‘ Business TheReview Wednesday, July 4,1990 — Alp Banking has improved immensely over the years « Lineups, computer problems and “new faces.” If those are your three. most common complaints about your banking institution, join the club. Vancouver City Savings Credit Union is Canada’s largest credit union, with 175,000 members. here’s what the members com- plain about most often — and what the credit union is doing about those complaints — accord- ing to Wayne McKay, senior vice- president, marketing and member S€IVICES: — Lineups. “It’s not so much the lineup but the speed at which it moves,’ McKay said. “People become upset when there are empty wickets or staff members sitting at their desks.” Customers become particularly annoyed when they arrive at the Jast minute before a holiday week- end and find long lineups. — Computer problems. Cus- tomers are upset when the com- puter system is slow, or not operat- ing and so information on bal- ances and other account details are not available. “This also impacts on lineups and phone services,” said McKay. 5; — New faces. ““Customers, especially long-time ones, object to being asked for identification or to having staff — the new faces at the counter — check signature cards,”” he said. ““Many people object to turnover in general and have little patience for new employees who are finding their 2 way. ‘Since | first started writing about personal money matters in the ’60s, banking as a whole has cenainly improved its services and over-all attitude to ' Cusiomers’ McKay said there is quite a gap between these top three com- plaints and the others, which include: Service charges, interest rates, returned cheques, staff standing on policy, late statements, statements with cheques missing, being left WAREHOUSE FOR RENT HENRY AVE. BUSINESS PARK (2064 HENRY AVE) 1500 sq. it. plus upstairs office. The best spotin town. - Call LYLEKAHL 478-5648 REMAX OF VICTORIA 386-5333 on hold, staff's personal phone calls. And among the more minor complaints: lack of eye contact by staff, no pens or pens not working, parking problems. Like many financial institutions, VanCity works at eliminating, or at least reducing, customer irritants. “We are tackling the lineup problem by starting to merge the teller and member service func- tions to bring everyone to the counter and eJiminate a lot of desk work. “As far aS our computers, we now have a front-end system which allows us to continue to operate even when the main frame is down. “Turnover has been cut to around 10 to 15 per cent from the 60 to 70 per cent of a few years ago. We devote substantial ener- gies and dollars to staff training — how to serve and how to defuse hostility as well as how to sell.” McKay said while VanCity tries to staff to meet peak times and keep lineups moving quickly, “you have physical limitations: there is only so much room for tellers in the branch.” The credit union uses “mystery shoppers” to test services in its branches. “We are also looking at a $30,000 unit which advises people in a lineup how long they will have to wait,” McKay said. “It’s actually set to show a slightly longer time so you will be pleased when you get served quic- ker than you expect! “Of course, the simplest solu- tion for customers is to try to avoid payroll days and deadline times (for Canada Savings Bonds, RRSPs and so on) when lineups are the longest and often slowest.” People get annoyed when auto- mated teller machines don’t work properly. “They tend to forget that before we had ATMs, they had to sched- ule their banking between certain hours on working days which was probably far more inconvenient than having an ATM malfunction ~ occasionally,” said McKay. He said VanCity tries to avoid moving its managers around fre- quently. When there are changes, “we post notices in the branch and _ also do mailings.” Since I first started writing about personal money matters in the °60s, banking as a whole has certainly improved its services and over-all attitude to customers. When you do run into problems, remember you are dealing with human beings as well as a finan- cial institution. Try to see the problem from the viewpoint of the person on the other side of the counter. Hope- fully, that person will reciprocate. Communication is the key. Go the verbal route when it’s a simple matter but write a letter if the 13.40% CANADA TREASURY BILLS 100% GOVERNMENT GUARANTEED (RATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE) Call Today! 389-2113 CAROLANN STEINHOFF 8 ScotiaMcLeod Inc. .. A MEMBER OF THE SCOTIA BANK FAMILY ASK FOR Sidney Pharmacy Ltd. 2416 Beacon Ave. (Across from Post Office) 656-1168 TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN THIS SUMMER? We have: Slumber Wings™ — for comfort Safefurrs™ — padded seatbelt covers Kar Kangaroo™ and Auto Pouch — for a tidy car The Berenstain Bears books and cassettes, colouring books and crayons Travel Box by Kid In A Box, Draw ‘Dial playdesk, Joke books — to keep them amused ——— Sidney Pharmacy Ltd. 2425B Bevan Ave. (Corner of 4th and Bevan) 656-0744 Call for more information CLASSIFIEDS THAT SELL: GUARANTEED! 656-1151 The , Review problem is more complex or signi- ficant. Be polite but — provided you have a just case — be persistent. You might not win every time but should achieve a solution satisfac- tory to both sides most of the time. If you don’t, consider taking your business elsewhere. Mike Grenby is a Vancouver- based columnist and independent personal financial adviser; he will answer your questions as space allows in his column — write to him clo The Review, RO. Box 2070, Sidney, B.C. V8L 3C5. ‘since | first started writing about personal money maiters inthe ‘60s, * banking as a whole has certainly improved ifs services and over-all # altitude to customers’ McKIMM & LOTT - BARRISTERS, SOLICITORS & NOTARIES NICHOLAS W. LOTT CHRISTOPHER S. LOTT R.G. WITT LAPPER D. MAYLAND MCKIMM TIMOTHY F. LOTT GRANT S. WARRINGTON GEORGE F. McKIMM - COUNSEL eS Personal Injury / Real Estate Criminal Law / Wills & Estates Family Law / Commercial & Co. Law Municipal Law FIRST 1/2 HOUR CONSULTATION FREE @ 9830 FOURTH ST. SIDNEY, B.C. 656-3961 GANGES CENTRE BLDG. GANGES, B.C. 537-9951 CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY BOOKS 3 Usually the excitement and expectations of summer vacation fada: too quickly for children and boredom sets in - friends have gone away with their families, there is the loss of school hours’ structure, and nothing interesting to be caught up with. Soon youngsters are complaining to their parents about boredom. This week's review offers three diversions to keep children mentally active,entertained and amused. “The Starry Sky” by Rose Wyler is a book that would appeal to children in the five to eight year old range. The author, a teacher of elementary science, has produced over 50 books with her husband. This practical experience has enabled Wyler to give readers basic 4 characteristics of the stars, sun, sky, planets etc. in a highly interesting, yet informative, format. For readers who are a little more advanced, “Wonderstruck II” by Bob McDonald and Eric Grace offers information and lots of easy experimeants and activities. The questions answered in the book come from kids who watch CBC TV's “Wonderstruck”. Finally an answer to the problem of keeping peace in the car, especially on those longer trips. The “Family Gar Book” by Anne Ingram and Peggy O’Donnell is a book that will ward off many headaches. It is aimed at amusement for the whole family - quizzes, riddles, games, songs and more. Families will find entertainment for short or long trips, day or night travel, going to school, the beach, even if you are caught in a traffic jam. All three books are soft-covered which make them delightful carry-alongs, and very reasonably priced. B.C. 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