In the banking sector, customer experience has evolved beyond mere service delivery to understanding and anticipating client needs. As products and digital services become increasingly accessible across multiple providers, experience has become a significant source of differentiation. For banks, this shift is critical, as money represents livelihoods, ambitions, and financial security. Every interaction, from account opening to complaint resolution, carries an expectation that the institution will make life easier for the customer.
According to the Kenya Bankers Association's 2025 Banking Customer Satisfaction Survey, which received 40,854 customer responses, 84.6 percent of customers rated their primary bank experience as excellent or good. However, the industry's Net Promoter Score, a measure of customers' willingness to recommend their bank, declined from 44.0 in 2024 to 42.6 in 2025. This distinction highlights that satisfaction does not necessarily translate to loyalty. A customer can be satisfied with a transaction without feeling loyal to the institution.
The gap between satisfactory and advocacy is where experience becomes a strategic discipline. Banks must examine whether a service was delivered with ease, reliability, empathy, and relevance, rather than just whether it was delivered. The data reveals that while 84.6 percent of customers rated their primary bank positively, the proportion of customers whose complaints were always resolved within two days fell from 75.4 percent in 2024 to 66.5 percent in 2025.
Customers judge an institution not only when everything works but particularly when something goes wrong. Going the extra mile means more than resolving problems; it means preventing unnecessary friction. Customers should not have to make repeated calls, explain issues multiple times, or navigate complicated processes. Banks must proactively examine customer journeys and use feedback and operational data to improve them.
Measures such as resolution time, first-contact resolution, customer effort, digital reliability, and recurring complaints offer a fuller picture of service quality. Customer feedback and employee insights should inform continuous improvement. By understanding what matters to customers and consistently delivering experiences that earn their trust, banks can go the extra mile.
Azra Thobani, Head of Customer Experience at Diamond Trust Bank, emphasizes that going the extra mile is not simply about doing more but understanding what matters to customers. It is about consistently delivering experiences that earn their trust. The business case for customer experience is increasingly evident, with customer experience becoming a key differentiator for banks.
As the theme of Customer Experience Week 2026, The Extra Mile, highlights, banks must prioritize customer experience to remain competitive. By doing so, they can build trust and loyalty with their customers, ultimately driving business success. The focus on customer experience is particularly relevant in Kenya's banking sector, where customers expect institutions to make their lives easier.
Key points
- Customer experience has become a key differentiator for banks in Kenya.
- Understanding and anticipating customer needs is crucial to earning trust.
- Going the extra mile means delivering experiences that earn customers' trust.
