During the interview, Kai Fürderer from the Society for Quality Assessment outlines how the Young Finance Award and NextGen Study 2026 enhance established tests like BESTE BANK vor Ort by offering an evaluation of advisory quality. These formats widen the testing scope, uphold service orientation and focus on essential factors such as personalized advice and digital availability. They integrate traditional test methods with modern feedback approaches to guide service improvements.
Table of Contents: What awaits you in this article
Young Finance Award complements traditional tests with 360-degree perspective
Kai Fürderer stresses that new evaluation formats like the Young Finance Award complement rather than replace established testing portfolios. By combining traditional bank test logic with modern assessment techniques, a 360-degree perspective emerges. This approach considers digitally savvy newcomers and loyal existing customers equally. Banks thus gain balanced insights. The goal is to support financial institutions in improving advisory and service quality tailored to target groups, ensuring long-term competitiveness.
Young Finance Award examines banks’ online presence before consultations
The Young Finance Award assesses banks online presence, evaluating website functionality, mobile compatibility, social media engagement and content relevance before young clients seek personal advice. It measures platform consistency, response times and user-focused design. The NextGen Study 2026 complements this evaluation through comprehensive surveys exploring Gen Zs use of AI-based tools such as ChatGPT for financial research, their digital content consumption patterns and channel preferences, providing banks with valuable insights.
Traditional bank tests remain vital amid digital-focused target segments
Even with an emphasis on digitally-oriented segments, established evaluation schemes maintain their significance. The “BESTE BANK vor Ort? assessment continues to rate personal advisory and service quality of local banks, institutions that young adults still rely on in their financial routines. Findings clearly demonstrate that in-person consultations and regional proximity remain powerful decision factors, particularly during uncertain periods. Traditional in-person interactions provide trust. They underscore consistency in banking service excellence.
Digital Check Evaluates Online Services Usability and Social Media
The Digital-Check forms a core component across all assessment models, evaluating online service quality, usability, and social media engagement. As demand for digital information grows among generations, a comprehensive testing approach becomes essential. Digital natives predominantly interact through social media and web channels, requiring banks to provide intuitive interfaces, relevant content, and swift responses. By measuring these digital capabilities, financial institutions can refine their online presence and boost user satisfaction.
Young adults prefer face-to-face financial advice over digital research
Contrary to belief, many young adults still favor direct meetings with financial advisors. The NextGen Study 2026 confirms that traditional in-person consultations remain the primary choice for complex financial decisions. Online research serves mainly as preparation, enabling clients to gather essential data, formulate relevant questions, and establish rapport before consultations. This strategy merges self-directed information gathering with personalized advisory support, fostering informed discussions, enhancing decision-making clarity, and building client trust.
Banks integrate personal advisory, digital channels to satisfy customers
Banks face the challenge of serving loyal clients through personalized advisory services while simultaneously managing digital channels proficiently. Generation Z expects online resources seamlessly integrated with contemporary advisory offerings, requiring multi-channel coherence. This dual approach demands clear process designs, defined service protocols, and synchronized workflows. Institutions must balance in-branch interactions with efficient digital pathways to maintain quality standards and satisfy diverse customer segments without compromising consistent experience across both environments.
Neobanks lead mobile banking; traditional banks maintain cash strengths
Our research indicates that neobanks excel in providing streamlined mobile banking experiences and rapid online processes, attributes valued by younger demographics. Conversely, traditional institutions continue to maintain strengths in cash access and comprehensive account features. When regional banks fail to meet customer expectations in service quality and advisory offerings, clients tend to migrate to competitors. Delivering superior personalized support alongside a cohesive digital ecosystem is crucial for loyalty and engagement.
Quality assessment formats guide consumers selecting regional banks confidently
Various evaluation formats from the Quality Testing Society deliver consumers reliable guidance when choosing a regional bank. At the same time, these test procedures enable institutions to identify strengths and shortcomings in their quality management systems. This dual approach establishes transparent feedback loops that cultivate improved service culture. As a result, banks continuously enhance their advisory and support workflows, fostering consistent operational improvements and higher customer satisfaction levels over time.
Comprehensive Quality Control Through Established, Specialized, And Digital Formats
By integrating proven evaluation formats such as local branch assessments, specialized real estate and youth-focused tests, and comprehensive digital criteria, the Quality Assessment Society delivers an all-encompassing and impartial review framework. This unified testing approach generates actionable insights for both financial institutions and their customers, enabling precise, data-driven guidance. The result is a sustainable enhancement of advisory and service quality across the banking sector that drives stakeholder trust and resilience.
