Customer satisfaction: at a crossroad.

• Author: Motley, L. Biff
• Position: Customer Satisfaction

Like many bank marketers today, I am always sifting through information on trends in our industry that might point the way from being a good bank toward become a great one. This information comes from a variety of sources including articles in the financial press, industry seminars, deductions about changes in client behavior from changes in MCIF databases, focus groups and, of course, customer satisfaction surveys.

Taken together, this information today causes me to believe that we are at the beginning of a major inflection point in our business. One startling statistic suggest that with the advent of online banking, direct deposit, bill pay and now, remote check deposit, the proportion of total banking transactions conducted at or through a branch will drop from over 70 percent a few years back to less than 30 percent in the near future. We are on a road where, in the minds of a rapidly growing number of our clients, the best service is self-service aided by the "just-in-time" qualities presented by modern technology.

Does this mean that branches will shrivel up and blow away? No. What it means it that their mission will change and, perhaps, their format will evolve, but they will remain a vital part of our total satisfaction formula. The reason is simple. Our clients want and need bankers. They may not need them to process transactions. These can be done quickly, more timely, and more frequently by other contemporary methods. However, this is not where the real value is created or perceived.

Customer research with both affluent consumers and small businesses--segments where the real profits reside--show clearly that these clients want and miss having real bankers serve them. Real bankers are professionals who can help clients sort out the vast and growing array of alternative financial solutions out in today's...