Mobile Apps are the Key to Bank Loyalty

Online banking has been around for some time, and has been very popular since its launch. Now however, like most other industries, banking too is going mobile. With smartphone and mobile apps having become all pervasive, more and more Consumers are embracing the convenience that the mobile banking solutions have to offer.

According to a recent survey by the Federal Reserve Board, that 28 percent of all mobile phone owners used their devices for banking at least once in the past 12 months. That’s a 33 percent increase over 2012, when 21 percent smartphone used their mobile devices for banking. This is primarily because of the convenience that the many features of mobile banking bring to the table.

When it comes to service, sometimes what you do not get is more important for you than what you do get. Customers today want convenience more than anything else from their banking experience. So, customer experience is more powerful in driving customer loyalty than even the perception of value received for a given price.

Few reasons why mobile banking solutions is the key to customer experience:

1. Convenience: The biggest reason that adults in the United States stick with their bank, is convenience. The ability to manage their financial lives while on the go is a major convenience factor. Activities such as checking balances, transferring funds, paying bills mobile banking site etc. can be easily taken care of by logging into mobile web browser using their login information and password. Beyond mobile sites and apps, text messaging is becoming a popular way to transfer funds and pay bills.

2. Saves time, saves fuel: Being able to access financial records and perform transactions anywhere, anytime without having to visit the branch makes mobile banking appealing. With the mobile deposit capture apps, customers can now click a photo of a check with their smart phone, transmit the image to their bank, and the check gets instantly deposited. Users can even send money from their bank account to another person’s account via an app.

3. Ease of use: The interfaces for the mobile banking are usually simple and intuitive. The idea is to not have a steep learning curve. The terminology, the screen flows, and the interfaces are kept as similar to the website as possible. This helps a lot in adoption.

4. Good security:  Security has always been a very big concern for customers, especially for their financial data. Mobile banking is generally believed to be safer than other channels. Viruses and malicious code are less likely to threaten mobile banking because of the proliferation of platforms. Having a secured password on the phone creates another layer of security that prevents unauthorized access your personal information in the event your phone is lost or stolen. Also, text alerts about the transactions on your account keep you informed about the deposits and withdrawals from your account, which helps you know of any suspicious activity

5. Control: Mobile banking gives you added control over your finances in the way that best fits your lifestyle and your mobile device. They are using it as way of managing their spending prudently; as a way of controlling their money and avoiding being over drawn.

Mobile banking solutions help make the customers feel valued and reinforce through the feeling that the bank understands their needs. Optimizing the mobile channel therefore stands to improve the customer experience and ultimately grows loyalty – and profitability.