By Sue Doyle, SVP, Retail Banking

The bank recently invited customers to participate in the SEA Score program, a customer engagement study administered by Informa Financial Intelligence. During the third quarter, over 1,200 North Shore Bank customers completed the program survey. Our results were then compared to those of competitors in our market. This year’s findings were similar to prior results.

The SEA Score represents key measures in three fundamental areas:

• Service measures satisfaction and what we deliver
• Energize measures trust, feeling valued, and likelihood to recommend
• Attract measures ability to grow and expand by attracting new customers

North Shore Bank’s overall SEA Score remained steady, while peer financial institutions’ scores decreased:

Service: This is our powerhouse. North Shore Bank customer satisfaction is relatively high and has not wavered. In regard to ease of doing business with, North Shore Bank customers rate us far better than other banks they use, and we’re on par with peers. The same holds true for measures of affinity. North Shore Bank customers like and admire us more than other banks they do business with, and we rate more favorably than peer scores. Our customers are more likely to tell others about us than other banks they use, and our Net Promoter Score is above competitive norms.

Energize: Our scores are strong but not as dominant as in Service. North Shore Bank customers rank us first in trust and feeling valued compared to other financial institutions they use. When compared to our peers, North Shore Bank customers are slightly less likely to recommend us — this is an opportunity for focus and improvement.

Attract: This is our greatest area of opportunity, and we increased our scores from 2019, while competitor scores decreased. Customers who use other financial institutions are open to using North Shore Bank as their primary bank, and we can and will do more to improve. Our goal is to elevate perception of North Shore Bank as “the” place to bank, and we are moving in the right direction. To improve our Attract score, we can focus on both the macro and micro levels — with brand awareness strategies, and as individual advocates when interacting with customers and communities. We have a great lineup of solutions, and coupled with our superior Service score, strong Energize score, and solid performance for 97 years, we are well positioned to improve our Attract score with customers and consumers.

Download a more in-depth report here.