as a brand’s effectiveness and ease to work with, as well as how likely they were to remain loyal to and advocate for the brand.

CX Index scores had been steadily rising before the pandemic, but it wasn’t clear whether the tumult of 2020 would interrupt that, said TJ Keitt, a principal analyst at Forrester and lead author of the report.

“You may have assumed that because everything was thrown off-kilter last year people may have had degraded customer experiences,” Mr. Keitt said. “But that didn’t happen.”

The share of companies with “OK” or “good” customer experience scores rose by 5 percentage points to 91% in 2021 from 86% in 2020. And while 14% of companies received a “very poor” or “poor” score in 2020, only 9% did this year.

“Customer experience” was a term thrown around a lot by business leaders throughout the pandemic, to the point that it risked sounding like lip-service, Mr. Keitt said.

But with store closures, product shortages and other external hazards whipsawing business, customer service suddenly stood out as one of the few things left a company could control. That attention also became more important to customers, as their priorities and expectations rapidly shifted to a new reality.

Some companies improved their customer experience by investing in making it easier to shop online, joining with delivery companies, and investing in tools and training to reassure customers of their safety.

Pet-care company Chewy Inc. topped Forrester’s rankings with a score of 84.4 out of 100, 0.6 point shy of landing in the “excellent” category.

It was the first time Forrester had included Chewy in the CX Index. The last time the index deemed a brand “excellent” was in 2016.

Chewy runs a number of programs to keep customers loyal, ranging from a pet telehealth service to sending some customers surprise oil paintings of their animals.

The specificity and nature of the market Chewy serves—pet owners—likely contributed to its score, Mr. Keitt said. “They understand people who really love their pets, and that’s been something that’s allowed them the ability to build a very devoted customer base,” he said.

Navy Federal Credit Union’s banking business, online marketplace Etsy Inc. and grocery chain Trader Joe’s Co. also claimed CX index scores of 80 and above. Five utilities raised their scores to “OK” from “poor,” while nine car brands improved to “good” from “OK.”

Companies caught in what Forrester called the pandemic’s crosshairs had a more mixed performance. Most health insurers improved their scores, for instance; but most hotel chains saw their scores decline.

Airlines saw no significant change in their industry average, though Delta Air Lines Inc., American Airlines Inc. and United Airlines Inc. all improved their scores.

The companies that came out on top met their customers “in the moment” of the pandemic, Mr. Keitt said. Some airlines helped themselves by extending frequent fliers’ statuses when people weren’t able to travel, for example, and being rigorous on Covid-19 safety protocols.

“But if your brand was rigid, or unable to demonstrate the nimbleness necessary to meet the moment, you were most likely punished in customers’ eyes,” he said.

Write to Katie Deighton at [email protected]