This is the bank of the year 2023
While specialist providers in particular perform positively across the board, national branch banks currently only ensure average customer satisfaction. One bank even scored "poor". This is the result of a large survey conducted by the German Institute for Service Quality on behalf of ntv.
Customer satisfaction with the financial sector is mixed in a survey conducted by the German Institute for Service Quality. Only five of the 24 banks evaluated were rated "very good" by customers. Eight financial institutions each achieved a good or satisfactory overall result; two others did not achieve more than a sufficient result.
Customer satisfaction is very mixed
Postbank, which has been the subject of public criticism for months due to IT and service problems, scored "poor" overall among customers. The highest satisfaction ratings are achieved by banks that are characterized by a sustainable concept. The topic of sustainability thus proves to be an important success factor with regard to customer relationships. Five of the six companies in the specialist provider category achieved a quality rating of "very good". Overall, customers were least satisfied with the national branch banks, which achieved satisfactory results at best.
Customer annoyances are not uncommon
Security - with aspects such as deposit protection, online security and trust in advisory information - is the area that ensures the greatest satisfaction: around 86% of bank customers chose a positive answer option for this. The image or reputation of their own bank is also perceived as positive by a good 81%, and therefore the vast majority of respondents.
In contrast, the conditions are viewed more critically overall: More than one in four survey participants did not select a positive answer option here. In addition, almost one in three reported a frustrating experience with their own bank. Markus Hamer, Managing Director of the German Institute for Service Quality, sums up: "Service also plays an extremely important role for customers - in both directions: While on the one hand, good service is the most frequently cited reason for choosing a bank, on the other hand, poor accessibility and short opening hours comparatively often cause customer annoyance."
Outstanding banks
Direct banks: First place went to ING (quality rating: "good"), which particularly impressed its customers in the areas of service, security and the bank's image. The product range also stands out positively and the willingness to recommend the bank to others is very high. Second place goes to Consorsbank ahead of 1822direkt in third place, both with a good overall result.
Supra-regional branch banks: BBBank secured first place, confirming its success of recent years. The company took first place among the supra-regional branch banks in almost all the assessment areas surveyed, as well as in terms of annoyance and willingness to recommend. Targobank follows in second place, with Hypovereinsbank in third place.
Regional branch banks: PSD Bank Kiel (quality rating: "good") secured first place among the regional branch banks. There is very broad customer approval, particularly in terms of service and security; the bank's image is also perceived very positively and annoyances are comparatively rare. Sparda-BankHessen is in second place, ahead of Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg in third place, both also with a quality rating of "good".
Specialist banks: GLS Bank took first place both among the specialist providers and overall with a quality rating of "very good". This means that the cooperative bank has once again won the "Bank of the Year" award. In addition to extraordinarily high satisfaction ratings in the individual aspects and leading positions in the areas of conditions and transparency, the willingness to recommend the bank to others is also most pronounced here. Among the specialist banks, second place went to UmweltBank ahead of EthikBank in third place, both also with a very good overall result.
- The advisors in the top-performing banks are often praised for their expertise in personal loan and lending matters, contributing to consumer satisfaction.
- Consumer protection agencies have been urging banks to reevaluate their overdraft interest rates, as high charges contribute to private debts and financial stress among consumers.
- Banks with strong consumer protection policies and transparent lending practices have reported increased consumer trust in their institutions, leading to higher satisfaction scores.
- As consumers become more conscious of their finances, they are actively seeking advisors at banks that prioritize consumer protection, leading to a rising demand for such services.
Source: www.ntv.de
