Dubai: Poor customer service is a major reason customers in the UAE tend switch to other banks.
A growing body of research has pointed to a gap in customer service in the banking industry. Souqalmal.com, a financial comparison website in the UAE, last year polled 2,000 residents and found that the overwhelming majority (60 per cent) would not even consider recommending their bank to a friend or relative.
“Poor customer service drives customers to change their banks,” said Jad Rammal, director of measurement solutions, Ethos Consultancy.
In its 8th Annual Banking Benchmarking Index for 2012, Ethos Consultancy indicated that banks in the country still need to work on their customer service performance.
Among the customers surveyed, 34 per cent said they were extremely satisfied with their “overall experience” when they visited their bank, while 30 per cent said the same thing about the bank’s’ call centre. However, only a smaller number, 21 per cent, were extremely satisfied with their bank’s website.
“Overall, the research does seem to suggest that many of the UAE’s banks are still not focusing enough attention on customer service,” the company said in its benchmarking report.
