Customers Perception on Services Quality in Southeast Bank Limited

Customers Perception on Services Quality in Southeast Bank Limited

This report is conducted on “Consumers perception about the services offered in “Southeast Bank Limited.” Southeast Bank Limited (SEBL) is one of the private sector commercial banks of the country in terms of asset quality, profitability, market diversification, and capital adequacy. By conducting this research, it has been tried to identify the consumer’s perception and attitude towards the services offered in Southeast Bank Limited and whether the customers are satisfied by having the services or not.

The readers of this research paper will be able to understand about the services of Southeast Bank Limited, the views of customers towards the different services, the level of customer satisfaction, the products and services offered for customers, reasons behind customer dissatisfaction and lots of other issue related to the services offered. In this report, a survey has been done to find out the perception of consumers regarding the services offered in Southeast Bank Limited. The analysis has been done considering the three main factors demographic segment, perception section and the satisfaction section. In the demographic segment analysis has been on customer’s opinion based on their gender, age, education, length of involvement with the bank. In the perception section it has been focus on the consumers views of the services offered that are popular in Southeast Bank Limited and in the satisfaction section the analysis has been done on the reasons for customer dissatisfaction.

Origin of the Report

Dimension of banking all over the world has been changing rapidly due to the deregulation of globalization and technological innovation. Now-a-days banking business has been facing more competition locally as well as globally. Today’s modern banks are not only providing traditional banking, rather banks are expanding the menu of financial services and banks are making the untouchable service touchable for their customers.

Objective of the Study

The primary objective of this report is to find out the consumer perception level to the services of consumer banking in Southeast Bank Limited. My internship report will consist of the organizational part .The objective of my project part is that basically I am going to analyze the data which I will get from my targeted area or sample population.

Methodology of the Study

I have collected primary and secondary data for my research paper.

Primary Sources

I designed a structured questionnaire for the customer of the Southeast Bank Limited I made a questionnaire for the customers of Southeast Bank Limited and collected primary data by survey method and also by interviewing clients of Southeast Bank Limited.

Secondary sources

I have collected secondary data for my research paper .I have collected secondary data for my research paper from: Bank records and Website of the Bank.

Introduction

Southeast Bank Limited (SEBL) is one of the private sector commercial banks that started its operation on May 1995 in Dhaka Southeast Bank Limited has a long and relishing heritage. Southeast bank limited is a service industry. It is a second generation Bank that was established in 1995 as a Public Limited Company, with the vision to stand out as a pioneer banking institution in Bangladesh. To contributes significantly in the national economy of Bangladesh is an important vision of the Southeast Bank Limited.

Southeast Bank Limited has a long and relishing heritage. Southeast bank limited is a service industry. It is a second generation Bank that was established in 1995 as a Public Limited Company, with the vision to stand out as a pioneer banking institution in Bangladesh. To contribute significantly in the national economy of Bangladesh is an important vision of the Southeast Bank Limited. Now SBL has build a financial institution in the financial sector of Bangladesh and earned the reputation of providing quality services to its customers. The bank’s motto “A Bank with Vision” has the essence of legend success in the SAARC boundaries. The Bank has been sponsored by a group of eminent entrepreneurs of the country headed by Mr. Ragib Ali, Chairman of the board of Directors (present chairman is honorable Mr. Alamgir Kabir, FCA). Currently it has 78 branches operating at the strategic location of the country.

During the short span of time, Southeast Bank Limited had been successful to position itself as a progressive and dynamic financial institution in Bangladesh. The experience of the prosperous economies of Asian countries and in particular of South Asia has been the driving force and the strategic operational policy option of the Bank.

The company philosophy- “A Bank with Vision” has been precisely the essence of the legend of bank’s success. Southeast Bank had been widely acclaimed by the business community, from small entrepreneurs to large traders and industrial conglomerates, including the top rated corporate borrowers for forward-looking business outlook and innovative financing solutions. Thus within this very short period of time it has been able to create an image for itself and has earned significant reputation in the country’s banking sector as a Bank with Vision.

Historical Background

Privatization of Banking is an outcome of the deliberate policy change by the government of Bangladesh in late 70’s. The emergence of Southeast Bank Ltd. was at the juncture of liberalization of global economic activities, after the URUGUAY ROUND has been an important event in the financial sector of Bangladesh. The company slogan “A Bank with Vision” has been exactly an essence of the legend of success in the Asian countries.

The bank had been widely acclaimed by the business community, from small entrepreneurs to large traders and industrial conglomerates, including the top-rated corporate borrowers for its forward – looking business outlook and innovative financial solutions. Presently, it has thirty branches. During the year 2005 the Bank envisaged to open more branches in important financial centers of the country.

Southeast Bank Limited has been licensed by the Government of Bangladesh as a Scheduled commercial bank in the private sector in pursuance of the policy of liberalization of banking and financial services and facilities in Bangladesh. In view of the above, the Bank within a period of 10 years of its operation achieved a remarkable success and met up capital adequacy requirement of Bangladesh Bank.

It has been growing fast as one of the leaders of the new generation banks in the private sector in respect of business and profitability as it is evident from the financial statements (will be described later) for the last 10 years. Southeast Bank Limited is focused on the established and emerging markets of Bangladesh. In Dhaka, the first branch was launched in 1995 and the bank has been growing ever since. The organization’s aim is to be the leading bank in the country’s principal markets.

The bank by concentrating on the activities in its area of specialization has achieved good market reputation with efficient customer service. The Bank is committed to providing continuous training to its staff to keep them up to date with modern practices in their respective fields.

Vision of Southeast Bank Limited

“To be a premier banking institution in Bangladesh and contribute significantly to the national economy”

Missions of Southeast Bank Limited

Balance growth strategy
High quality financial services with the help of the latest technology
Steady return on shareholders’ equity
Innovative banking at a competitive price
Firm commitment to the society and the growth of national economy.
Attract and retain to the society and the growth of national economy
High standard business ethics.
Fast and accurate customer service

Objectives

To be the market leader both in terms of deposits and good loans among private commercial banks

Goals

Become the most profitable bank
Provides highest level of satisfaction to customers
Enhance the value of shareholders investments and optimize return on their investment

Core Values

Integrity
Fairness
Harmony
Insight and Spirit
Commitment
Enthusiasm for work
Service Excellence
Courtesy
Team spirit
Business Ethics

Core Competencies

Knowledge
Experience and Expertise
Customer Focus
Transparency
Determination
Zeal for Improvement
Reliability

Commitment to Clients

Provide service with high degree of professionalism and use of modern technology
Create long – term relationship based on mutual trust
Respond to customer needs with speed and accuracy
Share their values and beliefs
Grow as our customers grow
Provide products and service at competitive pricing
Ensure safety and security of customers’ valuables in trust with us

Structure

The Authorized Capital of the Bank is Tk. 10,000.00 million .The banks will be manned and managed by experienced officers committed to provide highly efficient, personalized and quality services. There will be no conventional system of clerk, guard and peon in the Bank.

The security aspect will be looked after and managed through private security agencies. The bank has a good number of professional managers to manage competitive and complex situation efficiently and effectively. The Bank had set up a network of 78 Branches in Dhaka, It has no overseas branch.

Products and Services

Deposit Products

Conventional banking:

Savings Bank (SB) Account
Current Deposit (CD) Account
Special Notice Deposit (SND) Account
Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR) Account
Double Benefit Scheme (DBS) Account
Millionaire Deposit Scheme (MDS) Account
Pension saving Scheme
Education saving Scheme
Monthly Savings Scheme (MSS) Account
Monthly Income Scheme
Multimillionaire Gold Deposit Scheme

Islamic Banking:

Mudaraba Savings Bank (SB) Account
Al – Wadiah Current (CD) Account
Mudaraba Special Notice Deposit (MSND) Account
Mudaraba Term Deposit Receipt (MTDR) Account
Mudaraba Double Benefit Scheme (MDBS) Account
Mudaraba Monthly Savings Scheme (MMSS) Account
Mudaraba Hajj Sanchay Prokalpa
Mudaraba Millionaire Deposit Scheme (MMDS) Account

Loan and Advances Products

Working Capital Finance
Overdraft (OD)
Project Finance
Syndicated Loan Packing Credit
Loan Against Export Bill
Loan Against Trust Receipt

Services of Southeast Bank Limited

SME Banking
Dual Currency VISA Credit Card
Virtual Card
Remittance Business
Western Union
SWIFT Services
Locker Services
ATM Services
Internet Banking Services
Bill Payment Services
E-Statement Services

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Transparent and quick decision making

Satisfied customers
Skilled risk management
Efficient team of performers
Internal control and compliance
Diversification to perform business operation

Opportunities

Expansion of Branch network
Attraction of more customers through sophisticated service quality
Further diversification of product
Bank can introduce a training center for its employees to make the employees more effective and efficient

Weaknesses

Limited branch network
High concentration on large loan
Less concentration on advertising and promotion
No research and development facilities for innovating new products.
Long management hierarchy

Threats

The upcoming private local banks can also pose a threat to the existing to private commercial banks
The emergence of the multinational banks and their rapid expansion poses a potential threat
Threat of Bank Loan default

Description of the Project

Southeast Bank Limited is one of the private commercial banks in Bangladesh which has started its operation in 1995. Southeast Bank Limited positioned its services by ensuring faster customer service, provide service with high degree of professionalism and use of modern technology, safety and security of customers valuable in trust with SEBL, and respond to customers’ needs with speed and accuracy etc. But some of the banks are offering at a lower price and some are offering almost the same price for the same sort of services.

And for this recently SEBL has already lost a number of their potential customer’s .The mid-level customers are holding strongly the Southeast Bank’s deposit position. So in my sense, the existing customers or those who already closed their account from Southeast Bank are getting confused because for the various or same types of services which are served by other banks .The change is occurred because now in market there are available options to switch. Furthermore, the competitors might serve the consumers with different attributes or follow different techniques.

Objectives of the Project

The objective is basically met by remaining attached with a reputed organization and by gaining some real life experiences. Southeast Bank limited is one of the successful private banks in our country. The report is focused on the organizational structure and the services offered by SEBL. This report basically focuses on the study of customer services quality in Southeast Bank Limited, on the basis of a questionnaire and which was adorned on the basis of some parameters. Finally, I analyzed the findings from the questionnaire and came to a conclusion with some of my recommendations. In case of this report the objectives are as follows:

Broad Objective:

To identify the consumers perception about the services offered in Southeast Bank Limited

Specific Objectives:

To observe and understand the activities of the different departments of the host organization Southeast Bank Limited (SEBL)
To identify the customers demand to Southeast Bank Limited
To identify the customers perception or attitude towards the customer services of Southeast Bank Limited
To provide suggestions to ensure better customer service

Research Methodology

To prepare this report I depend mostly on primary data collection and prefer the questionnaires as a tool for my primary data collection. The topic for the research is “Consumers perception about the services offered in Southeast Bank Limited” .The research design includes mainly primary data. In order to collect primary data, a survey questionnaire was prepared .The questionnaire consisted three sections.

Demographic
Perception &
Satisfaction

In the beginning portion of the questionnaire, customers were presented with questions related to their ‘demographics’ and was presented with check boxes to fill up personal information (i.e. age, gender, sex, monthly income, occupation, etc).In the perception section where the questions were mainly designed to gather information about consumers perception of the standard service quality of the bank. And in the satisfaction section where the respondents were asked whether customers really satisfied with the services related to consumer banking of the bank.

Findings and Analysis –

The analysis has been done considering the three main factors. The questions are related to the following factors:

Demographic segment- age gender, education, occupation, length of Involvement
Perception section- the questions were mainly designed to gather information about consumers perception of the standard service quality of the bank
Satisfaction section- respondents were asked whether they were really satisfied with the services of the bank.

The results of this survey are presented according to the questions that were asked to the respondents with the help of a structured questionnaire.

Customer service performs the core functions of the bank, operated the day-to-day transactions, all the functions of other department is linked with customer service.

This is very difficult to satisfy a customer in banking sector because the customers usually make judgment about the quality of services depending on how much satisfaction they are getting from the customer services and the way of judgment varies from customer to customer. Therefore, the customer service providers should be concerned in giving their best effort to satisfy the need of each individual customer.

Perception of the consumers about the services in SEBL

To know and get a better understanding about the consumers’ perception, behavior and their attitude towards the services offered in SEBL, the following questions have been designed for the consumers. I have done a questionnaire survey and also have asked several questions during the interview. SEBL has always tried to increase its efficiency in terms of service quality. For this a couple of years ago, SEBL took an ambitious objective of becoming the number one private commercial bank in Bangladesh. In order to achieve this goal, SEBL is still going through an immense renovation process and emphasizing a lot in its service quality level.

In the questionnaire the consumers were asked many questions related to the service quality of the bank. The questions were like the consumers were asked how did they knew about this Southeast Bank Limited and the main reason for choosing the bank, whether they were having any account in this branch or not and if they have one then are they satisfied with the services which they are getting. In some banks the account opening process has become hazy and lengthy; the consumers of this bank were asked how they feel about the account opening process of this bank. Then the consumers were also asked what they think about the fees and service charges of the bank and whether it is reasonable in comparison to other banks. Then it is also an important question to know what the consumers think about the modern banking equipments, such as credit card, ATM booth, Modern Software etc of the bank services. To know in more details the consumers were also asked questions about the quality of the ATM services provided, the locker services, the service of WESTERN UNION as well as the deposit products and loan products. Beside all these services, the customers were asked some questions about the behavior of the employees of the bank. Last of all some of the questions were asked were related to the overall customer satisfaction.

Question 01

The first question was merely an introductory question to give a glimpse of the topic to the respondents This question was related about how the customers knew about Southeast Bank Limited. It was also to make sure how the respondent did know about Southeast Bank Limited. In the table below we can see that 22 of the consumers knew about this bank from their friends and colleagues, 16 from their relatives, 8 from self interest, 4 from advertising and 10 from other sources.

It is seen that 27% of the respondent customers knew about this bank from their relatives and also have mentioned the service as very good. So the customers are very much satisfied with the service. Then 7% customers have known about this bank from advertising, 13% from their self interest, and 36% knew from their friends and colleagues and the rest of the 17% customers knew from other sources.

Then 27% consumers know from their relatives. For example if the parents are having an account in this bank then they also open an account for their children or tell their sons/daughters about this bank and this happens only if the parents are satisfied with the particular services they are taking from this bank Other group of the consumers knew about this bank as some of the consumers are coming to pay the tuition fees in this bank from there they know about this bank, then as SEBL has lots of branches in different areas so the people of that areas know about the bank from those places and get influenced to open an account in this bank.

Few consumers around 7% know about this bank from advertising. This is because Southeast bank does not go for any promotional activities like other banks. As in the same area there are other banks like DBBL, Mercantile Bank, IFIC, EXIM Bank etc and so they are the main competitors of Southeast bank here. These banks in the same surrounding area are doing huge promotional activities like they sponsor events, for beautification, give ads on billboards, they are doing all these because to get the consumers aware of their banks. After that then some of the people either visit the bank to know about the bank or they try to get information about the bank from their friends, relatives, neighbors etc. On the other hand compare to all these banks SEBL is doing nothing. So the more number of consumers doesn’t know about this bank. If a consumer doesn’t know about a bank then he or she will not come to get the service from this bank and will take it from other banks.

Question 02

Reasons for choosing the Bank

From the graph, it is seen that the highest number of the sample customers (43%) of Southeast Bank Limited have chosen the bank for personal relationship. On the other hand, 38% customers have opened their account for the location of the bank. The rest of the clients have come for size of the bank, network of branches and the reputation of the bank .But the least number of the respondent customers have chosen the bank for the network of branches of the bank.

From the above analysis, we can see that personal relationship and location of the bank are the main priorities of the customers in choosing a bank. SEBL believes in personal relationship with the clients and most of the customers are satisfied with the steps that have taken by authority of SEBL bank for maintaining the personal relationship with customers.

Then the second larger group of customers for choosing the bank is for the location of the bank. Most of the customers visit the Gulshan branch as though they have their account in other banks but now SEBL is operating online transactions. So people can do their transaction from SEBL of any branch. Another reason for choosing the location of the bank is most of the respondents were private job holder so it is more comfortable for the respondents who were working in Gulshan, Banani and surrounding areas, So the location of the bank is quite suitable for them. As a result, if the bank can enhance its personal relationship and locate its branches in suitable places, it can attract more people to have an account with the bank. The banks should also be concerned about the network of branches.

Question 03

Type of account in SEBL

From the questionnaire it is found that in SEBL 48% customer are having savings account which is more compare to the current account (35%) and Fixed A/c (17%).

The majority of the customers are having savings account .The customers of Savings Account are satisfied as they get more value than the other customers. And in fact it true that Southeast Bank actually provides more interest to the customers under the savings accounts than the other accounts of this bank.

Question 04

Consumer’s perception by having the account in SEBL

From the graph it is seen that 26 customers are satisfied, and 7 are dissatisfied and 11 remain neutral to the question. As in the previous question it is found that 48% of the customers are having savings accounts in this bank.

Southeast Bank provides more interest to the customers under the savings accounts than the other accounts of this bank. Customers of savings accounts can easily express their opinion to the management and management takes it very carefully. Employees are more helpful to the customers of savings account. The employees understand the needs of customers of Savings account very carefully. The customers of Savings accounts get more facilities and opportunities than the other customers of this bank.

For all these reasons the customers are of savings account are satisfied. Some of the customers of Fixed Account are dissatisfied .The customers think that the employees of SEBL think that customers of Savings account are more valuable than the other accounts’ customers. So, as a result they do not properly care the customer and are not that much helpful and friendly to others. Beside this all rules and regulations of SEBL are not favorable to the customer of fixed account. So the relationship between the employer and customer is not that much good as like savings account customers. To keep the customers of fixed account satisfied the management can take the necessary steps to avoid the Account wise discrimination among their customers.

Question 05

Consumers view of the account opening process

From the diagram it is seen that 75% of the customers have graded the account opening process is not hazy & lengthy and 25% have said that it is hazy & lengthy.

From the above analysis it shows that the most of the clients have agreed that the account opening process is not hazy & lengthy, they think the formalities that the bank asks for opening an account is very good and they are much satisfied with the asked formalities and very few said that the account opening process is hazy & lengthy. Since a person becomes a customer of a bank by opening an account with the bank, a bank should be very much cautious about asking formalities for opening an account so that the strictness of formalities for safety purpose does not discourage any person from opening an account with the bank.

Question 06

Important Factors which the consumers consider for marketing the bank products to improve customer service

From the graph it can be seen that 30% of the consumers said that the service quality is most important among other factors.

It can be said that as the highest frequency of people think that the marketing of the bank products depends mostly on the quality of the bank’s service to its customers, and the lowest number of people think that there are some other important factors are responsible in marketing of the bank products to improve the bank’s customer service.

Question 07

Consumers view of the fees and service charges of the bank

The fees and service charge of the Bank is reasonable in comparison with other Banks, with this statement 20% customers disagreed, 35% customers agreed and 30% customers are neutral.

It is found that the customers are most satisfied with the fees and service charges of the bank. If compared with Dutch Bangla Bank Limited the fees and service charges of SEBL are not higher and hence SEBL customers are satisfied with this.

Question 08

Consumers view of using modern looking equipments

The graph represents that around 52% customers in Southeast Bank Ltd. have said that SEBL is not using modern banking and another 18% customers have said that the bank is using modern equipments. On the other hand 30% said that Southeast bank need modification.

It is found that the customers are not satisfied because SEBL do not use modern equipment as like as other Bank to satisfy their customers. Data analysis shows that majority of the persons support that they should modernize their equipments for banking services. Very few customers are satisfied with SEBL’s technical support. The management of SEBL should be concerned about this matter and should take necessary steps to enhance its technical assistance.

Question 09

Services Received from SEBL

From the survey it is identified that 35% respondents are having Deposits in this bank, 45% respondents are taking the ancillary services like the ATM service, locker service, remittance service, cheque deposit, utility services/tuition fees, pay order etc and only 20% customers are taking the loan services.

It is found that from all the services of Southeast Bank Limited, most popular is the Deposit Services. The mid-level customers are holding strongly the Southeast Bank’s deposit position. The second most popular service is the ancillary services like the check deposit, then the pay order, ATM service, Remittance service, locker service, account related.

Customers are coming to take the locker service as the locker service of this bank which is good. Some customers come for account related problems .For example they have changed their sign and come to inform the bank, some come to know their account balance, others come to open an account and for many other account related problems. Since the number of ATM booths is few and the service is also not up to the customer’s expectation so some customers are coming for their ATM cards that do not work properly. Then other customers come to pay their tuition fees of their schools, universities as ordered by their institutions and some come to pay the car tax, utility bills and also come for pay order. And last of all is the small finance products (loan products) few customer compare to other services come to take the loan from this bank.

Question 10

Reasons to prefer the services from this bank

From the analysis it is found that among the services the customers are taking from this bank Check deposit is most popular among the consumers.

The data analysis shows that the feedback of the customers indicates that the customers are satisfied with the Check deposit service of the bank where I have found that,43% of the all respondents prefer this Southeast bank because of Fast and Flawless Service. Then 23% respondents prefer because of well behaved employees. 33% respondent prefer because of low service charge. And very few respondents are attracted to this bank because of good reputation and corporate image.

Question 11

Quality of the ATM services provided by the bank to the consumers

It is found from the survey that most of the consumers are not satisfied with the ATM services .From the table we can see that around 7% respondents have agreed that the ATM service is very good, 23% have said that it is good and most of the customers (43%) have said that the service is fair, 27% said poor service. Not a single respondent customer has agreed that the ATM service is excellent.

The reasons why most of the consumers didn’t like the service is that most of the time their ATM machine is not found in good working conditions. Their ATM card does not work properly and also does not work in their own ATM booth but works in other banks like Dutch Bangla, Standard Chartered Banks booth. When the customers came complaining about this matter they tell the customers to use other banks booth rather than trying to find out the problem with the ATM machine.

Another important reason why most of the consumers are displeased is the number of the ATM booths. SEBL does not have enough ATM booths for why the SEBL customers face problems. Dutch Bangla Bank which is their main competitor are having lots of ATM booths and all their booths are in the convenient places according to the customers.

Then some of the consumers have applied for their ATM card and they are given a day to collect their card. But when the consumers come to collect their card they are told that their card is not ready yet and it would take few days more which disappoints the consumers. So the consumers’ perception about the ATM services of this bank is not good and they are not satisfied with the ATM service so it would be better for the bank if they try to improve the ATM service

Question 12

Consumers view about the WESTERN UNION

The graph represents that 28% customers have said that the service is very good, 17% said good and 35% said that the service is fair.

Data analysis shows that WESTERN UNION providing faster money transfer service is satisfactory to most of the consumers. It is ideal for transferring money at anytime, anywhere with a high level of security. As they think it is yet less costly compare to other banks like EXIM Bank .The customers of Southeast bank Limited receive money from abroad from their relatives, parents or even from children quickly money in minutes by visiting any of the 56 branches of SEBL

Question 13

Consumers view about the deposit services

It is seen that the 40% customers are satisfied with the deposit services offered in this bank, 12% have commended that they are not satisfied with the deposit services.

It is found that most of the consumers are not satisfied with the different types of depository products available here and they are not happy with the depository services. The reason is that the customers do not know that the bank is having different types of deposit products and some of the customers know about the products but not informed about the benefits of these products. In the last week of October they have introduced a new product in their bank called “Multimillionaire Gold Deposit Scheme” which is a depository product. So in this case SEBL has customers but they are not aware of the new product as SEBL do not go for much marketing activities compare to other banks. Another reason is that compare to other banks SEBL is not having a wide range of products .Different customers have different needs and requirement. So, it can be said that SEBL should reconsider its service strategies and design deposit products that better satisfy customer needs and requirements. And also the bank should be more tactful in dealing with the customers and launch new products that fully meet customer expectations.

Question 14

Services that consumer think more focus should be given

Then regarding the overall services of banking, the consumers were asked which of the services they think more focus should be given to improve its service. It is seen that 14 (23%) consumers said to give focus on the deposit products, then 19 (32%) consumers said about the ancillary services and the large number of consumers said that the loan services should be given more given more emphasis.

It is found that the consumers of this bank are very much dissatisfied with the loan products. As SEBL doesn’t have much loan products for the general consumers like other banks are giving Travel loan, Home loan, Vacation loan etc to their consumers. And the loans like personal loan, educational loan or the marriage loan for which they also take much time and don’t want to give easily. Then the customers don’t like some of the ancillary services like the ATM service, locker service etc. As the ATM card of their bank do not work in their own ATM booth but works in other banks like Dutch Bangla and Standard Charted banks booth.

The customers are much displeased with this type of services. They are not only displease with this but also the number of ATM booths are not enough, they have only few ATM booths .But on the other hand we can see that Dutch Bangla Bank which have sufficient booths in all the convenient places so the customers don’t have to face any difficulty. Then coming to the locker service, they have three different sizes of locker small, medium and large. The small locker yearly rent is Tk. 1500, the medium locker rent is Tk. 2,500 and the large locker rent is Tk. 5,000. Most of the consumers are coming to SEBL for the locker service but after seeing the different sizes of locker they are not satisfied with the size of the locker. Even the large size locker seems to be very small to them. Some of the consumers even have said that they wanted to take the service from Standard Chartered bank but all the lockers are booked over there so they came to this bank. In case of the services given through small deposit products few consumer are not happy with the services. The consumers are satisfied with the deposit services. It would be better if the management can make the lockers a bit larger and comfortable for the consumers. Among the services mentioned more concentration should be given to the loan services as most of the consumers are dissatisfied with the loan services the management should take care about it to improve the service.

Factors that determine the satisfaction level of the customers

To know the customers satisfaction level regarding the services some questions have been designed. After analyzing the feedback of the respondents, I have identified the following reasons responsible for customer dissatisfaction: The respondent while expressing their satisfaction views toward various attributes ranked some of the aspects of the service quality poorly. The poor ratings show that customer were dissatisfied with the services.

Areas of Dissatisfaction:

Overall environment of the bank: With the statement most customers have agreed that the overall environment of the branch in terms of proper functioning of A.C., nit & clean floor, sitting arrangements is satisfactory. The customers are dissatisfied because the bank does not have sufficient sitting arrangements. When there are more customers some of the customers have to wait as they do not get any place to sit. Services providing desk that means check deposit, collecting check book, account opening, cheque issuing, desk are not sufficient in number. So, customers don’t get service as much as they want. The management should be concerned about the service providing desk and also the sitting arrangements. Other than this the bank has a neat and clean floor and unlike other local banks it has proper functioning of air conditioner as well as sufficient parking space for the clients.
The service of the bank: From the questionnaire survey it is found that very few people are satisfied with the service of the bank. The reason for their dissatisfaction is sometimes the customers do not get the right services at the right time or within their expected time. This makes them angry. They shouted saying that they are giving charge for the services, so why they won’t get the service within reasonable time or the management of the bank is not at all concern about the customer satisfaction. Most often these situations are created when one or more employees of the customer service department is absent, or go to the washroom, for prayer, for lunch and so on. So, Southeast Bank Limited should be more concerned about the services of the bank and about the customer satisfaction to build a long term relationship with their customers.
The Online banking service of the bank: The customers are dissatisfied with the service of online transaction facility as sometimes problem in the server connection is created and it makes the employees unable to encash the customers’ cheque. So, the customers have to wait for completing their transaction. Sometimes it takes a long time to make the server fit again. This wastes the customer’s valuable time on one hand, and creates a lot of sufferings for those customers who have argent need for money on the other hand. So, this Online Transaction facility sometimes becomes a matter of dissatisfaction for the customers.
The number of ATM Booths: Most of the customers of SEBL are dissatisfied with the number of ATM booths as the bank does not have sufficient ATM Booths available. At present compare to Dutch Bangla Bank which has most ATM booth in Bangladesh and all of their ATM booths are in the convenient places for the customers. The customers face many problems they have to wait in the long queues and have to waste a long time. Even some of the customers spend their entire day only to withdraw a small amount of money. This kind of problem arises due to the limited number of ATM booths. The management should be concerned about the limited number of ATM booths which makes their customers dissatisfied.

Recommendations

The research gave valuable insights as to where improvements were necessary to improve the quality of service. After doing the survey and interviewing the consumers, it has seen that the customers are more or less satisfied with the overall services of customer service and the behavior of employees. They also have some complains which make them unsatisfied in some cases. From the survey I have noticed that the customers prefer more better services, Online Banking services, want to avoid more formalities for issuing P.O, opening account etc. So Southeast Bank Limited should try heart & soul to please those customers in a smart and trusting way.

From the above discussion about customers perception about the services of the bank, the following recommendation can be made to improve customer service quality of Southeast Bank Limited:

Frequent marketing research:

The management of Southeast Bank Limited can regularly administer marketing research activities every three months through structured questionnaire or through personal interview, in order to keep a regular track of satisfaction levels. Regular research may also be conducted to find out customers expectations about various service aspects. In short, as customer expectations and satisfaction are changing frequently, regular research at sufficient intervals might be conducted

More relationship marketing:

Southeast Bank Limited may try to maintain a very good relationship with its customers so that they are capable enough to build up a solid customer base. The bank might focus more on existing customers in order to build strong and loyal relationship with its customers as the survey showed that satisfied customers more aptly or certainly recommends the bank to friend and relatives. Thus the power of relationship will foster positive word of oral communication and will attract new customers at a lower cost.

Focus on Segmentation Strategies:

Other than government and foreign bank, now there are around 29 private commercial banks operating in the country. So to survive in the industry, Southeast Bank has to deal with these threats created by these new entrants with new products, services and convenient interest rates. Keeping all these in mind, the bank might concentrate more on the various demographic segments (in terms of gender, age, income, occupation) with new products and services

Establishment of more ATM Booth:

From the survey, it is clear that customers are not very happy regarding availability of ATM booths of Southeast Bank Limited. Only a few number of ATM booths are available over the country. Therefore, sufficient number of ATM booths might be established in different location to reach out the customers even further and thereby satisfying their demand. Recently Southeast Bank Limited made agreement with Dutch Bangla Bank Limited to use their ATM Booth. It may help them to satisfy the customers for the time being but the Bank can consider making a long-term investment in this area to handle the increasing amount of customer in the future.

Improved Customer Service:

Improvement of customer service is very much essential. To compete with other banks, customer service should be improved as online service, internet service, 24 hours customer service etc. Administration should be effective about customer demand. New technologies should be taken for effective services. Administration should follow up the employee’s improvement and performance and provide attractive remuneration competitive to other banks.

Handle complaints effectively:

SEBL may give greater importance to manage the complaints of various customers and to encourage customers to give feedback about the services. By doing so, the management will be able to collect and document complains and to use that information to identify dissatisfied customers.

Pursue an attractive advertising campaign:

Southeast Bank Limited can focus on pursuing an aggressive advertising campaign in order to build up a strong image and reputation among potential customers. In this context, the valuable strengths can be used for positioning the online banking image of the bank. TV ads may be aired to reach a wider array of customers. Thus an offensive marketing strategy emphasizing customer satisfaction and service quality can bring valuable business for the Bank.

Improvement of online banking:

Many major problems lied within the online service are preventing SEBL from getting more positive response from its customers. Thus, SEBL IT division still has several areas having some scopes for further improvement. The Bank may take initiatives now to overcome these problems. Unless these problems are solved, SEBL online banking service user will not be satisfied.

Recruitment of more Employees:

I have found one thing from my experience that bank should increase their number of employees. Sometimes employees cannot give proper attention to their clients because of increasing working pressure. Bank can recruit more employees and divide their work properly so that they can give proper attention to the customers.

New Branches should be introduced:

Customers showed a huge dissatisfaction as SEBL provides services from only limited branches throughout Bangladesh. New branches should be constructed in Dhaka city satisfying more geographic segments. As convenience of branch location was a very important factor for the customers SEBL should consider building new branches and ATM’s within Dhaka city as well as other metropolitan cities of Bangladesh.

Conclusion

Service quality is a critical component of customer perceptions. In the case of pure services, service quality will be the dominant element in customers’ evaluations. In Bangladesh the number of private banks is increasing. Most of them are listed in the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

They are competing in a big field among each other. Most of the people want to keep their asset in a safe place. If banks are not able to provide satisfactory service to their customers then it will be difficult for them to meet their target level. So banks should improve their customer service to satisfy their customer with an aim to compete with their rivals.

From this research, several issues are found which needs to be emphasized for Southeast Bank’s greater success. From both the customer survey and in-depth interview, it has been found that there is a gap indeed between what customers of SEBL expect and what actually they are getting .In other words, many customers were dissatisfied due to some areas of incompetent services. So in order to sustain in the highly competitive banking industry, SEBL might take this issue under serious consideration. Besides if competitors could identify these gaps of SEBL, then there is a possibility that they could use this as their advantage by not having such gaps in their services. Therefore, SEBL should move ahead of its rivals by applying the recommendations provided above. Certainly, it will help reducing the gap (or dissatisfaction) and retaining existing customers. When dissatisfied customers become satisfied, it will not only help to bring new customers through positive word-of-mouth communications. Also, it will help to attract new segments with different needs. Thus SEBL should focus on increasing its market share by providing quality service as promised and at the same time, providing new products/ services that would satisfy customer needs even more, creating a competitive advantage over its competitors.