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An open letter to NatWest

26/7/2013

4 Comments

 
Wizened with age and plumped of experience, we thought that little in the way of the 'customer experience' could these days leave us speechless but customer service at NatWest managed to do so. For the story alone, I'm too indebted to complain, and a complaint would end up in the waste bin of some middle manager no doubt following a standard letter to us stating 'we hope this doesn't stop you considering NatWest for your future banking needs' (it does), so instead, we have opted for an open letter on our blog.

The scenario is this: we wanted to open a bank account for a project we are currently undertaking. The conversation that I had in full with the information desk of the NatWest branch at Canary Wharf goes like this.

Me: Hello, I would like to talk to someone about opening a bank account please
NatWest Information desk lady: The person you need to speak to is not here currently, you'll need to make an appointment
Me: Is there no one else I can speak to?
Her: No.
Me: I came into Canary Wharf especially today to open an account
Her: You'll have to come back another time,  I can make you an appointment
Me: That's okay, I'll go next door to Barclays and open an account with them
Her: Uh, okay then.
Me: Okay, bye.
Her: Bye.

I walk out, visit Barclays and open an account with them.

This utter failure of service hardly needs to be enlarged upon but imagine if you were buying a car and walked in to a Vauxhall showroom and said to the showroom staff, "I want to buy a car" and the Vauxhall staff said, "there's no one here who can talk about cars right now, can you make an appointment and come back?" 
"That's okay, I'll go to Honda and buy a car from them instead". 
"Okay, Bye".

Do senior managers in their offices with their Powerpoint slides know what is going on in the branch? I doubt it. It's not rocket science, and aren't bank accounts what banks do? I shall leave the last words however to NatWest, well, RBS, NatWest's owners, who say in their 2012 Annual Report ('Essential Reading' section, p6)

Examples of the steps we took in 2012 to put customers first included:
- strengthening our customer culture through customer charters and commitments across our business
- introducing a training and accreditation programme for all of our front line SME bankers to ensure to ensure they are better equipped to serve our customers, and
- making sure we regularly and actively monitor customer satisfaction levels, customer complaints and customer feedback across our divisions.

... we will not waver in our commitment to embed serving customers well into our DNA.

Well, in line with point three above, consider this feedback. Anyway, must rush, I have to go see my Barclays Business Manager about making a large cash deposit.
4 Comments
Sam link
26/7/2013 02:16:15 am

Not very "helpful" banking at all! I had a very similar experience with them trying to INCREASE the limit on my corporate card. It became such a ball-ache that I closed the account and have a corporate card with another bank now.

Reply
Dave
14/8/2013 11:50:56 am

So you expect to walk in to a doctors / dentist and be seen straight away???? Appointments are required by most organisations and I am surprised that slipped you by....

Reply
TCC
15/8/2013 02:46:59 pm

Dave,

Thanks for your comment; let’s consider it. You argue that it is appropriate to be required to make an appointment to open a bank account because you need one to see a doctor etc. Well, actually, that is simply incorrect. You don’t for example need an appointment to see a doctor at A&E, you’ll see one most likely within an hour or two of arriving. Nor do you need an appointment at doctorcall.co.uk where you will see one within 90mins of your call at your home.

What you are referring to (somewhat loosely) in your opening remark, surely, is NHS GPs, a very specific segment of the healthcare marketplace. You seek to make a general point using a specific point, naughty.

We can further ask why you even need an appointment to see an NHS GP? The answer to that is simple: an excess of demand (from patients) over supply (of doctors) in a government funded enterprise, where customers (patients) are cost centres not profit centres. Even the hardest working doctor cannot see the sheer number of people who seek his/her help on any given day so an appointment has to be made.

The following statement therefore seems to be the core of your argument: given that NHS GPs are overworked due to excess patient demand, people who want to open a bank account should make an appointment. That’s brilliant.

Reply
Jason Sheppard link
11/2/2014 03:00:51 pm

I need an appointment at natwest

Reply



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