Banks must improve their online services if they are to retain
customers and boost sales, reasearch by Gallup Consulting and Adobe
reveals.
"Banks can no longer assume that just having an online presence
is enough it needs to be a satisfying, engaging experience, if they
want to outperform their counterparts," said the report.
A successful online service must be much more than a copy of the
paper-based services available at bank branches, the research
concludes. Features such as online customer support and
financial calculators are the best ways to increase the
interaction between customers and the bank.
"Over the past 10 years, digital touchpoints have become
extremely important components of the overall banking experience,
and they promise to become even more important in the future," said
the report.
"To fully engage customers, retail banks must actively manage
their digital touchpoints by creating highly engaging websites and
mobile banking offerings that function as a seamless part of a
positive overall customer experience".
Mark Greenaway, director of finance practice at
Adobe Systems, said, "Banks
have the information and content you want but the important thing
is how they represent it".
"Banks know they need to embrace new ways of communicating with
customers. Asking customers to use an inferior online banking
service will drive them away. Incorporating highly usable and
interactive features, community-based applications, video, and
integration with mobile services, will be a key differentiator for
online banks," added Greenaway.
Improving the online experience for customers is a major
business issue for banks as
demand for online services increases.