Interview with Frédéric Niel, Customer Relationship Director at ING Direct

In the era of online banking, how do we navigate personal interaction and customer relationships? Frédéric Niel, Customer Relationship Director at ING DIRECT believes that answering this question is the number one concern when it comes to sustaining business growth and the most effective tool a company can use to stand out. ING DIRECT is a subsidiary of the ING Group, the world’s second largest savings bank and a leader in the fields of banking, insurance and asset management.

> Two benefits to customer listening: customer relationships and customer experience

Firstly, customer relationships—as “it is essential for a digital company to place the individual at the centre of relations”. For Frédéric, harmonizing the “digital” and the “personal” is his greatest daily challenge, but it is possible: “It is this fundamental value which separates us from other online banking services in France”. He also stresses the importance of customer experience, which must be fluid, personalised and multi-channel, “since we are an online bank that offers other contact channels”.

 A piece of advice: always give your customers the opportunity to choose

“It is essential to avoid prejudice and to refrain from defining the process without first testing it with your customers”. Frédéric insists on the particular importance of maintaining an open mind and taking the time to listen to his customers, so that everything goes from there and every idea reflects a customer’s experience. This is the best possible foundation.

 Frédéric then proudly talks of a lovely experience he had as part of the ING team: a client who had taken out a mortgage expressed their sincere thanks to ING in an extremely unique manner.

Watch the video now to discover how this client showed their gratitude to the ING team. This inspiring client testimony convinced Frédéric that even in business, everything comes down to the individual.