The eleventh annual Irish Customer Experience (CX) Report shows that while CX scores are declining around the world, Ireland’s CX score has improved significantly
Key findings:
- Ireland’s CX score rose 3% in 2026 and is now at its highest level in almost a decade
- 64% of brands saw their score rise with companies in the supermarket, retail and financial sectors performing well
- Companies and organisations in the Entertainment and Leisure, the Public Sector and Utilities were among the poorest performers
- For eleven years the Irish Credit Union has topped the table – it’s an Irish and global CX champion
- Zara, AIB and GoMo recorded the biggest improvements
- But KFC and Subway, which were among the biggest risers last time, are the biggest fallers in this survey
- Burger King and McDonalds also recorded steep falls
- New entrant Re-turn sits in bottom ten alongside several social media companies, RTE, Ryanair, Dublin Bus, Ticketmaster and Irish Water
- Findings show AI is no CX silver bullet - customer permission to use it has to be earned
Ireland’s Customer Experience (CX) score rose by 3% this year with 64% of companies and organisations seeing their CX scores rise according to the latest annual CXi survey of Irish brands. This contrasts with the US where only 6% of companies saw their scores rise during the same period.
This is the eleventh edition of the report which ranks over 150 leading brands in the country based on the experiences of Irish consumers and enables companies and organisations to benchmark their CX performance.
The survey, which was carried out by Amárach Research, found that Ireland’s CX score is now at its highest level in nine years.
The improved performance was driven by companies in the supermarket, retail and financial sectors with representatives of all three making up six of the Top 10 and 21 of the Top 30 rankings.
The report Author and Chairman of the CX Academy Michael Killeen, says the main reason global CX scores are dropping while Ireland’s are advancing is due to Irish consumers absolute preference for human touch experience over tech solutions.
He believes there are three main trends supporting the improvement in Ireland’s CX Score.
“Firstly the recovery has been driven by a broad-based recovery, not by a handful of brands. Secondly brands have improved their performance in the two weakest areas, meeting customer expectations and resolving issues when they arise. Thirdly we are seeing stability at the top and volatility below. The leading brands improve or barely move year to year while the middle and lower table see the churn. That consistency is a strength of the best performing sectors. If you take supermarkets, as an example, most brands scored solidly which helps it outscore other sectors which have both stars and laggards.”
Movers, Shakers & Fallers
For a record breaking eleventh year Ireland’s undisputed CX Champion remains the Irish Credit Union after it topped the overall survey and the Financial Sector.
Pharmacies continue to lead from the front for CX in the retail sector making up 3 of the Top 10 companies with Life Pharmacy coming in second place, McCabes seventh and Holland & Barrett joint ninth.
Specsavers maintained its strong performance moving up from sixth, Shannon Airport, which landed in the Top Ten for the first time in the last report, has maintained its position at fourth, while PhoneWatch has moved from 11th to fifth this time round.
Several brands recorded significant improvements in their CX performance to move into the Top Ten. They include Zurich insurance which moved from 27th to 6th, IKEA up from 35th to 8th and the Passport Service, the highest ranked public sector organisation, which moved from 34th to joint ninth.
In the highly competitive and best performing sector, supermarkets, M & S Simply Food claimed top position at 12th with Tesco at 17th, Dunnes 19th and Lidl 24th. Aldi and Supervalu have slipped behind their peers somewhat in this survey coming in at 41st and 43rd respectively.
Zara, up 69 places, AIB up 58 places and GOMO up 51 places were the biggest jumpers in this year’s report, with Harvey Norman up 51 places and Currys up 48 places, not far behind, reflecting strong sectoral performances by brands in retail, financial services and communications.
In contrast it was two of the best performers from the last survey, KFC and Subway, which recorded the biggest falls this year, KFC falling 77 places, from 15th to 92nd and Subway falling 69 places from 29th to just inside the Top 100 at 98th.
Their performances were emblematic of a weak performance by the restaurant sector, with a broad retreat particularly noticeable across the fast-food category with Burger King falling 45 places to joint 98th alongside Subway and McDonalds down 41 places to joint 113th alongside another fast-food brand, Eddie Rocketts.
Supermacs (44th) now leads the sector ahead of Butlers Chocolates (47th) but these two are still down over 20 places from the last survey.
Killeen says the report should be a wake-up call for the sector. “Across the main brands customers were saying the same thing; the food quality has dropped, or service has declined or we got the wrong orders or cold food. Many customers complained about the prices and ‘shrinkflation’. The sector fell three places from second to fifth this year and was the only one to experience a decline in its average score.”
The Credit Unions – Over a decade of CX excellence
The Credit Unions have topped the CX table for 11 surveys in a row and are the only brand to score over 8, which is a mark of CX Excellence. What is the secret of their enduring success?
David Malone, CEO, Irish League of Credit Unions says it’s down to the strong relationships Credit Unions have built with their members and local communities over many years, as well as the dedication of staff and directors across the movement.
"The real strength of the Credit Union model is that members remain at the centre of everything we do. Whether it's introducing new services or supporting people through important life moments, the focus is always on helping members and serving communities.”
"As people's needs and expectations continue to change, Credit Unions have embraced new technology and new services without losing the personal touch and community focus that members value so highly."
Bottom 10
The bottom ten are: Social Welfare, Ryanair, RTÉ, Re-turn, Instagram (joint 156th), TikTok, Irish Water, Ticketmaster, Dublin Bus and Facebook.
The clear trend is sector clustering: four are Entertainment & Leisure (all social media or ticketing platforms), two are Public Sector, two are Travel (both public transport / low-cost) and two are Utilities.
The common thread on the data is that these are largely services people use out of necessity or habit rather than choice: social platforms, public transport, utilities and non-discretionary public services, which tend to score low across all areas rather than on any single one.
Profile - Ticketmaster – Entertainment & Leisure - Position 160th
Customer comments – “Impossible to speak with a person and they never resolve anything” – “Excessive prices and fees”- “Everything is AI”
In the latest report Ticketmaster dropped 17 places to 160th, 3rd from bottom, just ahead of Dublin Bus and Facebook.
That is its lowest placing and the third survey in succession that it has made the bottom 10. The highest ranking it has ever recorded was 106th back in 2018.
Customer anger and frustration was very much in evidence in the comments directed at the company. Mr Killeen said the introduction of tiered pricing followed by dynamic pricing for high profile concerts during a cost-of-living crisis had alienated consumers.
“Ticketmaster operates a de facto monopoly on tickets for major events here and provides an excellent example of what happens when there isn’t sufficient competition in the market. They consistently put the interest of their shareholders ahead of customers and indeed the company has the second lowest score for putting their customer first.”
Ticketmaster is currently facing two charges under the Consumer Protection Ac 2007 over Oasis concert tickets sold on August 31 2024. The case has been brought by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
Profile - RTE – Public Sector - Position 145th
Customer comment – “Scandals have made me less confident in RTE as a broadcaster”
Three years ago in the wake of revelations surrounding secret payments to Ryan Tubridy, RTE tumbled to last place in the survey. Over the last couple of years it has moved off the bottom but still finds itself in lowly 155th position, one below Ryanair and above new entrant Re-turn.
Despite this report Co-Author Gerard O’Neill, Chair of Amarach Research points out, RTE has actually made a notable recovery.
“RTÉ's decline was the sharpest and most compressed in our study, and the only one where trust is unambiguously the leading casualty. But the pattern of recovery is the most interesting feature, and it has also happened over a relatively short time.”
“RTE’s scores indicate that audiences feel understood again, though full forgiveness on integrity is taking longer. For RTE that is precisely the measure to keep watching.”
“And of course while it’s positive that RTE has gotten its score back to where it was previously – it is one of five CX redemption stories in the report - other brands have moved on.”
“This is a key aspect of CX. Customer expectations continue to grow apace and if you are treading water, you are going backwards. That’s why it is so difficult for low scoring brands to break free from the bottom end of the table. And it’s true to say we are seeing a degree of CX polarisation between the best and worst providers suggesting some brands are falling seriously behind in their CX ambitions” O’Neill says.
Overall, Public Sector organisations performed poorly with the sector coming second last of the 11 categories. While the Passport Service was a genuine standout performer the sector was weighed down by RTE (155th), Social Welfare (153rd), An Garda Siochana (150th) and the HSE (148th).
Profile - AIB – Financial – Position 68th
Customer comments – “Customer service is getting better” – “Staff were very helpful and resolved issue” – “The app is faster and easier”
The latest report provides welcome news generally for the financial sector, which was the second-best performing sector in 2026, and particularly for AIB which was one of the biggest risers, moving up 58 places to 68th.
The bank is also among the CX redemption stories included in the report because five years ago the picture was not so rosy. In 2022 the bank announced it was removing cash and cheque services from 70 out of 170 branches. Although it reversed its decision 72 hours later following a customer backlash, the bank’s reputation and CX score took a massive hit.
Killeen says AIB learned some valuable lessons which other companies and organisations could also learn from.
“Firstly you have to fix the problem and tell people you’re doing it. AIB invested substantially in branch cash services after trying to remove them and other changes such as upgrades for visually impaired customers signalled a new approach to customer experience. Secondly when you’re in a CX hole, stop digging. AIB reversed its decision within 72 hours, and its trust score barely moved. What customers punish is not the mistake but the refusal to own it and change.”
“Finally it’s really important to lead with convenience and follow with personalisation. If you are trying to build relationships while failing to address major CX issues, you are working against the grain. Customers appear to want to be served competently before they want to be better known. AIB did that and customers can bank easily again. But the data shows that they do not feel individually known, so there is still plenty of room for the bank to improve in that area.”
It was a good report for the banks in general with Bank of Ireland moving up 29 places to 72 and Revolut moving up 10 places to 58. PTSB, whose shareholders have approved its sale to Austria’s Bawag Group, is the backmarker in the sector at 134th, down 38 places while EBS, which is owned by AIB is 98th, down 44 places.
Killeen says competition in the sector has been good for customers. “People wondered how Revolut and its ‘digital only’ proposition would perform here. The answer appears to be quite well, and it is now outscoring both AIB and Bank of Ireland on CX. In fact you might argue that it has forced the banks to up their game. However they all remain well behind the Credit Unions and An Post Money which lead the sector.”
AI – Who is it benefitting?
For the first time this year’s report focused on the demand for AI and usage across all brands. A recent Red C global survey found Ireland continues to lag global peers across most AI measures. While progress is being made, the pace of change is not matching that seen in leading markets, particularly in terms of embedding AI into core economic and workplace activity.
Killeen says the report found that demand for AI is loudest where service is hardest. It also confirmed that AI solutions must be determined by the customers' need, not by the technology available.
“Appetite for AI is concentrated in high friction categories like telecoms, insurance and logistics and within those, the struggling brands hear it most. So their appetite is a symptom of the pain not a vote of confidence in the technology. It's a sign of frustration as much as enthusiasm. That is not a good starting point.”
“If digital or AI applications cost consumers convenience, ease and time, the very thing self-service is supposed to improve, that’s a problem. The business might have moved some of its service online or into an AI ‘solution’, to save itself effort, but that effort does not vanish. It shifts onto the customer, who now has to work though the menu, the chatbot and the online forms themselves. Easy for the business is not always easy for the customer.”
“So permission to use AI has to be earned through confidence and trust. Our findings show customers are not rewarding brands for having AI; they are rewarding brands they trust to deploy it appropriately.”
“While AI has undoubtedly huge potential, the quality of staff remains the strongest single influence on any brand CX score. Stronger then every digital and AI measure put together“ Killeen concluded.
To download the 2026 CXi report go to https://thecxireport.com/ or email Michael Killeen at michael@thecxacademy.org
