A recent survey from ForeSee Results shows that customer satisfaction in banking is increasingly tied to one, key question: how satisfied are customers with the bank's online service?

According to the survey, customers who are satisfied with their financial institution's online banking services are 63 percent more likely to trust their financial institution, and 56 percent more likely to be satisfied with their institution overall.

A variety of measures support the conclusion that a bank's overall customer satisfaction is affected by online service. "A highly satisfied online banker reports being 41% more likely to continue to use online banking services; 52% more likely to continue to use the website instead of other, costlier channels (branches, call centers); 50% more likely to purchase additional services, and 63% more likely to recommend the bank," according to ForeSee.

Axiaware has written in the past about the need - and the opportunity - for credit unions and community banks to catch up with or surpass their larger competitors in the online space. The news from ForeSee tells us that ignoring online banking satisfaction is no longer an option.

Of course, smaller banks have been lagging behind their larger competitors in online banking for years. Some still force customers to personally appear in a branch, mail paperwork or find a fax machine to get things done - even for something as simple as an address change.

What has changed in recent years is not that large banks are suddenly better at online banking than credit unions or community banks - no, that has always been the case. What has changed is that customers have embraced, and truly love, good online banking. The lesson for community bankers? Customers who love your online banking will love you.