Consumer Demand for Online Innovation on the Rise in Banking Sector

LONDON, July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Cable&Wireless Worldwide, the mission critical communications provider, today releases a consumer study^[1] that finds banks are not taking full advantage of their online banking platforms, despite increasing customer engagement in the channel. Sixty percent of consumers say that online banking has become the most valuable factor to engagement over the past two years, ranking it higher in value than banks' trustworthiness and even their return on their money in the bank.

Cable&Wireless Worldwide has long-term relationships with most of the world's leading banks and in the UK provides communication solutions to eight out of 10 of the leading retail banks. This includes integrated social media and online channels with banks contact centre and branch environments, and also connectivity to over 70% of contact centre agents with their customers and 4,000 UK ATMs.

The research also finds that online channels typically deliver only functional banking services, but that around half of customers want banks to incorporate social and human aspects of customer service - such as more personalised customer service and tailored advice - into online banking.

Furthermore, banks use of new technologies such as mobile technology, social networking and video conferencing has untapped opportunity into their customer contact. Customers are not using these newer communications channels for buying products, but rather as channels for gleaning advice and information. Only 1% of consumers, who have sought advice from banks in the last month, have done so through video conferencing. Mobile phone applications (1%) and social networking (1%) are of similarly low incidence.

Michele Metcalfe, Director of Banking & Financial Services at Cable&Wireless Worldwide, says, "Consumers increasingly prefer remote interaction, but also want good customer service, greater trustworthiness and a fair level of engagement with the banks. These findings suggest that financial institutions have an opportunity to better meet customer preferences by investing in the right online innovation."

Notes to Editors

^[1]All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,255 adults.

Fieldwork was undertaken in November 2010. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB consumers (aged 16+).

33% of bank customers have been called Stressed Technologies because they have busy lifestyles (professional full time jobs). They find using technology easy and convenient and they use the online system for both functional banking, problems solving and buying new products. For them, social and human aspects of banking (ie more personalised customer service, tailored advice and help) delivered online would improve their satisfaction with banks.

22% are Stressed Complainers (like the Stressed Technologies but by their nature they are hard to please and very demanding). These adults still make heavy use of the online system but when problems arise they switch to telephone contact. This group of adults indicate a potential for enhancing the online system with greater compliant handling capabilities.

About Cable&Wireless Worldwide

Cable&Wireless Worldwide (LSE: CW.) is a leading global telecoms company providing a wide range of high-quality managed voice, data, hosting and IP-based services and applications to large multinational companies, governments, carrier customers and resellers across the UK, Asia Pacific, India, Middle East & Africa, Continental Europe and North America. Established in the 1860s, Cable&Wireless Worldwide helps more than 6,000 organisations deliver their goals. The Group's vision is to be the first choice for mission critical communications.

Reaching 20,500km in length, Cable&Wireless Worldwide owns the UK's largest fibre network dedicated to business users of telecoms, and provides ubiquitous nationwide access through a combination of fibre, digital, microwave, radio and leased circuits. The network has presence in over 400 towns and cities in the UK, with 864 unbundled exchanges covering 56% of the population. Internationally, Cable&Wireless Worldwide's global next-generation network (NGN) stretches to more than 425,000km, including interests in 60 global cable systems, enabling connectivity to more than 150 countries. The Group's IP-based Multi-Service Platform operates at the core of our NGN, offering a single environment on which voice and data applications can be converged to drive business efficiencies. Cable&Wireless Worldwide's network is uniquely designed with inbuilt resilience.

With more than 6,000 colleagues globally, Cable&Wireless Worldwide is committed to delivering exceptional customer service and developing long term partnerships with its customers.

To find out more, please visit http://www.cw.com

Further detail on the research findings can be found here - http://www.cw.com/banking . For a full copy of the research report, please contact Katie Dove, Head of UK PR, +44(0)7733-392-514, Katie.dove@cw.com