Staff at Handelsbanken London, are celebrating after the bank topped a national opinion poll for customer satisfaction. 

The survey by EPSI Rating is the first of its kind for the UK banking sector and is based on a pan European model already used to benchmark banks in 11 other countries, over 20 years. Professor Jan Eklof coordinator of the survey commented “This survey shows that customer satisfaction with Handelsbanken is significantly higher than the industry average and that the banks customers are also very loyal. This separates Handelsbanken from other specially analysed banks in the study and depicts results which are consistent with surveys undertaken in other countries.” 

Handelsbanken’s decentralised approach allows them to adapt quickly to the requirements and wishes of its customers, with decision making being made locally by its branch managers. This may appear to be a simple proposition, but it is one that is proving successful for the Swedish bank in the UK. 

Handelsbanken, which employs 130 staff across London, and 480 across the UK, was ranked top by both it’s business and personal customers in terms of satisfaction and for customer loyalty. 

The survey follows a strong set of results from the bank last month when it reported record profits on the back of strong demand for its services.

Magnus Uggla, Head of Regional Bank Southern Britain, said: “The results are a strong vote of confidence from our customers. Excellent personal customer service is our key competitive factor. Therefore it is very encouraging that we score so much better than the competition.” 

The London West End branch was the 38th UK branch to open in 2007 and is now one of 63 across England, Wales and Scotland. 

John Hodson, Branch Manager of Handelsbanken London West End, said having satisfied customers is something Handelsbanken has always focused on and the survey demonstrates the success of Handelsbanken’s ‘old fashioned’ approach to banking. 

“We believe in growing our business in a safe and considered way with the emphasis on a very personal relationship with individuals and businesses,” he said.

“The fact that we’re a large Swedish bank with stable finances and a good credit rating by international rating agencies also gives comfort to our customers.” 

Handelsbanken first came to the UK more than 25 years ago to cater for Nordic businesses and their British subsidiaries, but quickly realised the potential to provide universal banking services locally; the branch network that has followed is one of the most successful branch banking operations set up outside of the high street banks.  

EPSI Rating (Extended Performance Satisfaction Index) is a system created to collect, analyse and disseminate information about how an organisation is perceived by its stakeholders. The assessment is done in terms of image, preferences and perceived quality as well as loyalty and attractiveness by customers, employees and other interested parties. With a system of databases including more than 70,000 indices derived from some 2 million interviews taken during surveys in numerous country studies over almost two decades, ESPI Rating is the European leader in stakeholder management and benchmarking.

Contributed by John Hodson, Branch Manager of Handelsbanken London West End

About Handelsbanken: Founded in Stockholm in 1871, the Handelsbanken Group has 461 branches in Sweden, 48 in Norway, 45 in Finland, 54 in Denmark, and 62 in Great Britain.  The bank has a growing presence internationally, with branches in Russia, China, and India. Handelsbanken is rated Aa1 by Moody’s

www.handelsbanken.co.uk