DIGITAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES

Similarly to other industries, in the financial services industry, customers' expectations are growing exponentially, and thus, it is no more sufficient to offer services based only on the incremental improvements in the existing customer experience. It is not a guarantee of success any more. The objective of this paper is to examine, analyse and critically evaluate the characteristics, behaviour patterns and expectations of digital customers when dealing with the financial services providers. Simultaneously, this paper seeks to address the question of how seriously savvy financial services providers reflect the shift from the Experience Economy to the Transformation Economy in their current business operations. In the relevant scientific literature, the topic is predominantly examined from the perspective of individual scientific disciplines, however creating exceptional and compelling digital customer experience is a complex issue which requires an interdisciplinary approach, including the art of encapsulating the state-of-the-art findings from finances, marketing, management and pedagogical psychology. With few exceptions, the research findings from the current business practice of financial services providers operating in the Czech Republic do not substantiate the theoretical background and business potentials of the Transformation Economy. Only 30% of the analysed financial services providers exploit the maximum potentials of the selected marketing tools enabling the creation of transformational experiences aimed at fulfilling their customers' expectations and achieving desired outcomes. The research findings might help executives and managers in the financial services sector decide on a course of actions to foster innovative approaches in creating a remarkable digital customer transformational experience.