Last night saw the launch of Roy Morgan Research’s inaugural Customer Satisfaction Awards, with some interesting results. The list of 2011 award winners include names such as Qantas, ANZ and Westpac.

Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan Research, says that the winners are leaders in their fields in terms of satisfying their customers, and that the importance of that is only increasing: “Customer satisfaction is more vital than ever in today’s age of social media, where the slightest negative customer interaction can literally be broadcast to thousands, virtually instantly.

“These Awards are based on proven, trusted data that is already accepted as the ‘currency’ in many industries. Unlike many awards, the results cannot be influenced by preselection criteria, like the businesses’ willingness to pay an entry fee.”

Customer satisfaction ratings are collected from Roy Morgan’s ‘Single Source’ survey of approximately 50,000 Australian consumers, as well as its ‘Business Single Source’ survey of 22,000 decision makers, each conducted annually.

The 2011 award winners are:

Automotive

Lexus  –  Car manufacturer of the year

Tourism and travel:

Air New Zealand  –  International airline of the year

Qantas  –   Domestic airline of the year

Crowne Plaza  –  Hotel of the year

Retail:

Autobarn  –  Auto store of the year

Michel’s Patisserie  –  Coffee shop of the year

Katies  –  Clothing store of the year

David Jones  –  Department store of the year

The Good Guys  –  Furniture/electrical store of the year

Bunnings  –  Hardware store of the year

JB Hi-Fi  –  Music/book store of the year

AMCAL  –  Pharmacy of the year

Fasta Pasta  –  Quick service restaurant of the year

Williams  –  Shoe store of the year

Sports Power  –  Sports store of the year

Aldi  –  Supermarket of the year

Banking and insurance:

ME Bank  –  Bank of the year

ANZ  –  Major bank of the year

Bendigo Bank  –  Business bank of the year

Westpac  –  Major business bank of the year

Newcastle Permanent  –  Building society of the year

Victoria Teachers Credit Union  –  Credit union of the year

Suncorp Bank  –  Retail superannuation fund of the year

Catholic Super  –  Industry superannuation fund of the year

Prime Super  –  Business superannuation manager of the year

Defence Health  –  Private health insurer of the year

AXA  –  Risk & life insurer of the year

RACV  –  General insurer of the year

WFI (Wesfarmers Insurance)  –  Business insurer of the year

Telecommunications:

AAPT  –  Home phone provider of the year

Internode  –  Internet service provider of the year

Apple  –  Mobile handset of the year

Virgin Mobile  –  Mobile service provider of the year

Utilities

Red Energy  –  Electricity provider of the year

ActewAGL  –  Gas provider of the year

 

Beginning with January this year, the awards will also be awarded monthly, and can be tracked here.