Customer satisfaction with online banking increased its lead over customer satisfaction with the overall banking experience, according to the U.S. 2011 ForeSee Results Online Banking Study.

As the financial sector and the economy slowly recover from a crisis, ForeSee Results shows that satisfaction with online banking overall regained two points, moving back to 83 on a 100-point scale one year after dropping by the same amount.

Customer satisfaction with banking overall (as measured by the American Customer Satisfaction Index in December 2010) scored 76 using the same methodology.

The study further reports on customer satisfaction with online banking according to the size or type of banking institution, breaking banks down into the top five banks , top six to ten banks, large banks, community banks, and credit unions. While nearly every category improved since last year, large banks gained the most, surging five points to overtake credit unions for the first time this year, which climbed two points. (To put “large” in prospective, the number 11 U.S. bhc, Ally Financial, has $174 billion in assets; number 50, Webster Financial, has $18 billion.)

When survey respondents were asked which channel they were most satisfied with, 55% selected the online channel while 28% chose the branch, 13% chose the ATM, and only 2% chose call center and mobile banking.

“Brick-and-mortar banks will never go away, but the huge lead online banking has over other channels when it comes to satisfaction emphasizes its importance to a bank’s relationship with its customers,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results and author of the report. “The roadmap for improving satisfaction will vary from bank to bank, but the only way to manage and improve the customer experience is to measure it.”

The study measured seven elements of satisfaction with online banking, including things like navigation, the ease of executing online transactions, privacy, and the look and feel of the website.

Large banks scored highest in all but one of these elements, which is why they also have the highest overall satisfaction.

Unlike other web metrics that are backward looking, like page views or number of sessions, customer satisfaction (measured using ForeSee’s methodology) is predictive.

The report shows that when compared to online bank customers who are less satisfied, a highly satisfied online customer reports being 41% more likely to continue to use online banking services; 52% more likely to continue to use the website instead of other, costlier channels (branches, call centers); 50% more likely to purchase additional services, and 63% more likely to recommend the bank. Highly satisfied online bankers even report being 63% more likely to trust their banking institution overall and 56% more satisfied with their bank overall, regardless of channel. These figures are based on likelihood scores and help to quantify the multichannel value of a satisfying online banking experience.

“Online customer satisfaction is more than just a talking point or a box to check,” added Freed. “There are clear and quantifiable benefits from improving satisfaction that impact bottom-line business.”

For more information:
http://www.foreseeresults.com/news-events/press-releases/e-banking-satisfaction-outpaces-offline-banking-2011-foresee.shtml