Analysis of customer centricity in financial institutions: a case study of Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited

Abstract

The customer base of Stanbic Bank has been declining over the years in spite of the employing a Customer-centric model in delivery of financial services. The purpose of this study was to analyze customer centricity strategies in Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited. The objectives were: to determine the customer-centric strategies employed by Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited; to determine the effect of customer-centric strategies on the revenue performance of Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited, and to assess the challenges to successful implementation of customer-centric strategies in Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited. A cross-sectional research design was employed, coupled with a mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data was collected from a random sample of 95 bank’s Call Center employees using a structured questionnaire, while qualitative data was collected from a purposefully selected sample of Call Center Managers and Supervisors using a semi-structured interview guide. Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. From the study findings, it was concluded that having a strong commitment to understanding & addressing customers’ needs, fostering a customer-centric culture that prioritizes delivering excellent service, communicating with customers to ensure clarity and understanding of its products, encouraging customer feedback as a way of improving its operations and services, providing adequate training and resources to its employees to deliver exceptional customer service, building long-term relationships with customers based on trust and mutual respect, and consistently delivering on promises and adequately meets customer expectations, constitute customer-centric strategies employed by Stanbic Bank (U) Limited. In addition, Stanbic Bank (U) Limited’s customer-centric strategies have registered success in improving the overall revenue performance of the bank, in identifying and capitalizing on new revenue streams and business opportunities, in widening the customer base, and improving the overall financial position of the bank. Finally, the study revealed four key challenges to effective implementation of customer-centric strategies at Stanbic Bank (U) Limited including: insufficient resources, difficulty in maintaining consistence in service quality across different points of contact with its customers, difficulty in integrating various service delivery channels to provide a seamless customer experience, and resistance or skepticism from employees towards customer-centric strategies.