À̹ÌÁö È®´ë Customer satisfaction in overall industries in South Korea went up in 2019 to reach an all-time since the survey began in 1998 as Korean businesses vied to win consumer confidence regardless of economic downturn.
The National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) conducted by the Korea Productivity Center and University of Michigan hit 76.7 in 2019, edging up from 76.5 in 2018 with 27 industries out of 76 receiving higher scores than the previous year.
Tobacco makers recorded the sharpest gain from 75 in 2018 to 77 in 2019 on production diversification with the launch of various electronic cigarettes. Budget carriers showed the same growth thanks to the rising demand for travel amid social trends emphasizing balance between work and life.
À̹ÌÁö È®´ë Samsung C&T`s Raemian and Lotte Hotel
By company, Samsung C&T and Lotte Hotel received the highest score of 85 among 329 firms surveyed, as their respective apartment and hotel businesses were rated highly by customers. Seven out of the top 10 companies were hotel service providers as the industry has been keeping up their hard work to enhance customer services. Kumkang Shoe ranked top in the male formal shoes sector for 16 straight years. Lotte Department Store also retained its No.1 position in the industry for 17 years in a row.
Nine industries showed a decline in customer satisfaction last year, with duty-free sector posting the sharpest fall due to the shrinking Chinese visitors and too much focus on Chinese individual merchants who buy tax-free goods in Korea in bulk to resell in China.
By Song Gwang-sup and Choi Mira
[¨Ï Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]