Don't add bling if you can't get the basics right. Service in banking still needs overhauling.
Oh the tiresome woes of banking .. will there ever actually be a bank that can live up to it's gloss veneer? The next time I walk into a Bank branch (listen up #bankofamerica) .. much to my chagrin because I can't get it sorted out online or on the ridiculously named 'helpline' and I see at least 8 empty spaces, 3 people in total helping, and agitated clients waiting over 20mins to be served, please switch off your looped marketing videos that tell us how great you are! It shows me how out of touch marketing departments are; how out of touch the exec suite is; how internet and mobile banking does not solve all your service needs and how obvious the pervasive 'we've got you now, so you can wait for us' attitude really is.
People, this stuff is not hard. As strange as this sounds, if you want clients you have to service them the way they want to be serviced. So while I like the new fresh flashy stuff you're doing, like making it super easy for me to send my money to friends, you need to keep on top of the basic stuff: SERVICE SERVICE SERVICE
- I want to know someone actually cares about me so when I call, help me skip through the dreary IVR options that don't apply so I can speak to someone who can sort out issues quickly - this is particularly important for business!;
- Make your branches high touch. Plenty empty seats, empty counters, no one in them .. looks like you can't afford to run your shop or you don't care? Which is it?
- Just because you have a captive audience (which you should NEVER be proud of if your customers are waiting in line, assume they're annoyed), it does not mean you pummel them with marketing messages that obviously don't align with what you are selling.
I'm tired of lip service from banks! Surprised with out of the blue fees that the poor lady at the end of the query line can only mumble an apology to but can do nothing about (#alaskaair #mastercard false advertising and #chase very poor private client care); online banking that only takes you so far; and branches that are painfully, obviously understaffed and underwhelming. Skip the product baubles. Make the core of your business work first. The shiny is in the service. You're in the service business - service like you mean it please.