2023-04-17 18:12:58
Aeverything is becoming more and more digital. For many people, it has already become a habit to almost exclusively shop online, stream films, plan leisure time and vacation online or even book parking spaces digitally in advance – despite all spontaneity and personal experience. Doing banking transactions on the computer or smartphone is undoubtedly part of it for many. At best, you meet the postman or the neighbor in person who kindly accepted the package.
Banks, for example, have long since taken advantage of this trend and have been turning the screw on costs for years. They save on employees and close branches in droves. But this digital world is not always ideal. Many – and not just older people – value personal contact. Some things can also be done more easily and uncomplicated directly, or even just like that. Others simply distrust the security of the Internet or their own skills.
And even if this may surprise many digital fans: the local branch is far from obsolete, it is very popular with many bank customers. This is the result of a broad survey by the consulting firm Accenture among 49,000 customers around the world – 2000 of them in Germany. According to this, 54 percent of those surveyed in Germany would like to have a bank branch nearby – despite online and mobile banking. A good two-thirds of the world say so, as this stands for stability and availability. More than half of the local bank customers turn to the branch directly to solve specific and complicated problems. For example, many respondents reported that rising costs of living had severely impacted their ability to pay off debt, Accenture said. Continued economic uncertainty makes it more likely that consumers will want to contact their bank for help. The majority use online banking primarily to simply check the account balance.
Also significant: Only 29 percent of the German respondents rate the customer service of their house bank as excellent; altogether there were a little more. Many customers therefore want better support from human employees. In Germany, around 26 percent of respondents reported difficulties in getting personal support when they needed it. Germany still performs comparatively well, with 36 percent of those surveyed saying so.
Based on the breadth of the range of products and services, only 19 percent of German customers and just under a quarter rate their financial institution highly. The situation is similar with the competence for tailor-made advice. According to Accenture, this has led to the fact that almost 60 percent of all survey participants recently purchased a financial services product from a provider other than their house bank.
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