Title: The major banks digital customer relationships - a qualitative study of the impact of 

digitalization on customer relationships in the banking sector. 

Author: Emelie Fernholm and Emma Finnhult. 

Keywords: Swedish banks, digitalization in the banking sector, digital customer relationships. 

Aim: The aim of this study is to describe how banking clerks experience the impact of digitalization on customer relationships. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate whether the older generation has been affected harder by increased digitalization in the banking sector comparison with the younger generation and whether video chats is a successful complement to other digital channels to include more senses in customer conversation. 

Theoretical reference frame: The theoretical frame of reference consists of the subject areas digitalization, digitalization in the banking sector, generations, customer relationships, customer loyalty and asymmetric information flows. The theory further presents several models. These models describe the impact of digitalization on the business, various relationship programs to create a good relationship with the customer and an alternative database for evaluating customer relationships. The theory chapter ends with an “understanding model” that connects the entire theoretical frame of reference. 

Method: This study is based on a qualitative research method. Eight bank clerks have been interviewed from Sweden's major banks in a small municipality, a medium-sized municipality and a large municipality. The answers have been analyzed with the help of an intra- and interval analysis. 

Conclusion: The theoretical frame of reference and the empirical material have finally resulted in four conclusions. The study shows that bank clerks customer relationships have been affected more positive than negative as a result of increased digitalization, that long-term customer relations have not become less important in Sweden's major banks as a result of increased digitalization, the problem that the older generation is affected by digitalization is explained much worse in the theoretical frame of reference compared to what bank clerks believe and video chats is a good complement to other digital channels to include more senses in the customer conversation.