L.L. Bean Tops Customer-Service Survey

Satisfaction guaranteed is a mantra that many companies purport to live by, but customers say that no retailer demonstrates the practice better than L.L. Bean. The Freeport, Maine-based retailer grabbed the top spot in the annual NRF Foundation/American Express Customer Service Survey, which surveyed 8,800 consumers and was conducted by BIG-research.

Internet-only retailers scored well in the survey, with footwear and accessories retailer Zappos.com coming in second, followed by Amazon.com and Overstock.com.

“Good customer service starts and ends with how the customer feels about their experience with a retailer,” said NRF Foundation VP Kathy Mance. “Retailers are especially challenged because of the multiple touchpoints that exist between the customer and their brand, but these companies have shown that great customer service does exist.”

In terms of customer service, shoppers say they expect the most from restaurants, specialty stores and department stores, according to the survey. They had the lowest expectations for membership warehouse clubs and discount stores.

Here is a list of the top 10 rankings in the survey:

L.L. Bean

Zappos.com

Amazon.com

Overstock.com

Blair

Lands’ End

Coldwater Creek

Nordstrom

Lane Bryant

Newegg.com