Viking Line’s customer satisfaction and loyalty are on the rise, even as passenger expectations continue to grow. A recently published EPSI Rating survey highlights that, along with ongoing improvements to the travel experience, the quality of digital services is playing an increasingly significant role in passenger satisfaction.
According to the EPSI Rating 2024 survey, Viking Line’s Finnish customers are both highly satisfied and demanding. The company achieved an index score of 76.8 for its service between Finland and Sweden, the highest among shipping companies, and 77.2 for its service between Finland and Estonia. Scores above 75 indicate a very high level of customer satisfaction.
Passenger expectations for Viking Line are the highest among surveyed shipping companies.
“Our results improved across all areas of the study. Our Net Promoter Score (NPS), which measures customers’ likelihood to recommend our service, is significantly higher than that of the second-ranked shipping company for our service to Sweden. Despite rising expectations for sea travel, we have successfully catered to diverse customer groups. These excellent results in customer satisfaction and service quality reflect the skill and dedication of our professional staff who consistently exceed high expectations,” says Mikael Paulinow, Viking Line’s Manager of Customer Insight & CRM.
Customer satisfaction saw the most significant improvement from 2023 on the Helsinki-Tallinn route.
“After reflagging Viking XPRS under the Finnish flag in spring 2023, all crew members are now our own employees. We also refined the vessel’s service concepts, enhancing restaurant variety and staff service. Our customers have responded very positively to these updates.”
Viking Line prioritizes customer feedback in its development efforts. The survey results align closely with the company’s internal customer satisfaction metrics, gathered through thousands of monthly post-journey surveys.
Food is a key highlight of the journey, and we constantly update our offerings based on customer feedback. For instance, we now offer Åland asparagus because our customers requested it, appreciating high-quality, locally sourced ingredients,” Paulinow adds.
Digital services are becoming increasingly important to the travel experience. According to the EPSI Rating, 71% of passengers on Swedish routes have used Viking Line’s app, a 23 percentage point increase from the previous year, with customer satisfaction with the app reaching excellent levels.
“The role of digital services in the travel experience has grown significantly. We updated our app a year ago, adding many new functions. While the day of travel is crucial for customer satisfaction, every aspect of the journey matters. Issues at the terminal can impact the entire experience, so we gather feedback on all aspects to ensure the overall journey is as enjoyable as possible.”
*EPSI Data Collection Services interviewed about 2,000 private customers over the age of 18 who traveled by boat to or from Finland over the past 12 months. The satisfaction index is based on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0–60 indicating dissatisfaction, 60–75 indicating satisfaction, and scores over 75 indicating very high satisfaction.
