In the 16th edition of the SWI FINANCE study “Best Bank 2019” commissioned by the financial magazine €uro, comdirect bank was able to defend its top position as both “Best Bank” and “Best Direct Bank”. ING remains “Most Popular Bank”, according to the results of over 115,000 customer opinions. The evaluation investigated the product, advisory and service quality of German financial institutions.
Banks are becoming more and more digital, and accordingly the proportion of customers using online banking has steadily increased to over 60 percent in recent years. However, in the process, some banks are losing sight of the service. Current reports in the media and social media channels show that at for example N26, Fidor Bank and DKB, it is not always possible for customers to receive necessary support from the bank in important situations. In these cases, the banks must continue to work on both advancing digitalization and offering customers the service they are accustomed to. Otherwise they run the risk of jeopardising the trust that was slowly rebuilt after the financial crisis. But which banks are capable of inspiring their customers equally well through service, products and technical innovations?
SWI FINANCE and €uro Magazine Determine the Best Banks in Germany
On behalf of €uro Finanzmagazin, SWI FINANCE has been searching for and finding Germany’s best banks for 16 years. For this study, the product, consulting and service quality of 33 nationwide operating financial institutions was analyzed, including branch and direct banks as well as individual providers of special products such as savings deposits or loan financing.
In addition to the analysis of the products and the telephone and digital service check, anonymous testers visited bank branches nationwide in field tests and received advice there. Feedback from over 115,000 bank customers who took part in an online survey was also included in the evaluation.
The test results:
- Best bank: comdirect bank
- Best direct bank: comdirect bank
- Most popular bank: ING
- Most popular regional bank: PSD Bank Rhein-Ruhr
- Best branch bank: Commerzbank
- Best service: comdirect bank
- Beste product (examples):
- Online deposit account: ING-DiBa
- Brokerage: Onvista Bank
For the second time in a row, comdirect bank won the title of “Best Bank” and “Best Direct Bank”. In the customer survey, which formed part of the study, ING performed convincingly (as in previous years) and thus remained “Most Popular Bank”. Regionally the PSD bank Rhine Ruhr was in front in the customer inquiry. In service, comdirect bank proved to be the clear winner. Commerzbank came out on top as the best branch bank.
Customers Reluctant to Change Their Current Account
Despite the legally required support from the banks, customers remain reluctant to change their current account. This is in spite of the fact that costs have risen across the board, particularly in the last year. Only 5.5 percent of those surveyed have changed their bank account in the last 12 months. At the same time, more than 15 percent of current account users said that they were offered better value for money at another institution. The biggest obstacle remains, in the perception of the customers, the fear about how much effort the changeover will take. However, the fear of being left in a critical situation without a direct contact person also plays a role here.
More Information? Order the study from SWI now.
If you have questions or are interested in the entire study, please contact the study director Johannes Higle by e-mail (johannes.higle@swi-finance.com). The study is available for a nominal fee of 100 Euro.
About S.W.I.
For more than 30 years, SWI has been analyzing and designing internal and external customer relationships of companies. As an independent and value-oriented consultant, the institute forms the interface between science and business practice.
SWI conducts consumer analyses as well as customer and employee experiences. Based on relevant data, the studies provide valuable and target-oriented insights for corporate change processes. SWI’s clients are companies from a wide range of industries that are faced with market-relevant decisions regarding digital transformation and the efficient and service-oriented optimization of their customer experiences.
About Finanzen Verlag
Finanzen Verlag publishes various newsletters in addition to the magazines €uro, €uro am Sonntag, BÖRSE ONLINE, TiAM – Trends in Asset Management and Tichy’s Einblick and is the operator of the Internet portal www.boerse-online.de. Finanzen Verlag is thus one of the largest business publishers in Germany.
