In a digital age, the human touch prevails

The recently released Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) 2015 full-year results by the Institute of Service Excellence (ISES) at SMU revealed that the use of Internet banking had increased, from 52 per cent of respondents surveyed in 2014 to 69 per cent in 2015. Results also showed that branch interactions are on the decline, from 42 per cent of respondents surveyed in 2014 to 35 per cent in 2015. Speaking at an industry forum at the CSISG results announcement, Dr Marcus Lee (who was ISES Academic Director at that time) noted that there is no opportunity for Internet banking to delight, and that the best one can hope for is that customers are not upset. He added that people can get really upset with a mistake for branches and personal banker touchpoints, but said that they can also be really happy with good service. This report is a collaborative project between TODAY and ISES at SMU.