[S]TUNNING countryside, living close to family and friends and a strong sense of community is what makes people across Cumbria, North Lancashire and South West Scotland smile the most according to customers surveyed by The Cumberland.
When asked what makes them grin up north, 49 percent of customers chose being close to family and friends as the thing which really makes them smile about where they live. For nearly a third (28 percent) of respondents living close to the countryside keeps them smiling, while for over a fifth (23 percent) it is the region’s sense of community.
Alex Windle, The Cumberland’s marketing director, said: “As part of our #GrinUpNorth campaign, we want to shine a light on the North West to highlight that there are plenty of reasons to ‘grin up north’. To prove that it is anything but grim, we felt our customers were best-placed to tell us exactly what they love about their local area – with the people and surrounding scenery coming out on top.”
The North West-based building society, which has been ranked as having the happiest bank account customers in the UK by Fairer Finance for a second time, also surveyed its customers on what they like most about the building society.
Its passion for customer service keeps its customers grinning with over half (52 percent) of those surveyed citing this as one of the main reasons they continue to bank with the building society, while nearly a third (29 percent) said easy access to The Cumberland’s services makes them smile.
The Cumberland’s ongoing commitment to excellent customer service was highlighted by the survey which found 65 percent of customers surveyed have chosen to bank with the building society for at least 10 years, while 99 percent would recommend The Cumberland to a friend or relative.
One young family which is grinning thanks to The Cumberland is the Fosters from Ulverston. After searching the market, Rhianne and Daniel Foster chose The Cumberland’s Cash Junior ISA as the first saving account for their sons; Flynn, 20 months, and Dylan, 12 weeks.
Rhianne said: “We had tried a number of different banks and building societies for our sons’ first savings accounts but we were really impressed by The Cumberland. The product which was offered was exactly what we were looking for as it allows the boys to see what they are saving.
“The customer service was also absolutely brilliant and the branch was really child-friendly, which was important to us. When we first went into the branch Dylan was only three-weeks-old and the staff were extremely helpful. They also completely understood that I didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the branch with two small children so were very efficient.”
Alex added: “Providing our customers with the very best customer service is a key priority for everyone at The Cumberland. The quality of our service has been recognised by Fairer Finance’s research for the second time running this spring.
“We not only strive to offer our customers the best deal but also the very best service, which alongside living by family and friends and beautiful countryside helps to keep them grinning.”
Established in 1850, The Cumberland has 34 branches located across Cumbria, North Lancashire and South West Scotland. It is the only regional building society in the UK to offer a current account for both personal and business customers, which features a mobile banking app with biometric security, and a contactless Visa debit card which is free to use abroad. As well as a competitive range of savings products for all, it also offers an award-winning mortgage range which regularly features in national Best Buy tables.
For more information on The Cumberland’s range of services visit one of its branches, call its Carlisle-based customer service team on 01228 403 141 or visit www.cumberland.co.uk.
