Signatories of the Responsible Selling Declaration join World Accessibility Awareness Day
Thursday 20 May marks the annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Its aim is to draw attention to the need to remove barriers which make it difficult for people with disabilities to access information. Bank BNP Paribas, Santander Bank Polska and ANG Group, the first signatories of the Responsible Selling Declaration, emphasise the importance of accessibility of financial products and services for people with special needs.
The Declaration of Responsible Selling is a project initiated by companies from the financial sector and hosted by the Federation of Consumers and Nienieodpowiedzialni (Not Irresponsible) Foundation. Its aim is to improve the standard of services in the market, counteract unfair sales practices and, among others, promote the highest ethical standards in relations between representatives of the financial industry and their clients.
The key tenets of the Responsible Selling Declaration are:
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Simplicityproducts and services should be tailored to the customer’s needs and the rules for their purchase should be clear and understandable to all
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Integrityservices must be promoted in a transparent and fair manner
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Sensitivityeveryone is treated with respect. Special care is shown to those who need more support and understanding
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Voice of the customerlistening to the needs of the customer is key, offering opportunities for simple two-way contact
This is an important commitment for us. We want to show our clients every day that we care about them and adapt to their needs. We take special care of those people for whom undertaking certain activities requires considerable effort due to disability, health condition or age. We systematically introduce improvements facilitating their access to our products. When designing services, we consult accessibility experts.
Santander Bank Polska is one of the initiators of the Responsible Selling Declaration. We have been involved in this initiative from the very beginning because caring for the highest ethical standards, speaking to clients in an understandable language and offering transparent products are the basic tenets of our responsible banking strategy. For years, our activities have been in line with the idea of World Accessibility Awareness Day. One of the pillars of our strategy is inclusive banking, i.e. making the financial market accessible to people who, due to their health or age status, have not had access to banking products. We have also been running the Barrier-Free Service programme for 10 years. Since then, we have made architectural adjustments to selected branches and introduced remote video service in Polish Sign Language. ATMs with special functions account already for nearly 90% of the entire network. We also regularly conduct educational activities for the elderly to help them use remote and mobile solutions, especially now in pandemic times.
ANG Group is a company whose role is to serve people. The issues of anti-exclusion and respect for human rights are very important to us. Our mission is to provide customers with the financial services they need, understand and can afford and pay for. We look for solutions that remove barriers to communication and we want every client to be able to benefit from our expert services. With online sign language interpreting, this will be easily possible from any place. In mid-June, as the first credit and insurance intermediary, we will launch the Migam Interpreter service.
The Responsible Selling Declaration sets the framework for responsibility towards the consumer, promotes actions that go beyond the requirements set by law and encourages continuous improvement in this area. In this way, the financial industry can increase its positive impact on its surroundings and better serve the society and the economy. Financial products and services are essential to everyone. More information about the Declaration can be found at www.odpowiedzialnasprzedaż.pl
