A wish list for your bank

[Graeme]

Duncan - I have been receiving my credit card statements by e-mail (encrypted) from Standard Bank for some time now. Works well.

[Karenwhe]

So here's my idea.

Make a post saying whether you are a happy or unhappy client of your bank, and what suggestions you have for your bank to improve.

I personally think it could work. But it would take a not so small task to get it done. This is what I personally think could work.

• Put up a site just for this (neutral ground)
• Get together a few forums like this one (I would also help with our forum and lists) to get a few thousand of people to contribute.
• Get a list of complaints from the users.
• Get the most common complaints to be voted on and commented (on the neutral ground site).
• Find the Customer relationship managers at the banks and send them to this site
• Get a few media people involved to write about this (they love this kind of stuff).
• Then get a few heavy blogger to blog about this
• Then get a few heavy diggers to bookmark everywhere this site.

Your job is done. If this will not help to change stuff - nothing will. But don't expect overnight change. You are dealing with heavy weight organizations.

At least either way, you will learn much from such an exercise both in executing such a big task and getting the knowledge and maybe having some banks change a few of their procedures.

What I can say, is.... that I believe our lists will participate, because they are dependent on banks to do their business heavily.

[Dave A]

• Put up a site just for this (neutral ground)

OK. So this is not neutral enough?

Karen, I've tossed together a quick website on blogger called Banking Wishlist - How about that? I've even allowed anonymous comment posting.

My idea is that sites (or "lists" for that matter) that promote the blog would get a credit in the supporting sites block.

Let me know what you think (or just promote the heck out of it anyway).

[Karenwhe]

OK. So this is not neutral enough?

You know what I mean. It has to bee to that purpose alone. Because if we want the world of SA to come to it and convince the biggest list owners, it must not look like an exercise to move users around

Karen, I've tossed together a quick website on blogger called
Banking Wishlist - How about that? I've even allowed anonymous comment posting.

It looked at the site it looks great. Here are some comments.

1. The first page must be the vision. Why is this site up, what is the site trying to achieve, how this can be achieved, how will you benefit if we achieve this and EXACT steps of what can you [the visitor] do to helps achieve this.

2. You must have opened sections/categories to each major bank, where people go and give their views and point.

3. The next thing [later] is a poll. We will need a poll later as people comment about their biggest frustrations and suggestion to put up a poll maybe which will be a summary. The reason it is not good to put it up at the very beginning is because we are not aware of what to put in the poll.... what are the biggest public interest frustrations and their wishes.

My idea is that sites (or "lists" for that matter) that promote the blog would get a credit in the supporting sites block.

I think that is a good idea. I will definitely promote it, but I need to see it ready.

The vision must be there.

Then the categories must be there and ready and then the steps of what each person can contribute to make this effect must be there. (e.g. What can you do to get a better service: You can comment on this blog about your frustrations and what solution you would like, you can blog about this in your blog often and send people to here to achieve mass response, you can send a message to your subscribers about this... if you send a message to your subscribers, you need to inform us about this and you will get a link as a contributor, to send this message go here to get a pre-written message).

It has to be very clear how you get credit for supporting and what you must do and what are the steps. Because this makes it easy for site owners to do the steps (after all they didn't think about this, and therefore may be confused if not given text and instructions). Always make life easy for people and then they do this. If they think it is too much effort, they bail.

If you need ideas how to do the steps for people to promote this in a way that you can track let me know.

Anyway, I wrote this whole thing pretty fast, if stuff is confusing just let me know.

Then we need to find on the web heavy diggers and heavy bloggers, without them you won't see the light of the day enough to get fast mass response.

Here is an example of what was done in the past about one company Virgin media http://stopvirgin.movielol.org/

This is totally out there and it got attention (close to 1 Million views), but it is just an example about one thing that people did not like about something that one company did.

[Dave A]

Hmm. I admit my idea isn't a crusade against banks - it's about ways of collecting information and ideas that might improve our experience.

My theory is that pure common/business sense might see some of those ideas implimented, and there might be some really interesting ideas come up. This is more carrot than stick.

I picked on banks because most of us use them, there is a variety of client perceptions, and many client relationship principles relating to the industry apply to many other business forms too.

[Karenwhe]

Dave I agree. The Virgin stuff is a crusade and for a damn good reason.

But what I am saying is.... if you don't make it mass do you think it would make a difference?

What I see behind this is the ability to collect enough data to give to the banks to see what people really think and what they would like changed to get better service. After all SA is one has one of the highest payment of banking fees on the face of the planet. Does this come with service? It doesn't. But we live with it. Sincerely, I don't think that is right. We live in one of the poorer countries in the world (we are not exactly first world, if you know what I mean)....... and the banking service changes are a rip off (some can afford it, but most could do without so such charges)..... at least we can try to get good service, if we are paying so much for it anyway.

They won't do a thing if it one or two people commenting. They don't do a thing now, when customer complaints and suggestions come through to them.

Actually a lecturer I had a while ago, his wife works for the bank in a high position (in one of the better banks as far as cust. service goes) and even the internal staff are so frustrated with the new ideas they come up with (in other words they suck). She almost changed jobs because of it.

So, that is what I see behind it. If it doesn't bring change, or at least big enough to attempt to do that, but it is a big bla, bla and one more place to complain without trying to bring any change... then what it is for?

That is how I see things anyway.

[Dave A]

Karen, I think there are more open ears in our banking world than you think. They just need ammunition and they need ideas on what people really want.

[Chatmaster]

I can't help it. Banks has become so impersonal to me that I simply avoid dealing with them as far as possible. I remember being a struggling policeman many years ago and meeting with a bank manager to get a R1,000 loan because I needed to replace my cars tyres. Those days are gone completely. Banks are now completely run electronically. To be honest, I do not know why they have personnel at all, they might as well have software designed and terminals all over the bank to service you.

To go to your branch and ask them to speak to your business consultant and then to be given a number to phone because they are all based in some office elsewhere in Gauteng. So you need to phone someone that doesn't care or know you, to make a business loan. (FNB BTW)

With my other business I simply phone Nedbank and they come and see me at my offices, now that is fantastic service, but then again they know they need me there. However once again the rep can't offer me more than just promises or administrative work. Banking has become completely impersonal. I hate banking and avoid it as far as possible.

[Karenwhe]

Karen, I think there are more open ears in our banking world than you think. They just need ammunition and they need ideas on what people really want.

I agree. But if you as an individual as in 1 person come with an idea, they won't implement. But if they see XYZ amount of people want X feature or whatever, then they can see maybe the reasoning behind an investment to do that X feature or deliver that particular Y service.

In essence, I agree. And furthermore, they should be the ones doing such surveys, but they don't.

So, you can.... do the survey I mean. But again you would need a lot of people. I don't think they will change any service without proof that XYZ amount of people want something.

Of course that is what I think...... from how I see them work.

[duncan drennan]

A site with the concept of Digg or Muti could be quite nice. You can either "digg" or "undigg" an idea. The most requested features would pop up to the top.

The downside of something like this is that the users are not always right, but at least it gives ideas and allows people to promote their favourites.