User Interface Design Key to Loyalty: Forrester

For bankers, a well-designed customer interface is worth the money, according to a recent Forrester report.

The technology and market research company says customer experience accounts for more than half of banks' long-term customer business. Forrester conducted its survey in November last year, questioning 7,506 adults. "Enjoyment is one of the best possible outcomes of any customer experience. But the majority of firms can barely design a useful, usable experience, much less a pleasurable one," the report stated.

In that equation, how much a bank charges its customers for services takes a backseat.

"Years of Forrester data across multiple industries confirms the strong relationship between the quality of a firm's customer experience and the loyalty of its customers," the report says. "But even we were surprised to see how much more important customer experience is than price-value perceptions when it comes to driving loyalty."

However, the survey insists, nickel-and-diming customers with overly aggressive fees has a lasting negative impact on customer experience -- hurting long-term customer prospects.

The report offers an example of a company with a strong user experience strategy: USAA. "USAA envisioned 'buying circles' when it realized that customers looking for insurance or financing were trying to accomplish something much larger," the report states. "This vision informed experience design teams to consider the role of internal groups (insurance and finance) as well as external factors such as salesmen at auto dealerships."