For the tenth consecutive year, BDO has the most satisfied customers in the audit industry. BDO comes out on top in this year’s survey from the Swedish EPSI Rating Group. Personal customer relationships are identified as a crucial parameter for customer satisfaction.
Especially among business customers, personal relationships are key to high customer satisfaction. In recent years, this has been challenged but this year's results show that the audit industry is generally very good at this.
“I am very pleased with this outcome. For us at BDO, it's about a genuine desire to be a reliable business partner. To be close at hand with relevant services that our customers demand," says Malin Nilsson, CEO of BDO in Sweden.
The Swedish EPSI Rating Group measures how satisfied buyers of audit services are with Swedish audit firms. The audit industry has a high level of customer satisfaction compared to many other industries. This year, the industry average has increased by 1.5 points to 72.4. BDO saw an above average increase and topped the survey with an index of 77.0.
“The turbulence in our environment has been exceptionally challenging during the recent years and we see that our customers appreciate our deep understanding of their situation. For us, it's also very much about predicting what's around the corner in order to be a reliable and competent advisor,” says Malin Nilsson.
According to the survey, audit appreciate who are good at giving advice, making suggestions for improvement and are committed to their business. Johan Parmler, CEO of The Swedish EPSI Rating Group, sees the audit industry as a role model.
“The vast majority of clients feel that their auditor is able to cover their future service needs. Other industries have a lot to learn here," he says.
Since last year, The Swedish EPSI Rating Group has been measuring how clients perceive the sustainability work of agencies and how this affects satisfaction and loyalty. This shows a clear correlation between customer ratings of sustainability and customer satisfaction. The auditing industry scores more highly when compared to other industries. The results vary widely between individual companies and client segments, but the best sustainability indices are recorded for BDO, Mazars and PwC. The industry needs to raise its own sustainability profile, the survey shows.
“At BDO, we have new group during the year that works strategically to incorporate sustainability into our clients' overall business strategy. Through these assignments, we contribute to long-term sustainable business models, but we must also be better at demonstrating the progress we are making ourselves within BDO," says Malin Nilsson.
Facts: Swedish Epsi Rating Industry Study
The Swedish EPSI Rating Group measures how satisfied buyers of audit services are with Swedish audit firms. The index is based on interviews with customers. The highest possible value in the index is 100, the lowest is 0. Scores above 75 indicate a strong relationship between company and customer. SKI has conducted the survey every year since 2007. This year's survey took place in April 2022 and is based on 1,916 interviews.
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