The influence of banks' advice to SMEs on customer satisfaction: the case for regulation Online publication date: Wed, 04-Aug-2010
by Bjorn Berggren, Nicolaus Lundahl, Lars Silver, Fatima Vegholm
International Journal of Services and Operations Management (IJSOM), Vol. 7, No. 2, 2010
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the expectations of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) regarding the value of the advice provided by banks in the light of new regulations in the field. The study started with 60 in-depth interviews with bankers and entrepreneurs in a small municipality in Sweden. After the interviews, a postal survey was sent to 476 SME clients of a bank. The relationship between the bank and the SMEs was divided into two dimensions: the functional quality (with which the SMEs were very satisfied) and a technical quality (which received poor ratings from the SMEs). Overall, the corporate customers were quite satisfied with the bank, owing to low expectations in the first place. The study has relevance for regulatory authorities and banks in examining the customer satisfaction among SMEs. Furthermore, the paper provides a framework for understanding why banks can achieve high customer satisfaction despite the continuous criticism of the advice provided by banks.
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