For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Dutch Consumers Use The Net To Research And Buy Financial Products

The Web's Role As A Sales Channel Is Growing Fast In The Netherlands

by Alexander Hesse, November 20, 2009

The Internet's role as a distribution channel for financial products is growing fast in the Netherlands. Nearly half of Dutch Net users researched at least one financial product online in the past year, compared with 40% in 2007, and one in five bought . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Emotional Experience Design

Creating Online Experiences That Deeply Engage Customers

by Ron Rogowski, October 26, 2009

As consumers increasingly look to connect with companies online, lackluster Web experiences will damage many brands. But better functional design won't solve the problem. Instead, Forrester recommends that companies master the three principles of a new . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Seizing Insurance's Mobile Opportunity

Customer Adoption And Investment Grow As US Insurers Play Catch-Up

by Chad Mitchell, October 22, 2009

Smartphone adoption among US insurance customers is growing, and customers are beginning to engage with insurers via the mobile Web for policy administration, claims, and bill pay. eBusiness and emerging channel strategy executives at US insurers like . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

What Europeans Expect From Financial Services Web Sites

And What eBusiness Executives Need To Do To Meet Customer Needs

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., October 6, 2009

Consumers go to financial services Web sites with different motives — some want to access their own accounts and some intend to research or buy a specific financial product, while others are looking for a solution that fits their needs. Visitors to financial . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Best Practices: Mastering Output Options For Customer Communications

Simple Ways To Cut Costs And Improve Customer Experiences Are Hard To Achieve

by Craig Le Clair, Sheri McLeish, September 29, 2009

A new generation of document output for customer communications management (DoCCM) technology promises to reduce costs, improve the customer experience, and expand output beyond the print channel. Yet best practices must also evolve to achieve these promises. . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Why Americans Research Financial Products Online But Buy Through Other Channels

Channel Switching Is Driven Largely By Security And Support Issues

by Edward Kountz, Peter Wannemacher, September 22, 2009

Many US customers use multiple channels when buying financial services products, crossing channels during their path to purchase. Among online adults, 41% of financial product applicants research online but buy offline. Security and a need for hand-holding . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Service Seekers Are More Loyal Than Price Seekers

Examining Four Segments Of Consumers Across 12 Industries

by Bruce D. Temkin, August 31, 2009

In previous research, Forrester created four segments of consumers based on their interest in low prices and good customer service: Service Seekers, Price Seekers, Price & Service Seekers, and Others. We examined the loyalty of these segments across . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

2009 Canadian Bank Secure Web Site Rankings

RBC Posts Solid Scores In All Areas Of Forrester's Review

by Emmett Higdon, August 25, 2009

Forrester again this year evaluated the secure Web sites of the seven largest Canadian banks and credit unions — Bank of Montreal, CIBC, Desjardins, National Bank of Canada, RBC Royal Bank, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust — using our Competitive Site . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Credit Card Providers

by Ron Rogowski, August 17, 2009

How good are the brand experiences offered by major credit card Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites of four top brands — American Express, Capital One, Citigroup, and Discover — on how well they communicate their Brand Image and deliver value . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Banks

by Ron Rogowski, August 14, 2009

The banking industry features some of the most recognizable brand names in the US, like Bank of America, SunTrust Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. But how good are the brand experiences offered by major banks' Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: How Commonwealth Bank Of Australia Redesigned The Secure Site For Sales

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., August 13, 2009

In the course of its "Finest Online" project, Commonwealth Bank of Australia redesigned its NetBank Internet banking service with the objectives of building an excellent customer experience and driving online sales. The bank has implemented new content . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Investment Firms

by Ron Rogowski, August 7, 2009

How good is the brand experience offered by major investment Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites of four top brands — Charles Schwab, Edward Jones, Fidelity Investments, and Vanguard — on how well they communicate their Brand Image and deliver . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Insurers

by Ron Rogowski, August 6, 2009

The fiercely competitive insurance industry features some of the most esteemed brand names in the US, like Allstate Insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, and USAA. But how good are the brand experiences offered . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Financial Web Sites Need Customer Service Help

Financial Services eBusiness Customer Service And Support Benchmark, 2009

by Diane Clarkson, Elizabeth Stark, July 31, 2009

As part of a larger analysis of 90 Web sites, Forrester evaluated the availability of online customer service and support among 30 leading financial services Web sites. Forrester found that most sites delivered inconsistent customer service availability, . . .

For CIOs

Distributed Enterprise 2.0

CIOs In Consumer-Facing, Distributed Firms Can Capitalize On Cloud Computing

by George Lawrie, July 23, 2009

In a desperate effort to maintain the connection with fickle consumers, line-of-business executives and their allies in IT are conspiring to lower the IT drawbridge in order to deliver personalized customer experiences wherever and whenever consumers . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Brand Review Methodology To The Sites Of 16 Top Financial Services Brands

by Ron Rogowski, July 10, 2009

How good is the overall experience offered by leading financial services brands' Web sites in 2009? To find out, Forrester graded the sites of 16 top financial services brands using Forrester's Web Site Brand Review methodology. Our tests measure how . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Customer Advocacy 2009: How Customers Rate Canadian Banks

Scores Drop Overall, But RBC Rises And Credit Unions Lead

by Bill Doyle, Peter Wannemacher, June 30, 2009

Customer advocacy — the extent to which a firm's customers believe it does what's best for them rather than its own bottom line — is a key predictor of customer retention and growth. Forrester has measured customer advocacy among Canadian banks and credit . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Multichannel Is Still A Myth For Retailers

Companies Continue To Struggle With Cross-Channel Contact Strategies

by Sucharita Mulpuru, June 29, 2009

Retailers have been striving to provide seamless multichannel shopping experiences in order both to stay ahead of the market in an increasingly interconnected world and to align themselves with consumer multichannel behavior. In a recent report, Forrester . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

Why Consumers Subscribe To Financial Services Emails

Understand How To Find New Email Subscribers And Keep Their Interest

by Julie M. Katz, June 24, 2009

Marketing emails from financial institutions have grown substantially. Despite this growth, consumers remain skeptical about financial services emails. To counter the skepticism, email marketers should increase the amount of information and control consumers . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Enhance Your Product Strategy With Convenient Customer Service

by Doug Williams, June 22, 2009

Customer service has become an integral part of product strategy, and, as such, it should now be a primary concern of consumer product strategy professionals. Customer service has also grown more complex: Consumers used to simply bring the product back . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Technographics® Survey Highlight: North American Technographics Banking Online Survey, Q1 2009 (US)  (718 KB PPT)

by Corina Matiesanu, June 22, 2009

This highlight deck summarizes the key findings from Forrester’s North American Technographics Banking Online Survey, Q1 2009 (US).

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Italian Banking Customers Use Different Channels

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., June 1, 2009

Italian banking customers' channel use differs from that of most other Western Europeans. While customers elsewhere in Europe migrate from the branch to the Web, branch use in Italy keeps growing and online banking use remains low. eBusiness and channel . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Swedish Banking Customers Use Different Channels

by Alexander Hesse, May 27, 2009

With only 12% of Swedish banking customers using branches, Sweden has the lowest branch use in Europe. Swedish banks have successfully migrated the majority of their customers to ATMs and online banking — 83% and 71%, respectively. When they move customers . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Using Channel Satisfaction Data To Build The Business Case For eBusiness

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, May 26, 2009

Forrester recently released a report showing the results of a survey of more than 4,500 US consumers and their level of satisfaction with Web, phone, and in-person interactions across 12 different industries. The report allows eBusiness and channel strategy . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Customer Advocacy 2009: How Customers Rate US Banks, Investment Firms, And Insurers

by Bill Doyle, May 26, 2009

US consumers rate their financial services firms lower than ever in our most recent customer advocacy survey. Investment firms as a group rank lowest as former high-fliers Edward Jones and Vanguard slip and full-service firms like Morgan Stanley skid . . .