Latest weekly poll results released by NOI Polls have revealed that the majority of banking Nigerians (61 per cent) agree that Nigerian Banks are exploiting their customers through hidden bank charges. In addition, First Bank was judged to have the best customer service delivery closely followed by GT Bank. These were the two key findings from the Bank Customer Service Snap poll done in the week of March 11, 2013.
A conversation has grown amongst the banking public on poor service delivery and unexplained charges by Banks on transactions. This conversation has been largely centred on a reviving global banking economy and continued crisis in the European Region and its immediate impact on Banks in Nigeria. The need to grow profits is seen as a trade-off for quality customer relationship and service delivery.
As the banking industry has gone from about 85 banks to 25 banks to 22 banks over the last decade, there is an increased pressure to stay relevant and profitable in a closely regulated industry. This pressure has continued to cause a decline in satisfaction levels with several customer engagement platforms specifically with the old fashioned ‘customer service desk.’ The Customer has become more intelligent on the range of services this function should cover and so have raised the bar of expectations for Banks.
It is against this backdrop that NOI Polls sought the opinions of banking customers on customer relations and service delivery of Nigerian Banks over the last Quarter. It is our hope that the results from this poll will guide Banking executives and relevant Corporate/Customer service champions to re-orientate the industry on quality service delivery and sustained customer relationship, after all, the ‘customer is king.’
The NOI Polls survey asked respondents five specific questions. The first question sought to establish the perceptions of Nigerians about the bank that had the best customer service. Respondents were asked: Which Nigerian bank has the best customer service? It is also pertinent to note that respondents were informed that the bank selected did not have to be their personal bank.
Overall, by a slim margin the majority (29 per cent) stated that First Bank has the best customer service followed by GT Bank with 26 per cent. These two banks are perceived to be the best banks by a considerable distance. They are followed by Zenith Bank (nine per cent), UBA (eight per cent), Eco Bank (seven per cent) and Access Bank (six per cent).
Analysing results in more detail highlights some interesting facts. First Bank is mainly strong in terms of customer service in the South East (37 per cent) and South South (35 per cent), while GT Bank is particularly strong in the South West (35 per cent).