Tips for Business
My job at the moment is a multi-faceted role. However it is predominately a customer service role with a little bit of everything else on the side. Because of this, I’ve started thinking about and looking at customer service in a more critical way and the news isn’t good. Most businesses have mediocre customer service with some bordering on atrocious - but yesterday has to take the cake for being the worst customer service experience ever.
The mission was simple; get a generic BSB code from Bendigo Bank to correct the mistake of my customer to allow them to be paid. For international readers a BSB number is simply a routing number for our banking system which identifies the Bank, State and Branch. There is nothing personal about these numbers, in fact they are widely published and publically available.
In an effort to save time and hassle I thought to myself “I will call Bendigo Bank and ask them what their generic BSB number is. That way they can confirm I have the correct details and I will save having to hassle the client for information they may not know or have readily accessible.” Of course I realised that any bank will not divulge private or personal details about their client however since the BSB I was asking for doesn’t even link to a branch local to my client there should be no problems. How wrong I was!
Firstly, the man on the phone sounded either half asleep or stoned, greeting me in a bored, monotonous manner unacceptable for even a Friday afternoon. Then he asked for an account number and I freely quoted him my clients number in the hope that it may expedite the process of getting information out of them. I explained that I needed to confirm the generic BSB for the bank so that money could be sent to the account I had quoted him. His response was to ask for further details, like the account name and address and other personal information I didn’t know or care to share. I again explained that those personal details were irrelevant and that all I needed was a generic number used by all clients. He told me that the bank had two numbers which could be applicable - depending on the type of account. I said I didn’t know what type of account it was but if he was to give me both the numbers then I could take that information back to my client for confirmation. His response was “But then you will just try both of them!”. Before I had a chance to explain that I had been quoted, by my client, that his BSB was 333-000 (which is incorrect, hence the confirmation of bank details) the ‘customer service representative’ had hung up on me. WHAT?
I understand that banks have private and confidential information that they cannot just share with anyone. I also understand that there are people out there who aim to steal private information for their own gains. I also understand how in a situation where the assistant is suspicious of an enquiry to be evasive or difficult to deal with - but hanging up! My instant response was to hit redial and join the queue again but I didn’t have time at this stage and I still had to get these details before the end of the day. But honestly, would it have been that hard for him to say “I’m sorry I cannot provide that information as you haven’t sufficiently identified yourself and privacy laws prohibit me from sharing any customer details”. Obviously. I’ve been in plenty of situations where I am faced with a brick wall because I cannot provide ID - it’s disappointing but it is understandable. Instead of being hung up on I am left feeling like privacy issues are a concern but customer service is still important. Clearly Bendigo Bank don’t share this view. Much better just to hang up!
The most amusing part to this whole drama is that on Bendigo Bank’s own ‘Contact Us’ page the BSB number I was looking for is freely available under their contact number. I doubt there are two numbers (I have dealt with enough banking details to know that much) so I suspect he was just trying to throw me off the scent.
Ultimately, here’s the tip for business. Customer service is the most important aspect of operations. If customer’s don’t feel satisfied or feel like they are important to the business, then the business won’t retain customers for long. Personally, I’m not likely to ever be a Bendigo Bank customer after this experience and I doubt I will ever recommend the bank to others either. Customers never forget!
