Digital channels not only allow us to keep people connected at all times, no matter how far apart they are, but in many cases they also allow us to do so better. When it comes to businesses, digitalisation can help increase transparency in the offering and bring consumers a wider range of products and services. Digitalisation has opened the door to new possibilities that benefit both the customer and the company and that, without us realising it, are part of our everyday lives. Digitalisation stopped being the future some time ago; it is our present.
Companies are required to anticipate their customers’ new preferences and to adapt and transform their business models to this reality. Failing to do so can affect the quality of their service and jeopardise their survival. Customer experience is now the mirror in which companies with a long-term vocation must look when designing their strategy.
The trend towards digitalisation accelerated during the health crisis, confirming a process that is now irreversible and requires significant resources that must be made profitable. The cornerstone of good service is an appropriate price that ensures the investments needed for its survival and its improvement over time.
The supply of financial products and services has been guaranteed at all times since the start of the health crisis thanks to the investment effort undertaken by banks over the past decade, which have also strengthened their online service channels to provide coverage for services that previously could only be offered in person. Telephone banking is a perfect complement to the other communication channels between the customer and their bank, with the ultimate aim of continuing to offer the best possible service to everyone.
Access to useful and affordable financial services that meet society’s needs is known as financial inclusion. In countries such as Spain, where it is universal, it is not only key to society’s well-being, but in difficult times such as the present it is essential to drive the economic recovery. This objective also requires—now more than ever—an appropriate combination of policies and reforms to increase potential growth.
José Luis Martínez Campuzano, spokesperson for the Spanish Banking Association
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