CIBC launches ‘Talk to me Tuesdays’

As a result of the recently implemented “Talk to me Tuesdays!” CIBC First Caribbean Bank will be equipped to provide even better service to their customers.

The initiative, which was launched at the local branch in Kingstown on Tuesday, is aimed at having senior members of staff interact on a personal level with their customers in the banking hall.{{more}}

This interaction is expected to take place on Tuesdays, when customers will be approached by a staff member when they enter the bank, while standing in line or when they are about to leave.

When SEARCHLIGHT spoke with Branch Retail Banking and Operations manager Andre Cadogan on Tuesday, he stated that “Talk to me Tuesdays!” will be very useful, as it will not only allow for a better relationship with customers, but it will help to move the business forward as well.

“We’ll talk to customers about a number of things,” Cadogan explained. “We’ll talk to customers about…if they have any suggestions or feedback for our improvement. We’ll talk to them about some of the difficulties or challenges we might be having with banking in general. And we’ll also talk to them largely about the opportunities that we offer as a bank.”

Having spoken with several customers already, the branch manager disclosed that many customers were only aware of the basic services that were offered at the bank and did not know that a variety of their transactions can be done while still being in the comfort of their homes.

“It’s interesting to see that we have a number of customers who still don’t know all the things that we offer as a service. I think products generally people know; you know loan, you know an account, you know a draft, a wire,” he said.

“A couple persons I’ve spoken to in the morning, you get to understand that people choose different times to come to the bank for different reasons. That’s useful information for us, because you get to better respond to customer needs.”

Although the banking institution has advanced technologically over the years, Cadogan stressed the importance of still having an interactive relationship with customers.

“Banking has changed significantly over the years in terms of we’ve moved a lot to technology, but we have to support that technology by the ongoing interaction with our customers, so that’s one thing that we want to ensure; that we don’t move too far away from the customers even though we have invested significantly in our technology platform,” the branch manager said.

According to Cadogan, the response from customers so far has been favourable, with some customers observing that they need to see managers on the floor more often.

The branch manager pointed out that while some initiatives usually begin and wither away, “Talk to me Tuesdays!” will be a frequent occurrence.

“It’s going to be an ongoing initiative. Very often, persons see things come up and die out, but we see it as part of our service delivery strategy, so it’s going to be an ongoing initiative. At least once a month you will see a manager or senior person, but on an ongoing basis we will have someone on the floor every Tuesday, so customers can feel comfortable coming to the bank to interact with, outside of the normal business needs,” he said.

“Talk to me Tuesdays!” was implemented at the beginning of May in CIBC First Caribbean banks across the region.(BK)