Lessons in customer care

And then you have the attitude of the employees you have to deal with, they will work even slower if you dare complain or suddenly need a break or have a chat with other colleagues out of reach for the customer. These “huddles” also seem to be a very common thing in the banks. How many times don’t you see five to eight employees gathered around a semi-frazzled supervisor to get this signed, that approved or just for that same “joke of the day” sharing where loud laughter sometimes gets produced when the customers are yet again waiting.

To the managers of the bank, shame on you, because you are the ones who should be able to come up with ways of facilitating your customers instead of frustrating them further day by day. So since you can’t come up with some solutions, let’s reflect on a couple of suggestions:

1.Why not have the supervisors face the customers instead of the clerks, then the supervisors can immediately finish off the customers whilst the clerks can go and do something which is more on their level of experience, like filing and making copies. You should be able to effect such a change.

2.(Re)-educate your employees, that is managers, supervisors and clerks on what it is to supply customer service to you customers.

3.Do some research on where your customers live, work and bank, and when they bank. Obviously necessary as most of the banks employ the least number of people at their desks around lunch time, evenings and in particular on month-ends and Fridays. Come on, shame on you again, you have managers with MBAs and doctorates and should be able to figure out what your customers banking trends are.

You see, all of the banks in Trinidad have that sorry attitude that customers should be happy that they can be customers of these banks. It should be the other way around, where banks should be happy to have me as a customer.

Ferdinand Howell

Diego Martin