Audit and professional services firm, KPMG Nigeria, has ranked Ecobank Nigeria among the top three banks with good customer experience in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) segment in the latest edition of its banking industry customer experience survey.
The survey, which measures the performance of deposit money banks in the country based on their relationship with account holders and other users of financial services covered 15,056 retail customers, 1,856 SMEs and 332 commercial/corporate organisations.
Respondents were selected from customers who have interacted with their bank in the last six months.
In the SME category, the report ranked Sterling Bank, Union Bank and Ecobank in the top-three category, ahead of Zenith Bank and FCMB.
Respondents, the report explained, were impressed with the interaction between Ecobank and its customers during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, stressing that the bank was able to provide personalized service to its respective customer segments.
“The remote working arrangements resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have further constrained banks from catering to this stated need. While many banks struggled with providing dedicated relationship managers to SMEs, other banks quickly adapted by developing “how-to” guides for their relationship managers to navigate client relations during the pandemic,” the report added.
Ecobank, FCMB and Union Bank were rated as the top banks in the delivery of personalised experiences.
Commenting, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan stressed the bank’s unwavering commitment to support and sustain the development of SMEs in all sectors of the economy.
He assured that Ecobank had invested in a robust technology-based model which positioned it to cope with current and future challenges including provision of convenient digital banking services to customers in a seamless manner, adding that the bank will continue to harness and explore the various intervention schemes, funding and trade opportunities for small businesses.
“We are delighted with this recognition from KPMG. It underscores our commitment to customer-centricity and putting the customer first in all that we do. We provide access to finance and markets to our customers and are the natural choice for ease of payments, trade and distribution within Africa on a real time, 24/7 basis. Our well trained personnel leverage the financial products and services we offer to support SMEs at all times through about 20,000 agency banking locations across the country and our digital platforms namely Ecobank Omnilite, Ecobankmobile, Ecobankpay, EcobankOmniplus, Rapid Transfer amongst others. By utilising these digital offerings, our customers can easily access their bank accounts, make payments, transfer funds, process salaries, have access to credit and carry out other ancillary banking transactions from the comfort of their homes and offices”. Mr Akinwuntan stated.
The KPMG 2020 Nigeria Banking Industry Customer Experience Survey tagged: The customer in a new reality is the 14th edition. Banks are usually rated in three categories – Retail, SME, and Wholesale. The researchers asked customers across financial market segments about their experience with their banks based on six pillars of personification, integrity, expectations, time and effort, resolution, and empathy.
