The UK’s most vulnerable consumers are less satisfied than the wider population when it comes to customer service, according to new research from the Contact Centre Management Association (CCMA).

The CCMA’s Voice of the Contact Centre Consumer research shows people with financial and health vulnerabilities or those that require care from others feel their personal circumstances make them more likely to be treated unfairly by organisations.

Vulnerable consumers are also more likely to avoid online customer service channels because they find them difficult to use, with 80% of those with care needs and 76% of the health vulnerable reporting they have done so. Vulnerable consumers continue to experience self-serve failure at higher rates than their non-vulnerable counterparts.

Overall, the report found that financially vulnerable consumers are significantly less likely than non-vulnerable consumers to report that customer service has improved (21% vs 32%), and more likely to say it has worsened (31% vs 25%). 63% of those with care needs and 54% of the financially vulnerable feel their personal circumstances make them more likely to be treated unfairly.

The research is based on a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults, conducted in February 2026. Its wider findings show that the proportion of consumers who feel customer service has improved over the past 12 months has grown to 31%, while the proportion that feel it has worsened has fallen to 26%.

Leigh Hopwood, CEO of the CCMA, said: “For the first time in five years, the headline figures on customer service are moving in the right direction, and that deserves to be acknowledged. Contact centre teams across the UK have invested in their people and their processes in order to deliver better experiences, and consumers are beginning to notice.

“But the same research shows that while progress is real, it also remains uneven. Consumers with vulnerability, such as those navigating financial difficulty, health challenges, significant life events or who require care, are the ones for whom the experience is least improved.

“The work ahead is to make sure the improvement gains we’re seeing reach everyone in society.”

Leigh Hopwood will be speaking at HQN’s housing contact centres event on 30 June.