The Android mobile banking app used by NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank ROI and Ulster Bank NI customers scored the highest marks of all banking apps included in the survey, scoring between 3.9 and 3.6 out of a possible maximum of five.
The app supplied by RBS Isle of Man Bank was also equal first in the iOS section, rating 3.5 out of five. This compares to average ratings of 3.1 out of five for iOS and 3.3 out of five for Android for all the apps provided by the banks included in the survey.
The Banking Apps Report by Xtreme Labs was based on analysis of public customer reviews from the Apple iTunes Store and the Google Play Store between May 18 and June 11, 2013 for the top 12 banks as ranked by total assets in the UK.
Xtreme Labs said that the banks that were succeeding in mobile banking were delivering “full-featured, easy-to-use mobile applications that offer all of the functionality customers expect from a traditional banking experience. They also seem to be acting on the widely available customer feedback by releasing frequent upgrades that resolve issues and deliver additional functionality.”
Everyday banking needs
Terry Cordeiro, Head of Mobile, RBS UK Retail, agreed: “Our vision is to meet the everyday banking needs of our customers and we are constantly looking at ways to innovate and improve the level of service we provide via the Mobile Banking app. Our main source of information is our customers. For example, as a result of feedback we received through various social media, we introduced a longer statement history into the app.”
Xtreme Labs added that banks should not underestimate the value of a full-featured, seamless mobile banking service, and warned that many of the top providers were overly complacent with their offerings. One in six customers who switch banks indicate a poor mobile banking experience prompted the switch, and between 51% and 76% of mobile users want to use their device to call customer service, check balances, transfer money, pay bills and look up branch locations and hours.
Thinking mobile at every step
“The trailblazers in our industry are the ones who think about mobiles at every step of their business and product. Mobile is no longer an afterthought or a check list item to just get done - it is a necessity,” the report said.
In common with other banks included in the survey, the RBS iOS apps performed worse than the Android versions. The report said: “In general banks need to focus on a better iOS experience compared to Android, as Android outperformed iOS apps in terms of overall ratings.”
Cordeiro said the RBS iOS app had not been fully compatible with iOS 5 at the time when the research was conducted, but the app had now been updated.
