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In a time when sloppy, indifferent service seems to be more
the norm than the exception, 1st Farm Credit Services team
members take a great deal of pride in the fact that clients
have again confirmed that the service they receive is
top-notch.
The overall service satisfaction score from 1st FCS’
annual client survey again increased, hitting an outstanding
97%. This was up from an impressive 94% last year.
In addition, the percent of clients who indicated they were
"Very Satisfied" climbed from last year’s 58% to
nearly two-thirds at 64% this year. Both the overall
satisfaction score and the top "Very Satisfied"
score are the highest ever achieved since the inception of
the survey process nearly 20 years ago.
"Providing service excellence is critical to the
success of any business. That is why we implemented the
annual service satisfaction survey process because it is a
constant reminder to us about who is most important – our
clients," says Keith Braucht, senior vice president of
field operations. "Consistently tracking client
satisfaction helps to keep us focused on providing the very
best possible service."
Commitment
The survey is sent to a random sample of 1,200 clients. This
year, 55% (655 clients) responded to the survey. "This
is significantly higher than most surveys in general
receive, and underscores the importance our clients place in
providing us input and feedback," explains Braucht.
"We are extremely grateful for that level of response
because it provides us with broad-based and accurate
information about what we are doing right, and about what we
need to look at improving," he continues.
A similar 96% of clients responded that 1st FCS met or
exceeded their expectations about how an agricultural
financial services provider should work with them. Nearly
half (49%) said 1st FCS "Exceeded" their
expectations, again the highest score ever achieved.
In particular service components, the percentage of clients
indicating 1st FCS is meeting or exceeding their
expectations is: understands the agricultural industry
(98%); easy to do business with (97%); reasonable loan
requirements (94%); clear communications on loan terms and
conditions (96%); accuracy of loan statements (99%);
competitive interest rates (92%); values you as a client
(96%); staff who follow through on commitments (98%); and
knowledgeable staff who understand and provide counsel in
areas of agriculture, finance and your operation (95%).
It’s
the people
In
looking at survey comments, it quickly becomes apparent what
makes the biggest difference to clients – the 1st FCS
people with which they work. "The positive comments are
overwhelmingly related to the professional, courteous and
friendly service provided by 1st FCS team members,"
Braucht emphasizes. Nearly 98% of clients said they were
satisfied with 1st FCS team members, and that an extremely
high 77% gave them the highest rating of "Very
Satisfied."
"We recognize that the positive interest rate
environment of the past several years has helped buoy our
client service satisfaction scores, but the overwhelming
portion of these results can be directly attributed to the
outstanding job our team members throughout the organization
are doing to serve clients," states Braucht.
"This is particularly remarkable when you consider that
the past two years have been our busiest ever, marked by
strong growth, which could have resulted in an
understandable slip in service quality. But not only did
client service satisfaction not decline; it increased during
that period." |
