Over Half of Consumers Feel Undervalued by Their Bank

APPENZELL, Switzerland, November 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Banks must close the customer experience gap with friendly, knowledgeable staff and banking services as the consumer demands

http://www.gmc.net: Almost half of consumers in GB, Germany, France and the US feel their bank does not value them as a customer ( 48 per cent), according to new Ipsos MORI research commissioned by GMC Software Technology. Consumers want to decide how they bank, with almost three quarters wanting to request the format in which they receive information from their bank (72 per cent) and also at a time that suits them (74 per cent). Banks therefore need to listen to consumers to deliver the services they need. However, only 19 per cent of consumers really believe banks understand how to deliver good customer experience.

The research of 4,032 consumers looked at what consumers really think about their bank's customer experience and how they are valued. It offers insight into how banks can improve their relationship with customers by listening and providing the right information, at the right time, via the right, optimized channel with a particular focus on online and mobile.

Improving the customer experience

Just six per cent of consumers  in France believe that their bank really values them as a customer. And elsewhere, the banking industry does not fare much better with ten per cent in  GB, 20 per cent in Germany and 27 per cent in the US [tab 0240]

In order to improve the banking customer experience, the top three points for each country are friendly and knowledgeable staff (US 60 per cent; France 50 per cent; Germany 45 per cent; GB  45 per cent); enabling customers to bank when and how they want (France 56 per cent; US 45 per cent; GB 49 per cent; Germany 42 per cent); easy access to the branch (GB 39 per cent; Germany 34 per cent; France 31 per cent; US 49 per cent).

Bill Parker, chief marketing officer, GMC Software Technology, said: "It's time the banks started to show that they value their customers by listening and allowing customers to be involved in decisions that affect the banking experience. Banks should provide multiple channels of communication, but they should ask consumers which ones they want to use, not tell them."

Constraints of online and mobile banking

The demand for online banking is increasingly obvious. Online-only is already the most common way to view bank statements (36 per cent of all bank customers have online-only statements) and not just amongst Generation Y. It is important not to assume that online/mobile banking channels are the preserve of the young. For example, all age groups are using online-only statements. Of the under 31 year olds (Gen Y), 37 per cent use online-only statements as are 33 per cent of the 55-70 year olds.

However, current online and mobile banking services have considerable constraints. Two thirds (65 per cent) do not believe their online banking delivers an effective level of customer service, while just 3 in 10 (29 per cent) feel it is truly interactive i.e. you can present your bank data in any way you want or link back to your bank with questions. Mobile banking fares little better, with only 23 per cent of banking customers finding the service satisfactory. The nature of both online and mobile lend themselves to a more dynamic, interactive relationship with the consumer rather than presenting static content that could, just as easily, be sent by post.

The mass adoption of online statements is driven by customers appreciating its convenience (80 per cent), environmental benefits (71 per cent) and increased security compared to paper (39 per cent). Revealing the level of skepticism towards banks, 67 per cent of bank customers suspect banks are pushing online statements in order to save money.

"The number of ways by which a consumer can interact with their bank is increasing, with traditional bricks and mortar giving way to call centers, internet and mobile banking as well as social media. It is now time to close the customer experience gap. The research reveals that there is a time and place for each channel, and banks need to adopt the technologies and strategies that will help them engage effectively with each customer through the optimized channel that each customer chooses," continues Parker.

Consumers managing money more effectively

Despite the lack of interactivity, online statements clearly encourage customers to manage their money more effectively. Two thirds (66 per cent) of those who use online statements view them at least once a week. Of those using statements on a mobile device, 61 per cent view them at least once a week. In sharp contrast, of those who rely on printed statements, 58 per cent view their bank statement only once a month [TAB0054 onwards].

With online being the most popular way to view bank statements, and viewed more frequently, the rise of consumer technology seems to be improving the nation's ability to manage its money.

Download the report 'End of the banking autocracy: why banks must understand value and bring back trust' here.

Notes to the editor

The research was conducted on i:omnibus, Ipsos MORI's online omnibus, in GB, France, US and Germany between 25-30 October 2013.

Questions were asked online of 1,018 GB adults aged 16-75, 1,004 French adults aged 16-74, 1,000 US adults aged 18-75 and 1,010 German adults aged 16 to 70 (total 4,032 consumers).

To be nationally representative, the survey data was weighted by age, gender, region, working status and main shopper in GB; age, gender, region, working status, main shopper, social grade and working status in France; age, gender, region, working status, working status and income in the US; and age, gender, region, working status, household size, employment status, main shopper and size of town in Germany.

GMC Software Technology AG: delivers seamless CCM solutions that streamline document creation processes and produce higher quality, relevant communications of all types for delivery through print, electronic and interactive channels.

GMC helps thousands of clients worldwide across the banking, insurance, retail, business services, telco/utilities and healthcare industries gain customer insight to improve the customer experience by getting communications to market 70% faster, improves operational efficiencies by more than 50%, and expands business services for more lucrative opportunities.

For more information about GMC's award-winning robust and scalable GMC Inspire solution, visit: http://www.gmc.net.

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