Utility Customers Continue to Experience Challenges in Mystery Shopping Poll

The latest annual mystery shopping research by the Office of Utilities Regulation, OUR, has revealed that utility customers continue to experience several challenges.

The study carried out between August and October of last year, assessed customer service performance across the four major service providers.

These are Cable and Wireless Jamaica Limited and Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operating under the FLOW brand; Digicel Jamaica Limited, the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited and the National Water Commission.

Colliecia Wright tells us more.

In a statement on Monday, the OUR says the research found systemic gaps in customer service protocols, operational efficiency, and infrastructure readiness across the service providers.

These include insufficient engagement by customer service agents, inconsistencies in communication, and outdated physical and digital infrastructure.

The OUR says while some staff members demonstrated professionalism and expertise, these strengths were often overshadowed by inefficiencies, unclear processes, limited accessibility, and poor responsiveness.

The findings for 2024 showed an average customer service performance score of 66 per cent, an improvement from 54 per cent in 2023.

The best-performing providers were FLOW and JPS. Both earned scores of 70 per cent.

In terms of call centre experiences, the telecommunications providers excelled, with FLOW earning 89 per cent and Digicel scoring 82 per cent.

However, in-store customer experiences varied widely, with scores ranging from 62 per cent to 78 per cent.

Digicel, notably, recorded the lowest in-store score, dropping from fifty-six percent in 2023 to 46 per cent last year.

The OUR says performance of online and digital interfaces was particularly concerning.

The average customer experience score for these channels was 58 per cent, reflecting persistent challenges.

Social media interactions scored an average of 48 per cent, up from 32 per cent the previous year.

The OUR says despite the modest improvement, the results are disappointing given the providers’ push to encourage customers to utilize digital platforms.