Lloyds announce a service that’s a long time coming.  Many credit card companies have had this service for years.  An automated alert to the customers telephone will announce a potential fraud alert.  The message customers hear will ask them if they recognised the transaction in question. If the customer thinks fraud has taken place they will be transferred to a call handler who will then freeze the account and organise a refund. Where customers recognise the transaction, they will be able to confirm it is genuine and end the call. Source: Finextra: Lloyds TSB launches debit card fraud detection service The … Continue reading Finextra: Lloyds TSB launches debit card fraud detection service

Described as “next generation” this new service provides statement and balance information. What surprises me is that it requires a software download, but this appears to provide additional security. The banks are now inviting customers to sign up for ‘on demand’, 24 hour access to banking services including mini-statements and balance enquiries through their mobile handset. Consumers can also top up their own or someone else’s prepay mobile. To use the service, they need only download a piece of software onto their phone. As with online banking, once registered and authenticated people will have secure access to their accounts – wherever … Continue reading HSBC and first direct launch next generation mobile phone banking

 Came across this article from June this year, talking about the extreme shifts we have seen away from the branch in the late 90’s, and back to the branch in this decade. “The real lesson for the banks has been that customers value human interaction when making financial decisions that could have important consequences in their lives. Of all the additional channels, the call centre is the only one that can provide this human touch. “ Source: “Putting people back – Mozilla Firefox” I would argue the shift to Internet and branchless was right, just 30 years early.  But there … Continue reading "Putting people back"

The 2.0 thing is not officially out of control. Web 2.0 Women 2.0 Business 2.0 Identity 2.0

Now we have Call Center 2.0

However at least they are calling it that, with an apparent understanding of what 2.0 should mean, so I have to credit them for that.

The Dawn of Call Center 2.0 – –

Call Center 2.0 is not about technology only; it's about state-of-the-art customer relations and determining the best way to put the customer first. It amounts to mass customization of customer contact — the ability to make every customer feel special.

Nothing new in the concept, but certainly its new in that call centres do not do that well today. For Banks, we should be in the best position of all to handle this well, because the "mass customisation" referred to would work only if the Bank has adequate information in advance, and can distill that down to the appropriate business rules, and information, such that the customer is delighted whenever they call.

Continue reading “2.0 goes mainstream – now its call centres”