Customer Support for E/M-Banking Users

MicroSave's Briefing Note No. 129 highlights the importance of customer delight in the provision of financial services for the poor through non-traditional channels. It discusses customer needs for support at varying stages of the electronic/mobile (e/m) banking lifecycle and channels that provide such support. The note states that customer delight is increasingly recognized as integral to any sound business model. Delighted customers drive usage to a higher level and act as catalysts for marketing efforts through word-of-mouth promotion. Key points include:

• Customer service and support are vital for financial services especially in the context of the illiterate or semi-literate poor;
• Different stages in the consumer usage lifecycle of e/m banking such as customer sign-up, first agent transaction, and first self-service transaction require different kinds of customer service;
• Most widely used channels for customer support include front-end agents, call centers, monitoring visits by supervisors, and information through point of sale displays;
• Agent network managers need to recognize the importance of integrating customer delight and support at all levels of institutional strategy and functioning.