Brits are generally satisfied with their current online banking services, but are slow to take up mobile banking, and have little interest in connecting to their bank via social media platforms, according to a new survey.
ForeSee Results, a provider of technology-driven customer satisfaction analytics, has published its first customer satisfaction report for online banking in the UK.
Over 1,000 online banking customers of the top five consumer-oriented retail banks in the UK (RBS, Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC, and Santander), were surveyed in April 2011 to investigate how they perceive and interact with the online banking services they use.
Despite the last two years of tumult in the global banking industry, ForeSee Results is pleased to reveal that customer satisfaction with online banking in the UK is fairly high and customers are very satisfied with the top five banks (on aggregate they score 80 – generally considered the threshold for excellence on the study’s 100-point scale).
These results highlight the ability of the online channel to continue to build and maintain customer relationships even during difficult times. Within the top five banks, the range of scores varied from 77 at the lower end to 82 at the high end indicating close competition between the top banks.
Other key findings:
• Adoption of mobile banking is slow. Of survey respondents with a mobile phone, only 15 percent are aware of mobile banking apps or mobile sites for their bank. Only 10 percent of respondents are using their mobile phone to bank, and less than one percent of all survey respondents have actually used a banking mobile app.
• UK customers prefer to hear from their bank through the post. When asked their preference for communications from their bank, 42 percent said they prefer post, 38 percent prefer email, 11 percent prefer the website, three percent want text messages or mobile alerts, and only five percent said they don’t want any communications at all.
• UK customers are not inclined to get social with their banks. When asked if they would like to friend, follow, or like their bank on social media sites like Facebook, 97 percent said no.
• UK Vs. US: On aggregate the UK online banking score of 80 on a 100 point scale trails that of the US but by a small margin of just three points (83).
• Industry comparison: UK online retailers score significantly lower than online banks in terms of customer satisfaction (72 vs. 80). The high satisfaction score for banking indicates that they are doing a very good job of meeting and exceeding customer needs and expectations.
• There is a clear relationship between satisfaction and frequency of website usage. Customers who access their banking website roughly once a month report satisfaction of 71, while customers who access their banking website more than once a day report satisfaction of 89.
• UK customers prefer the website to other channels by a huge margin. When asked which channel they are most satisfied with, 70 percent said the website (17 percent said the branch, 10 percent said the cashpoint, two percent said the call centre, and one percent said mobile banking).
“The stakes are high,” said Larry Freed, CEO of ForeSee Results. “Our research shows that a highly satisfied online banker’s future behaviour scores indicate they are 51 percent more likely to continue to use online banking services; 63 percent more likely to continue to use the website instead of other, costlier channels (branches, call centres); 39 percent more likely to purchase additional services, and 76 percent more likely to recommend the bank. Highly satisfied online bankers even report being 62 percent more likely to trust their banking institution overall and 64 percent more satisfied with their bank overall, regardless of channel.”
He concluded: “For online banking the website is a critical touch point, so it’s essential that they (banks) master that art of customer satisfaction and invest their time and energy into measuring the different elements of customers’ online experience. Only by doing so will they improve and develop their offering – and after all since studies continue to show a strong connection between customer satisfaction and a company’s financial future, whether the markets are up or down, it’s in their best interest to do so!”
ForeSee Results has been working in the UK since 2008 and opened its first UK office in London in 2010.
The company use a proven, scientific methodology developed at the University of Michigan to determine how improvements to specific aspects of the online experience, such as navigation and site performance, will positively affect overall satisfaction, likelihood to do business with the organisation, and loyalty. Inside knowledge into customers’ and site browsers’ likely future behaviours empowers organisations to prioritise enhancements and allocate resources efficiently.
Research methodology
This survey was conducted among nearly 1,000 respondents in April 2011. Survey respondents were online panelists from Research Now. Respondents were screened to ensure that we surveyed financial services customers in the UK who use online services through their bank.
The data was analysed using ForeSee Results proven methodology, which was developed at the University of Michigan. With origins in Sweden where it was originally developed as the Swedish Barometer, this methodology has been adopted as a leading macro- and micro-level indicator by the United States (as the American Customer Satisfaction Index) and the United Kingdom (the National Customer Satisfaction Index-UK), as well as by Colombia, Dominican Republic, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, and other governments around the world.
Visit Larry Freed’s blog, www.freedyourmind.com for additional comment, data and analysis related to this report.
www.foreseeresults.com