New data by business communications provider Esendex has revealed that the retail industry is underperforming in customer service, with long wait times, limited communication options and low customer satisfaction highlighting ongoing challenges for the sector.
Building on Esendex’s 2025 research, the latest study produced a Customer Service Index using key indicators to measure how well industries support their customers.
These included wait times to reach a human agent on the phone and the availability of other communication channels such as web chat, SMS and WhatsApp across financial services, retail, utilities, insurance and telecoms.
Retail ranked fourth overall, with retailers offering an average of just 2.1 customer service channels, among the lowest of all industries in the study. E-commerce brands perform even worse, providing only 1.2 channels on average and often relying solely on email or web forms.
This limited choice of communication methods correlates with poor customer sentiment. E-commerce brands recorded a Trustpilot score of 2.74/5, compared to 2.83 for retail overall – both below the cross-industry average of 3.4.
The study revealed that financial services once again emerged as the best-performing industry, providing the fastest access to human support. Customers in this sector wait just one minute and 59 seconds on average to speak with a human, well below the overall average.
By contrast, telecoms businesses ranked lowest in the index, driven primarily by the sector’s low Trustpilot score of 2.3. It came second lowest for the number of communication channels (2.3), despite a relatively short phone wait time of two minutes and seven seconds.
The utilities sector also underperformed, with a low number of communication channels (3.5) and long wait times (seven minutes and 44 seconds) weighing the sector down to third place.
Insurance ranked second due to its high number of communication channels, strong Trustpilot score and average wait time.
This year, UK consumers wait an average of three minutes and 33 seconds to reach a human customer service representative – a significant improvement on last year, when consumers had to wait more than five minutes.
The findings underline the growing importance of investing in both efficient service systems and a broad mix of communication channels to meet rising customer expectations.
Industries that fail to give customers easy ways to make contact, receive prompt, accurate support and build trust in the service they receive risk falling behind.
Richard Hanscott, CEO of Esendex, said: “Today’s retail customers expect fast, frictionless support, but our findings show many retailers are still falling short. Limited contact options and longer wait times make it harder for customers to get help when they need it, which can quickly damage trust and loyalty.
“With increasingly busy lives, shoppers want to contact retailers through the channels that suit them best, whether that’s web chat, SMS or messaging apps like WhatsApp. Retailers that invest in faster response times and a broader mix of communication channels will be far better placed to meet rising customer expectations and stay competitive.”
