Overall satisfaction with customer service has dipped to an all-time low for the energy sector, research from Ofgem has revealed.
The regulator’s quarterly consumer perception of the energy market survey has polled thousands of customers each quarter since Q4 2018.
The 10th such survey, covering Q1 2021, found satisfaction declined to 69 per cent (a tracker low) from 73 per cent in the previous quarter.
Overall satisfaction with suppliers meanwhile was significantly lower (73 per cent) than in recent quarters (76 per cent in Q3 and Q4 2020), but is at the same level as it was during the same period last year.
Ofgem says this could be due to seasonal variation over the course of the year and might also have been influenced by the decision not to conduct the face-to-face interview component of the survey this quarter due to Covid.
The survey found significantly more consumers are dissatisfied with the telephone or online customer service received compared to the end of 2020. For example, 22 per cent were dissatisfied with telephone service (vs. 19 per cent in Q4 2020) and 17 per cent dissatisfied with online service (vs. 14 per cent Q4 2020).
The number of people satisfied with bill accuracy also declined from the tracking high of 77 per cent in Q4 2020 to 74 per cent.
Although telephone remains the most common contact channel, its use is declining (53 per cent in Q1 2021 vs 58 per cent in Q4 2018). The use of email is gradually increasing and is now at 23 per cent (compared to 20 per cent at the start of the tracking).
Furthermore, there has been an increase to a tracking high of the proportion considering switching supplier (23 per cent).
The research also looked at complaints and found that while the proportion of consumers lodging a complaint is steady at 3 per cent, satisfaction with the complaints handling process has declined to a tracking low with just 23 per cent satisfied while two thirds (68 per cent) are dissatisfied.
Half of those surveyed said they had a smart meter and over time the satisfaction with the installation process has increased. It is now at 81 per cent compared to 76 per cent at the start of tracking in Q4 2018.