Customers' perceived value for private and state-controlled Hellenic banks

Under conditions of increasing competition banks try to improve their customers' level of satisfaction in order to create strong preferences and hence increase their customers' loyalty. This paper is based on data drawn from 1,470 questionnaires completed by customers of both private and state-controlled banks in various areas of Attica. It looks at the bank customers' satisfaction but focuses mainly on their perceived value from the banking services received. A first analysis of the data collected shows that state-controlled bank customers are older, with lower education and lower income. Additionally, state-controlled banks show lower proportions of very pleased customers and high proportions of displeased customers. A principal component analysis performed on the data related to perceived value has defined three main factors: professional service, marketing efficiency and effective communication, which have then been used as the basis for comparing the customers' perceived value between the two types of bank. The main findings of this analysis show that state-controlled bank customers enjoy a higher perceived value in the case of marketing efficiency (mainly due to the wider network and the favourable pricing policy) whereas private bank customers enjoy a higher perceived value in the case of professional service and effective communication.