Convenience means more than just location. It also includes whether a bank offers its customers information about their accounts and access to funds 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call centers can be an effective way to give customers the convenience they demand. Call centers provide community banks with a way to compete with Internet banking and voice response systems offered by their larger competitors, while offering a human link to customers who want convenience but who are reticent about dealing strictly with machines. The bank s budget and strategic goals for the call center will determine which of these systems to implement.
Specialized technology lets a customer enter an account number and request an agent.
When the agent takes the call, the customer s account information comes up on a computer screen, eliminating the redundant request for an account number while lessening frustration. Another valuable feature, call observation, lets managers and supervisors monitor calls without letting agents know when or which calls are being monitored. A toll-free telephone number separate from the bank s main number 2. The ability to reach a live customer service agent 3. As a result, the cost of operating a call center drops appreciably when customers are encouraged to use this feature.