ath Power Research Reveals Next Generation Capabilities Would Motivate Customers To Use Mobile Banking

BOSTON, June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ath Power Consulting, a leading financial services research and strategy firm, today published The 2013 ath Power Mobile Banking Study™ following the recent presentation of initial findings at CBA Live and SourceMedia's Mobile Banking Summit. Results revealed that Remote Deposit Capture continues to be the most sought-after mobile banking feature, and next generation capabilities such as Voice Authentication and Mobile Photo Bill Pay would encourage more customers to adopt mobile banking.

"Retail customers are becoming less resistant to monthly fees for mobile, with 1 in 3 now saying they would be willing to pay for mobile banking, up from 1 in 5 in last year's study," said Michael McEvoy, Managing Director, ath Power.  "With more banking capabilities available to users and its obvious convenience, mobile is quickly becoming the preferred channel for many, with 1 in 2 customers logging into their accounts at least twice weekly. This is a clear opportunity for banks to build customer loyalty and potentially drive revenue."

Matt Wilcox, SVP and Director, Interactive Services and Marketing at Zions Bank, notes that, "Mobile banking is the fastest-growing channel in bank history.  Banks simply cannot afford to not leverage this medium and its power to serve their clients and connect with them on a greater level. The challenge will be to innovate and provide the functionality that meets customer demand."

The ath Power study found that 'voice recognition' would motivate 1 in 3 mobile customers to use mobile banking services more, while 'voice authentication' would encourage non-users to adopt mobile banking in the first place. 

USAA, who has rolled out innovative features including a voice-based virtual agent and whose app downloads have exceeded 5 million, received the highest rating for customer satisfaction in both this and last year's study.

Other Key Findings:

• Banks are particularly at risk of losing small business customers if their mobile offering is inadequate.  2 out of 3 small business owners (66%) say they are likely to consider leaving their current bank for one with a superior mobile offering, compared to 44% of retail customers.

• Almost one-half of existing mobile banking customers are discouraged from using mobile services such as bill payment and funds transfers over security fears.

• Alerts are a relatively untapped means of interacting in real-time with customers.  Currently 2 in 5 mobile users do not receive any alerts at all from their financial institution.

About The Study

Through a combination of survey research and hands-on usage audits of mobile banking apps, The ath Power Mobile Banking Study™ was conducted to determine what factors make up an "ideal mobile banking experience" as well as to understand how banking institutions can increase overall usage and adoption of their mobile offerings.

For more information, please visit http://www.athpower.com/expertise/mobile-banking.php.   

About ath Power Consulting

ath Power Consulting is a premier provider of customer experience solutions for the financial services industry, offering survey research, audit and mystery shop study, competitive intelligence, market analyses, training and development, and strategic brand planning. ath Power owns the largest panel of financial services field representatives, and executes more proprietary banking audits than anyone in the industry. Since 1997, our fully customizable solutions have helped improve customer retention, build brand loyalty, ensure compliance and increase profitability, performance and market share for financial services organizations across North America. To learn more, please visit www.athpower.com.

Media Contact:
Jessica Hamel
ath Power Consulting
978.474.6464 x107
[email protected]

SOURCE ath Power Consulting