- About Santander
Bank Polska - Strategy
and Management - Customers
- Introduction
- Our priorities – Bank As You Want It
- Multichannel approach – anyway you like it
- Accessible to all – You can count on us
- Security first
- Excellent customer service
- Ethical communication – simple and friendly language
- Responsible selling and prevention of misselling
- Our approach to complaints
- Knowledge that pays off
- Products and initiatives for retail customers
- Products and initiatives for SME customers
- Products and initiatives for customers of the Business and Corporate Banking Division
- Corporate and investment banking
- Support to customers in financial difficulty
- Employees
- Social
Engagement - About
the report
Excellent customer service
GRI:
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[103-1, 103-2 and 103-3]
for Aspect: Customer service quality and customer satisfaction
for Aspect: Customer service quality and customer satisfaction
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[Custom indicator 2]
Results of surveys measuring customer satisfaction
Results of surveys measuring customer satisfaction
Go to GRI list -
[Custom indicator 3]
Main activities to improve customer satisfaction
Main activities to improve customer satisfaction
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The provision of top quality services to all customers, is the fundamental element of the bank’s customer-centric approach. The bank is committed to building lasting and friendly relationships with customers, based on trust and mutual respect, where the customer can count on our commitment, professionalism and competences.
Customer service quality
The satisfaction of our customers is of highest priority to us. The bank places great emphasis on ensuring the best customer experience across all contact channels, regardless of whether the customer is using the services of a branch, online banking or the Multichannel Communication Centre. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a tool which allows us to measure customer satisfaction and their willingness to recommend our brand to their friends or family.
Employees providing customer service follow these two procedures:
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Customer Service Standards
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Sales conversation models
GRI:
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[Custom indicator 3]
Number of customers invited during the year to assess the quality of service and the advisory function of the bank who were in a difficult situation (customer survey)
Number of customers invited during the year to assess the quality of service and the advisory function of the bank who were in a difficult situation (customer survey)
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How do we achieve the best customer service and high level of customer satisfaction?
We want to create positive customer experience, exceed the customer’s expectations and respond to their needs on an ongoing basis – these are our elements of managing customer experience.
We demand that our employees show commitment in their relationships with customers.
We work towards ensuring high quality services on every stage. For example, every moment spent by the customer in the bank branch is equally important to us: from noticing the customer enter the outlet, welcoming the customer, diagnosing the customer’s needs and offering the most suitable solution, to presenting the possibilities related to using different touchpoints.
We regularly monitor the degree of implementation of the customer service quality standards using the Mystery Shopping method.
We continuously conduct customer satisfaction surveys to check customers’ willingness to recommend our bank or communication channels, and their evaluation of contacts with the bank, e.g. visit to the branch, calling the helpline, complaint handling. In 2017, we asked nearly 70,000 customers for their feedback.
How did we implement our goals in 2017?
- We reviewed our current customer service standards. To this end we consulted the customers, analysed their preferences and the market trends, and on the basis of our findings, we developed new standards and models of servicing customers. The new solutions were implemented quickly and later evaluated by us.
- We trained the entire managerial staff in the new sales pitch model for the Account As I Want It. Branch managers participated in sales workshops focused on the skills of conducting a conversation with a customer. Branch directors and advisors were additionally supported by a number of training courses and workshops run by relationship managers from macroregions.
- We analysed 11 paths of the customer journey – that is, customer paths in a specific channel together with the identification of touchpoints, moments of truth and working out recommendations.
- The paths of the following customer activities were analysed: opening and closing of Account As I Want It, opening and closing of another account, taking out a cash loan, making a deposit, complaint handling. We examined all these operations in two channels – contact with the bank via branch and online banking services. In effect, we identified the customer’s points of contact with the bank, potential moments of pain and moments of truth. Based on this information:
- we changed the way we communicate with customers – we simplified the language and streamlined SMS and e-mail communication,
- we simplified the presentation of information on websites – we provided and easier opt-out function and improved settings personalisation.
Our successes in improving customer service
GRI:
-
[Custom indicator 2]
Results of surveys measuring customer satisfaction
Results of surveys measuring customer satisfaction
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- Higher percentage of fully satisfied customers using online and mobile banking services, ATMs and CDMs, compared to 2016.
- We have been following the ‘feedback loop’ system, i.e. when a surveyed customer shows dissatisfaction with a specific aspect of a branch visit and has agreed to being contacted, the branch director (or manager) gets in touch with the customer to learn the real cause of dissatisfaction and meet the customer’s expectations.
- A high level of satisfaction with branch and MCC services has been maintained.
- We have understood in detail the expectations and the level of satisfaction of customers from the Private Banking segment, which allowed us to implement quality measures addressed to this customer group, and to design a way to continuously monitor their satisfaction with the bank services.
- Increase in NPS loyalty indicator by 6 p.p. against 20161.
- Customers with an Account As I Want It were more willing to recommend our bank than customers with other accounts.
[1] Data from a benchmark survey, assessing satisfaction in comparison to competitor banks
By introducing measures aimed at maintaining top customer service, we minimise:
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the risk of customer dissatisfaction
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the risk of a customer leaving our bank
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the reputational risk
Plans for 2018
- Further improvements in the following areas: noticing the customer, identification of customer needs, promoting multichannel solutions that allow the customer to use different banking services with ease.
- Continued work on the improvement of customer paths based on the Agile methodology.
- Implementation of initiatives based on recommendations from the customer journey analysis.
- Continued measurement of customer satisfaction in terms of general cooperation with the bank, using communication channels, satisfaction with the last contact with the bank (e.g. branch visit, contact with a VIP advisor, helpline call). The feedback loop system is continuously applied for assessing satisfaction after a visit to the bank’s branch.
- Increasing NPS in 2018 by another 5 percentage points.
How do we ensure high quality of services to SME customers?
GRI:
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[Custom indicator]
Products and initiatives for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Products and initiatives for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
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In October 2017, we introduced a new procedure, “Customer Service Standards”. Additionally, to improve the level of service:
- We carried out the “Practice Makes Perfect” training, the purpose of which was to raise the quality of services based on new SMESmall and Medium Size EnterprisesSmall and Medium Size Enterprises customer service standards. During simulated sales conversations, advisors learned how to identify customer needs and priorities effectively at a specific level of company development, in order to offer suitable solutions. Employees learned how to present the bank’s offering using a language of benefits – in line with the model: need, feature, benefit.
- We created the SMESmall and Medium Size EnterprisesSmall and Medium Size Enterprises Advisor Portal dedicated to our employees providing services to and building relationships with customers- entrepreneurs. The portal collects all the required regulations, essential information and links used by advisors when handling a customer from the SMESmall and Medium Size EnterprisesSmall and Medium Size Enterprises segment.
- We focused on training programmes addressing the issue of identifying customer needs based on the customer’s business model. This practical approach to customer service, ensures that the customer is offered the best suited products and solutions.
How do we ensure high quality of services to corporate customers?
When it comes to SMESmall and Medium Size EnterprisesSmall and Medium Size Enterprises customers, our goal is to become their partners. What we provide corporate customers with are not only products, but support in the form of expertise and initiatives aimed at developing their businesses.
We try to be close to our customers in order to understand their expectations and needs. To this end we took the following steps in 2017:
- we organised a relationship meeting with corporate customers in June, attended by the head of our corporate customer division,
- in the second quarter of the year we organised a focus group meeting with corporate customers, dedicated to our modern electronic banking solutions. The meeting was an occasion to discuss and exchange views about our products.
“Robot Factory” – an innovation improving the customer service in all segments
In 2017, we deployed a project to implement robotization and set up a centre of competence, called the Robot Factory, the purpose of which is to create robots to facilitate the automation of manual operational processes. As part of the project we built adequate technological infrastructure, we allocated and trained a team of analysts, developers and administrators responsible for the creation and operation of robots.
Robotic process automation is meant to raise customer satisfaction, facilitate transfer of employees to other tasks and the development of employee skills. The cost aspect is equally important, as is the growth of labour productivity. In addition, robotization reduces the rate of mistakes.
The benefits of implementing robotics automation in our bank are felt mainly by our customers. Thanks to robots, a complaint placed via Santander online services, may be handled within a few hours, as compared to days of waiting in the past. Likewise, in the case of cash loan repayment – the process is almost immediate. We are planning to deploy this improvement for the release and repayment of mortgage loans.
In 2017, we launched 10 robots in total.
