Perché l'esperienza del cliente nel settore dei servizi finanziari è la chiave per superare la concorrenza

Today’s consumers have more choices than ever before. With a few taps on their smartphones they can compare financial products, read reviews, and switch providers instantly if their expectations are not met. This shifting landscape has transformed customer experience in financial services from a nice-to-have into a critical differentiator that can make or break a business.

Customers in financial services are no longer comparing their experience only against direct competitors – they are measuring it against every positive interaction they have had across all industries. When a customer receives same-day delivery from an e-commerce platform or instant support through a messaging app, these become their baseline expectations for every business they interact with – including their bank, payment provider, or financial platform.

The stakes are high. Research shows that:

Research shows that:

• 61% of customers are willing to pay more for better experiences.
• 13%  report a negative experience to about 15 people in their networks.
• 80% of customers have switched brands due to poor customer experience.
• 12 positive customer experiences are required to offset a single negative one.
• 39% of consumers avoid brands for 2+ years after a poor experience.

In financial services specifically, 84% of banking customers say they would switch providers for more timely, relevant advice. Customer experience in finance is driven by trust and digital convenience – and the institutions and platforms that deliver both consistently are the ones that win.

What is CX in financial services?

Customer experience in financial services (commonly abbreviated as CX) refers to the sum of all interactions a customer has with a financial institution or platform – from onboarding and account management to payment processing, customer support, and financial advice.

CX in financial services is distinct from other industries for two reasons. First, the stakes for customers are inherently higher – financial services involve people’s money, security, and long-term financial wellbeing. Second, trust is the foundational currency. A data breach, a failed payment, or a poor complaint resolution does not just lose a customer – it can destroy the relationship permanently and spread reputational damage through networks.

Customer experience management in financial services therefore requires a deliberate approach to every touchpoint in the customer journey – not just the obvious ones like onboarding and pagamenti, but also the moments that happen in between: a notification that arrives at the right time, a statement that is easy to understand, a support interaction that resolves the issue on the first contact.

What are the 4 pillars of customer experience in financial services?

The four pillars of customer experience in financial services provide a useful framework for evaluating and improving CX across the full customer journey.

1. Trust and security

Customers expect financial institutions to act as safe stewards of their data and funds. Real-time fraud alerts, multi-factor authentication, transparent data policies, and robust security infrastructure are not optional features – they are baseline requirements. Data breaches damage customer trust in ways that are difficult to recover from, making security a direct input to customer experience quality.

2. Convenience and digital access

Digital technologies are now essential for managing finances without in-person visits. Customers expect seamless access across mobile apps, web platforms, and in-branch services – and they expect consistency across all of them. An omnichannel approach allows customers to start a query on one device and continue it on another without losing context or having to repeat themselves.

3. Personalisation

84% of banking customers prefer timely, relevant advice rather than generic communications. Customer data analytics improves personalised product recommendations, identifies pain points in the customer journey, and enables financial institutions to anticipate customer needs rather than simply reacting to them. Personalised experiences turn clients into advocates – and personalised financial services, delivered through finanza integrata tools, create the kind of utility that makes switching feel costly.

4. Speed and resolution

Customers value quick problem resolution over drawn-out support processes. Automated tools can significantly reduce service resolution times. Accenture found that AI implementations at a large Asian bank halved customer query handling times while cutting credit assessment time by 80%, unlocking $200 million in annual productivity benefits. The goal in customer experience for financial services is to resolve issues before they escalate – turning potential frustrations into opportunities to demonstrate value and build trust.

What are the 4 P’s of customer experience?

The 4 P’s of customer experience – a framework used to evaluate the quality of a customer interaction – are:

1. Personalisation – the degree to which the experience is tailored to the individual customer’s needs, preferences, and history
2. Proactivity – anticipating customer needs before they arise, rather than waiting for customers to raise them
3. Problem-solving – the effectiveness and speed with which issues are identified and resolved
4. Partnership – the extent to which the relationship feels collaborative and mutually beneficial rather than transactional

In financial services, all four P’s are relevant – but proactivity and partnership are particularly powerful differentiators. Financial institutions that provide educational resources, personalised financial planning guidance, and relevant advice at the right moment position themselves as partners in their customers’ financial lives rather than simply service providers.

What are the 5 E’s of customer experience?

The 5 E’s framework maps the stages of the customer experience journey:

1. Entice – drawing the customer in with a compelling value proposition
2. Enter – the initial onboarding experience, where first impressions are formed
3. Engage – the ongoing relationship, including product usage and regular interactions
4. Exit – how the experience ends, whether at the end of a transaction or when a customer leaves
5. Extend – the post-interaction phase, including follow-up, loyalty programmes, and the experiences that bring customers back

For customer experience management in financial services, the Enter and Exit stages are particularly critical. A high-quality electronic onboarding process enhances customer relationships from day one – research shows that customers who have a positive onboarding experience are significantly more likely to remain engaged with additional products and services. The Exit stage matters equally: how a complaint is resolved or how a customer is treated when they try to close an account often determines whether they return or recommend the institution to others.

How customer experience drives competitive advantage

Customer experience in financial services is not just a retention tool – it is a growth engine. Here is how it operates across different platform types.

For platforms and marketplaces

In the digital ecosystem, platforms e marketplaces face unique challenges in delivering exceptional financial services customer experience. Their success depends on creating an environment where users can effortlessly discover, engage, and transact while feeling valued as individuals rather than data points.

Data-driven personalisation has emerged as a cornerstone of superior customer experience in financial services. By analysing user behaviour, purchase history, and transaction data, platforms can create tailored journeys for each customer – showcasing relevant products, customising recommendations, or adjusting the payment experience based on past interactions.

Seamless user experience is equally critical. Every click, swipe, and interaction should feel natural and intuitive. Streamlining registration, implementing one-click purchases, and ensuring consistency across devices all reduce friction. Even minor friction points lead to abandoned carts and lost customers – and in competitive financial services markets, lost customers rarely return.

Quality and speed of customer support in financial services is non-negotiable. AI-powered chatbots for common queries, comprehensive self-service resources, and rapid access to human support when needed all enhance satisfaction. A unified communication approach – consistent tone, context, and resolution quality across every channel – has been shown to boost customer satisfaction by 37%.

For crowdfunding platforms

In the crowdfunding space, where backers invest not just money but trust and aspiration, customer experience in financial services determines campaign success or failure. The most successful platforms understand their role extends beyond financial transactions to creating meaningful connections between creators and their communities.

Trust and transparency are foundational. Real-time campaign updates, clear communication between creators and backers, and reliable financial infrastructure – including a robust digital wallet system for secure fund management and swift disbursement – are all essential components of the financial service customer experience in this context.

The most compelling crowdfunding experiences also offer exclusivity: unique access to creators’ processes, limited-edition rewards, or virtual engagement opportunities that create emotional connections and build sustained brand loyalty.

For retail, neobanks, and financial institutions

Multi-channel integration is now essential for any financial services business seeking to meet customers where they are. Customers expect cohesive experiences that flow naturally between mobile apps, websites, and customer service touchpoints – with conversation histories and preferences following them across channels.

The integration of embedded financial features into the customer experience has transformed how financial institutions and non-financial businesses build loyalty. Digital wallets, instant cashback, and embedded payment solutions turn routine transactions into opportunities for boosting customer satisfaction. Neobanche e embedded finance platforms that provide real-time spending insights and personalised financial recommendations create compelling reasons for customers to stay – and make switching feel like a step backward.

How to improve customer experience in financial services

Improving customer experience for financial services requires systematic attention to the touchpoints that matter most, combined with the right technology infrastructure.

Invest in data analytics and personalisation

Customer data analytics helps identify pain points in the customer journey and enables more personalised product recommendations. Financial institutions that use analytics to predict customer behaviour – surfacing relevant offers at the right moment rather than sending generic communications – consistently outperform those that rely on broad segmentation.

Automate and streamline high-friction processes

Onboarding, identity verification, and payment processing are the moments where friction most damages customer experience in finance. Automated KYC, instant payment confirmation, and self-service account management tools reduce the administrative burden on customers and improve resolution times significantly.

Build omnichannel consistency

Customers expect consistent financial services customer experience across every channel. Integrated workflows that carry context across devices and interaction types – so a customer never has to repeat information to a second agent – are a direct driver of satisfaction scores.

Monitor CSAT and act on feedback

Continuous improvement in customer experience management in financial services is driven by monitoring Customer Satisfaction scores (CSAT), Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and qualitative feedback. The organisations that improve fastest are those that treat CX metrics not as a reporting function but as an operational input – closing the loop between feedback and process change.

The risks of ignoring customer experience in financial services

Financial institutions and platforms that underinvest in customer experience face compounding risks. The marketplace is full of cautionary examples of once-dominant companies that lost their competitive edge by failing to evolve.

Blockbuster dismissed Netflix’s disruption of the video rental experience, sticking to its physical store model and late fees while Netflix offered no late fees, personalised recommendations, and eventually instant streaming. Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

BlackBerry dominated the smartphone market in the late 2000s but failed to adapt to evolving customer preferences. While Apple revolutionised the smartphone experience with its intuitive touch interface and App Store ecosystem, BlackBerry maintained its physical keyboard and limited app capabilities. Its market share fell from 20% in 2009 to less than 1% by 2016.

In financial services, the same dynamic applies. 91% of unhappy customers will not complain – they will simply leave. This silent departure is particularly dangerous because businesses often do not recognise the scale of the problem until revenue has already declined. The financial impact compounds: not only is immediate revenue lost, but so is the lifetime value of those customers and their referral potential.

Customer experience in financial services with ConnectPay

Organisations that embed customer experience into their financial infrastructure – not just their service culture – build competitive advantages that are genuinely difficult to replicate. The payment layer, the onboarding experience, the speed of payouts, and the transparency of transaction data are all dimensions of customer experience in financial services that directly affect loyalty and lifetime value.

ConnectPay’s embedded finance platform is built to support financial services customer experience at every layer: fast, compliant onboarding through automated KYC, seamless payment processing across SEPA e SWIFT, real-time transaction visibility, and API-first integration that allows platforms to deliver a coherent, branded financial experience to their customers.

If you want to improve customer experience in financial services using embedded finance solutions, get in touch with our team.

FAQs: Customer experience in financial services