Performance in People’s CX Lab has once again revealed groundbreaking insights in the latest UK Customer Experience Report – HY1 2025. As the largest mystery shop supplier in the UK, working with over 50 world-class brands, we offer a unique view into what truly defines exceptional customer experience across industries.
This cross-sector analysis isn't just about satisfaction - it measures what actually happens during customer interactions using the award-winning BMS® (Behavioural Measurement Score®). From retail to automotive to housebuilders, we uncover the real behaviours shaping customer perceptions.
Automotive Takes the Lead in Face-to-Face CX
When it comes to in-person experiences, Automotive Sales dominate the top 10 positions for BMS® scores - offering the friendliest, most professional, and most helpful interactions. With an average score of 3.86 (out of 5), they set the benchmark for other industries to follow.
Notably:
🚗 The “Explained products’ benefits in detail” characteristic was delivered 74% of the time in auto showrooms.
🚗 Automotive professionals excelled in product knowledge, enthusiasm, and rapport-building.
Housebuilders Lead the Way on the Phones
In our Telephone Mystery Shopping programmes, Housebuilders emerged as the top performers for being friendly, professional, and interested. Their use of open-ended questions and personalised interactions pushed their BMS® scores ahead of other industries.
Highlights include:
🏠 “Helpful” was the Housebuilder industry's highest scoring behaviour at 4.24 (out of 5).
🏠 Housebuilders are the ‘Friendliest’ industry over the phone, showing a higher proportion of positive characteristics such as “Welcoming greeting” and “Sincere close and farewell”.
Retail: Small Wins, Big Opportunities
The Retail industry showed a mixed performance in HY1 2025, with strong starts on key process steps, such as greeting customers promptly, but room to grow in deeper engagement.
Retail staff scored well on:
🛍️ Recommending suitable products (88.7%)
🛍️ Identifying customer needs through open questions (88.6%)
However, farewells and follow-ups were less consistent, and behaviours like ‘confirming needs’ or ‘demonstrating products’ showed a downward trend.
That said, with most scores sitting between 80–85%, the foundation is solid. With targeted focus on personalisation and product knowledge, retail brands have a real opportunity to elevate their CX to the next level.
UK CX Index: Is Customer Experience Improving?
Overall, the UK CX Index reveals a stable but competitive landscape:
📊 Face-to-Face BMS® average: 3.53 (slight improvement from HY2 2024)
📊 Telephone BMS® average: 3.83 (up from 3.75)
📊 The Process Score (based on measurable steps) varied, with Automotive Sales achieving over 90% in several key areas.
The data is based on over 41,000 mystery shop interactions, delivering a robust, unbiased view of actual customer experiences - not just perceptions.
Why This Report Matters
Unlike traditional customer satisfaction surveys, this report:
✅ Measures behaviours, not opinions
✅ Uses validated mystery shopping across video, phone, and digital channels
✅ Offers cross-industry benchmarking to help you see how your brand compares
It’s a goldmine for CX strategists, operations leaders, and customer-focused executives looking to turn insights into actions.
🔒 Exclusive Access: Full Report Available to Clients Only
The full UK Customer Experience Report – HY1 2025 includes detailed benchmarking, sector-specific insights, and proprietary BMS® data you won’t find anywhere else.
If you’d like to learn more, please contact us.
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Contact us to learn how our award-winning methodologies and behavioural insights can drive measurable change in your customer experience.
