Client satisfaction and customer loyalty: Building trust with Code of Values

Satisfying our clients is our central focus. This principle guides all our activities and applies to all business divisions. The key elements are transparency and high-quality advice. The Code of Values for our Private and Business Clients division defines strict adherence to our values and principles. Enabling us to improve client satisfaction and achieve customer loyalty in the long term.

Business with private and business clients is under intense public scrutiny in the wake of the financial crisis as the media and the general public closely observe the relationship between banks and their clients. Clients are understandably dissatisfied by investments that incur substantial losses, by business practices that are seemingly driven primarily by sales targets, and by complex products that are not easy to understand. This applies to Deutsche Bank just as much as to the rest of the sector.

We want to win back people’s trust and create value for our clients. That is why we place emphasis on client satisfaction and the benefit that our products and services generate.

Our Code of Values

We create long-term value for our clients and our company.

Our clients can rely on our products to comply with our ethical principles.

Responsible advisory means that we only offer such products. For this reason, our products are continuously reviewed.

We are a trusted partner for our clients and society.

In order to put our Code of Values into practice in the product area, we have developed principles that define minimum standards for our product lines. They commit us to exclusively offering ethically justifiable and transparent products. In addition, we want to offer our clients responsible and foresighted advice that fulfils their needs and clearly shows them the respective benefits and risks.

Our product principles

Building on our code of values, we have developed product principles for our Private and Business Client division that specify the minimum standards for all product lines, thus ensuring client satisfaction:

Our products relate to the real economy.
They serve the individual without being detrimental to the world at large.
They are transparent and easy to understand.
They create benefits.
We do not offer any products that conflict with these principles and do not provide advice on any such products.

Exclusion criteria for products

In keeping with the overall approach of Deutsche Bank to investment products, we do not offer or recommend to private and business clients any products that involve:

speculation on food scarcity or bottlenecks that might affect the availability of food
betting on death, illness, disability or insolvency
the manufacture and sale of nuclear weapons, cluster munitions and landmines
the promotion or use of child labor
criminal acts such as drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption
violations of human rights.

Structures and processes to improve client satisfaction

We carry out more than 18,000 test purchases in our branches (known as ‘mystery shopping’) and do follow-up telephone interviews after client consultations. They are aimed at determining client satisfaction, identifying improvements, and measuring progress.

Almost one million clients a year take part in our customer satisfaction survey via online banking or at terminals at their local branch. They provide feedback on the quality of advice and rate their satisfaction with our performance. Their responses show us how they assess our performance and how strong their loyalty to Deutsche Bank is. Our staff speaks with dissatisfied clients directly to find out the reasons for their criticism and initiate possible improvements. The results of the client surveys and of “mystery shopping” are incorporated into the performance assessment of the branches and are an integral part of our compensation scheme. The quality of advice has been further improved thanks to these measures. At the end of 2012, 44% of our clients rated the quality of our advisory service as “excellent” or “very good”.

Current developments

August 12, 2013
Focus on client satisfaction: Best rating for Deutsche Bank in study on advisory service quality

“It is good for customers to be critical – no matter whether they are buying a car or a financial product.”

Rainer Neske Member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank

At the end of 2012,

44% of customers

said their quality of advice was “excellent” or “very good”.

“A business deal is only good if both sides want to continue their relationship afterwards”

Wilhelm von Haller He is responsible for the Private and Corporate Clients division together with Thomas Rodermann

Responsible Business Initiative

Our “Responsible Banking Initiative” is responsible for adherence to the above-mentioned principles: it is managed by a committee consisting of the top management of our Private and Business Client division as well as that of Postbank. This body monitors adherence to the Code of Values, the product principles and the supplementary exclusion criteria. Its members have the final say on all issues relating to the Code and regularly review the product portfolios; they develop proposals and specify measures for risk mitigation in the event of a violation of the Code. Finally, the committee approves the new products that are referred to it for decision.

How we advise clients

In 2010, we were the first bank in Germany to introduce product information sheets, with a transparent labeling system, for investment products in our client advisory service. They document the yield and risk profile, fees and the anticipated change in value of a product.

Comparable documents for investment products and closed-end funds have only been stipulated as mandatory by law since July 2011. We additionally offer them for savings products on our own initiative.

We provide advice according to an electronically supported advisory process called “Beratermappe Online” (BMO), i.e. Online Advisory tool. It makes it easier for our advisors to adhere to advisory and quality standards that are in line with the statutory regulations as well as our own guidelines. The Advisor’s Folder is at the disposal of all advisory service staff and is used for all discussions with clients. It ensures the high quality and transparency of the advice provided. After every discussion, the essential content is documented for the client once more in the folder.

Internal findings confirm that the BMO Online Advisory tool was used for almost 100% of all discussions with our mystery shoppers in the year 2012.

Particularly in Germany, regulatory measures have been tightened after the financial crisis in order to improve protection of investors. MiFID, the current financial markets directive of the European Union on investor protection, already reflects those changes. It goes without saying that we fulfil all of the applicable specifications. Furthermore, we additionally implement voluntary measures as well. For example, we withdrew the investment fund called “db Kompass Life III-Fonds” from the market and excluded it from advisory service because it was linked to the sale of synthetic life insurance policies.

How we deal with complaints

To improve client satisfaction, the fundamental principle is to always process complaints fairly, effectively, and without delay. Our consultants are responsible for handling client complaints and recommending suitable solutions.

Our complaints management process helps staff record client complaints, clarify them and track responses from clients. In this way, we can identify recurring complaints and faults in product and service processes at an early stage. We protect clients’ interests and improve client satisfaction sustainably with the aid of our Code of Values, our product principles, and our internal processes.

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