By RARZACK OLAEGBE
Do not expect the banks to romanticise you.
Some banks are investing in training to improve employee knowledge and customer service skills. Well, training is one aspect; execution is a basket of water. It is tricky. The reason many customers have reported rude staff. Inattentive staff. Disrespect to senior citizens. Do you get a reward for your patronage? Or a personalised service? Why are the banks failing the customer service test?
Why do some banks provide excellent service? Why do others fail? What are the elements that foster positive service? What if what works with one customer worries another customer? Does that expose the idiocy of one-size-fits-all?
On the one hand
You found yourself in the bowel of a branch on the mainland of one of the banks that eat oranges. The service area had a long table with 12 screens. 12 pretty faces. Men and women were seated behind the screens. The service was smooth and deliberate. The wet weather must have conspired to make the atmosphere in the area – the size of a lawn tennis court – very cold. A portion of the area was cordoned off with ropes and silver metal poles to keep the customers at bay. Or was it to create a designated area? Or to create a semblance of order? Well, you stood like a statue.
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On the other hand
Eight metal benches nestled against a grey wall. The lighting was not poor. It was not good. The floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall allowed the sky to peep down at your business. You waited in line. You have to wait in line. No priority service. ‘‘Next customer.’’ Like a robot on the assembly line, you marched towards the direction of the voice. Like a patient before a doctor, you voiced your ‘ailments’ to the staff opposite you. She dialogued with the screen and gave you an order. She asked you to occupy one of the eight metal benches.
In the long term
Suddenly, you were hungry. Not a sign of nourishment in the service area. Is this the sign of a biting economy? Come, this bank declared a humongous profit the other day? Could not the bank spare the customer a thought? A nursery area? A fountain of water? One of the bank executives told me: The huge capital base of the banks is to protect the banks from external shock. It is not to protect the customers. Do not expect the banks to romanticise you. If you need pampering, find a spa.
Anyway, you were hungry. Maybe you should collapse and close your eyes, as if you were dead? ‘’Excuse me.’’ A pretty woman cut off your daydreaming. You must have dressed like one of the security guards. She asked a question. You provided an answer.
With the rise of digital-first banks and fintech firms, more is expected from the financial institutions. How can a bank rise to the challenge of poor customer service? For instance, the banks still lack in-bank omni-channel customer engagement. If you do not get it, forget it! That is what the banks are telling you.
While you daydreamed, more customers arrived. Drenched. Torrential rain was partying. The energy level increased. Your hunger pang became intense. A woman shivered from the cold. Could somebody get her a cup of hot coffee to warm her system? Add a pack of cream cracker biscuits. And honey. ‘’Excuse me, sir!’’ The staff cut off your daydreaming. You approached her, and she caused your problems to vanish. Except your hunger.
In the short term
If you need excellent customer service, book a hotel room.
*Olaegbe ([email protected])
