Why Handelsbanken has retained its top spot in influential survey
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Handelsbanken has retained its top-ranking position in four of the five categories in the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) independent service quality survey for business banking. The CMA’s survey has named Handelsbanken as best for overall service quality (85 per cent); relationship / account management (89 per cent); SME overdraft and loan services (81 per cent); and services in branches and business centres (78 per cent).David Brady, manager of Handelsbanken’s branch on Leeds' Embankment, commented: “At Handelsbanken we look to deliver the best possible customer service through our local presence and our customer-centric values. We believe customers welcome our distinctive approach to banking, with the majority of decisions being made in-branch. We are delighted to see this reflected, once again, in the CMA’s service quality survey for business banking.” Mikael Sorensen, the bank's UK CEO, said: “We are delighted with the results of the CMA’s third service quality survey for business banking and would like to thank our SME customers for rating us the leading bank for overall quality of service, yet again. At Handelsbanken we focus on building long-term relationships with our customers: We know them personally and, when it comes to decision-making, we always put their interests first. “Our branches are empowered to make the majority of banking decisions so our customers are able to talk directly to a decision maker who knows them and their financial circumstances. We believe that makes a difference.” The CMA’s ongoing survey, which was most recently conducted from July 2018 to June 2019, is intended to help customers compare the quality of service offered by Britain’s 14 largest business current account providers. The survey looks at customers’ willingness to recommend a financial provider to other SMEs based on factors such as their overall service quality and their online, mobile, lending and branch services. All banks participating in the CMA’s service quality survey will be required to display the latest results in their branches and on their websites. The survey will be ongoing and the results will be updated every six months, in August and February. Handelsbanken was established in Stockholm in 1871 and has operated in the UK since 1982. The UK is one of Handelsbanken’s six “home market” countries, where the bank offers full service banking to domestic market customers, the other countries being Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands.