Customer satisfaction with banking institutions improved last year,based on the annual Bank Satisfaction Barometer CFI Group released Thursday.
Customers were more likely to remain loyal to their bank and even recommend it to others, according to the annual survey of bank customers across the United States.
Banks improved their standing with customers and maintained stronger relationships, with the Bank Satisfaction Barometer reaching a four-year-high of 82, up three points from 79 in 2015.
Banking customers, especially younger ones, were much more likelyto use additional services offered by their financial institutions, the study found.
“Millennials present a great opportunity for growth in 2017,” saidSheri Petras, CEO at CFI Group.
“Sixty-one percent of millennials said they plan to sign up for additionalservices with their bank within the next year, compared to 51 percentfor gen Xers and just 18 percent for (baby) boomers,” she added.”Banks need to make sure the products and services they offer meetthe needs of the millennial generation.”
Factors Contributing to Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction came down to products and services, and branch staff performance, according to the report.
“Branch staff are the face of the bank, and a representative who isfriendly, knowledgeable and empathetic will often make a personalconnection to the customer,” explained Mark Galauner, senior customerinsights consultant at CFI Group, and one of the authors of the study.
“When you combine that personal connection with a relevant mix ofproducts and services, you have a customer that is satisfied not onlyon a personal level but on a professional level as well,” he told CRM Buyer.
Customers who are satisfied both personally and professionally will have a strong loyalty to the bank and will even be willing to recommend the bank to friends and family, Galauner added.
“That is the kind of customer every business dreams of having,” henoted.
Opportunities for 2017
Financial institutions have severalopportunities to direct their focus toward bettercustomer service, CFI Group suggested. Greater engagement with local communities, enhancedloyalty programs, and better digital experiences would improve the banking customer experience. Further, ensuring that theneeds of millennial customers are met is important, as this segmentwill allow for future growth.
“If banks are interested in millennial customers, aka the future, theyshould double down on customer experience,” advised Ian Campbell, CEO ofNucleus Research.
“This is is a generation that naturally gravitates to the bestsoftware services and new social media platforms,” he told CRMBuyer. “Change is a constant, and their loyalty lies with theinstitution that delivers the best value. Today’s differentiator iscustomer experience.”
Better Satisfaction, Better Bottom Line
Providing quality satisfaction is ever more crucial, as consumers haveso many options and opportunities to take their business elsewhere.
“We have found that customer satisfaction is a leading indicator ofcompany financial performance,” noted CFI’s Galauner.
“Stocks of companies with high satisfaction scores tend to do betterthan those of companies with low scores,” he added. “It is similar for banks, [and those] with satisfied customers will have a more loyal and engaged customer base.”
This may be even more critical in the digital age.
“Back in the early days of online banking, many customers madedecisions based on which bank had the best features,” noted NucleusResearch’s Campbell.
“Some had clear tech advantages and were able to capitalize on that,”he said.
“Today we see a relatively level playing field on the tech front, sothe big differentiator is the customer experience, and this isprobably the single most important reason today why customers switchfrom one institution to another,” Campbell added. “If I ran a bank, I’d makecustomer experience priority No. 1. That’s why we are seeing therise of more personal banks, like First Republic.”
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