Today, businesses expect more from their banking relationships; access to experienced bankers, personalized financial solutions, and fast response to issues and questions. With tighter credit markets, these banking service components are even more critical to a business' health.

Whether it's a credit line extension, check approval or equipment loan, most businesses can't afford to wait two or more days when they're trying to satisfy their own customers and weather the economy.

Unfortunately, high bank employee turnover, much of it from industry mergers and acquisitions, contributes to a struggle many business owners face - they don't know who their banker is or how to reach them. In such cases, it's nearly impossible for a business to receive the service it needs.

In J.D. Power's 2008 Small Business Banking Satisfaction Study, 47 percent of businesses said that better/improved banking relations was the top reason for switching financial institutions. On a 1,000-point scale, satisfaction was 97 points higher for the 51 percent of businesses who were assigned a dedicated business banker by their bank, versus those not assigned one. In addition, those with a dedicated banker had a satisfaction rating 201 points higher when they felt their banker completely understood their business (45 percent) compared to one who only partially understood it (49 percent). Six percent said their banker understood their business "not at all."   

Few financial institutions can claim client satisfaction marks above the current 75% industry average reported by ACSI - the American Customer Satisfaction Index, but Leaders Bank, headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., continues to build on a service commitment that garnered an overall client satisfaction rating of 94% in a 2005 independent customer survey.

With the philosophy of providing "service you deserve", Leaders Bank offers a haven for businesses that demand better service, focusing on personalized relationships, customized solutions and fast response to help them grow.  

"Leaders Bank earned our business because they took the time to understand what we were trying to accomplish," says Bob Deisinger, President of American Technical Publishers (ATP). His company chose Leaders to provide the construction financing and commercial mortgage for their new 45,000 sq. ft. "green" building, along with a working capital line of credit and treasury management services. ATP has been a leading publisher of career and technical training materials for education, apprenticeship and industry since 1898.

            "Leaders' insight makes the difference," says Deisinger. "They look at things from a deeper perspective, and that fosters a great relationship."         

"Our relationship with ATP is a wonderful match that's based on entrepreneurial spirit," explains Harley Jordan, Leaders' Senior VP of Commercial Banking. "Bob was looking for a custom solution and high-quality service. That's what Leaders prides itself on. We were able to quickly create a package of flexible solutions to meet ATP's needs."

Results from the independent survey of Leaders customers showed that one-hundred percent of primary clients said they could count on Leaders to reach satisfactory resolutions to problems. Overall satisfaction was measured at 4.9 out of 5.0, and all clients said they were treated respectfully and given viable financial solutions. More than 9 in 10 rated Leaders as "truly outstanding or very good" for courteous staff and personalized service. In addition, professionalism, knowledge, and responsiveness scored 90-94 percent on average.

A bank's willingness to work closely with clients, on items ranging from a credit line to a custom treasury management solution, can quickly create positive results when you consider findings from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). In 2008, more than 1-in-5 small business owners said cash flow was a "critical" problem, with business owners nationally ranking cash flow as number 11 among 75 possible concerns. In relationships based on trust and knowledge, such as those at Leaders Bank, a business is more likely to gain satisfaction with both its finance and service needs.

J.D. Power found that the optimal level of satisfaction with bank-to-business contact occurred when banks had reached out to businesses six times a year. The lowest levels of satisfaction lay with the 47 percent of businesses reporting bank contact as "none" for recommended products or services. Shockingly, in the researcher's 2009 Mergers and Acquisitions Study, 12 percent of one acquired bank's customers said they only first found out about the merger when they received the survey to participate in the bank consolidation study.    

According to Jim Lynch, CEO and president of Leaders Bank, the secret to Leaders' quality customer relationships, high satisfaction, and growth is the unique Leaders philosophy of treating every customer and bank employee as a leader. In fact, Leaders Bank was named #51 on Entrepreneur magazine's 2008 Hot 100 Fastest-Growing Business in America, and in 2006 was voted #1 Best Place to Work in Illinois for small/medium-sized companies.

"It's a commitment that builds trust and satisfaction within the bank, and extends it to every customer that Leaders serves," Lynch says. "Leaders invests in relationships. The return is mutual success. In our relationships, we provide the experience, quick response and personalized service that business owners and entrepreneurs deserve. With these real partnerships, it's easier to face challenges and develop a solution for just about any issue."