BARCLAYS BANK MUST ALLOW LOYALTY TO PAY, NOT COOL CHOP PROMO IN GHANA

I wish to state that bringing world class banking to the doorstep of every client comes out of passion and love for customers. The aging banking industries must learn to reward customers with loyalty not through promotion like cool chop. Brand must be promoted with respect and loyalty. Why should Barclays be involved in promotion which does not benefit the bank in the end like the direct sales idea that was brought by some former management staff members who also used the opportunity to enriched themselves with the help of the recruiting agencies and are in others banks enjoying. Are we also making money for advertising agencies in Ghana?

The current business of the bank organizing cool chop promotion is very unnecessary since it only put the brand of the bank in disrespect with the non performing banks in the country that lack customers, and have copy your tailed made products to attract your client. History has shown that Barclays bank have given loans and have achieved 99.5% recovery rate. But current information shows that recovery from loan is at 20%. The question is why? The bank in the name of competitors have forced itself to introduced and do things that do not reflect the mode of business that we all know of Barclays like direct sale, loans without deep background check. That is not innovation but pressure that does not exist since you are the master in the class of your competitors.

Passion which should be the measuring standard for selection and recruitment of staff who don’t have the experience of banking is nothing to write home about since most of them may have worked their way through because of attractive contacts, fast salary offer and not real work and love. Some have use Barclays brand as a stepping stone, which have never happen in the history of it staffing. What an insult in the history since the rate at which staffs are living the bank is not the best.

The question is, should Barclays train staffs for others to have? Some staffs of Barclays I describe in my own words as fashion staffs, who shows sharp smiles at sharp looking guy for quick date. Some cannot tell or understand the benefits of various products that the bank sales when you visit to enquire. This happens at some branches inside or outside Accra. Visit the banking hall in some casual dress and you will be treated with disrespect by Barclays bank staff, especially when you really do not know much about the products. The lady will pretend to be busy with the phone when they know that you just have some few minutes to spend at the bank. What a shame?

The standard for judging every bank is based on the brand and the watchword. When I walk into the banking hall I try to look for it on the faces and work relationship that staffs show to customers. My recently experience was on the 13-11-09, at Barclays bank of Tema branch were a young staff of the bank called George who sat at the entrance serving customers to open account. I asked for application form to fill for my mother back at home so that she will visit the bank compulsory after. When I told the young man that my mum cannot visit the Bank without the form he was very angry and question who my mother was to deserve that serve. I was not pleased with his indignation and choice of words towards my mother. The tone of his voice sounded like worker without passion for success and that Barclays is just a stepping stone to any Ghanaian bank. Running such test around can speak for itself that you don’t need to select potential worker by way of aptitudes test since such persons do not fit into the passion for work but money and the good looking character.

The service rendered by the staffs of Barclays at the Spintex branch (coastal Estate) and the shopping mall are far below the belt as standards since you are made to wait for longer hours for services or enquires. If looks can gratify an angry client then I am not one of those customers. Most men in the bank are doing very well in the field of services and enquire and you can see and feel it when they attend to you. There is a fair coloured young man in glasses at the shopping mall branch who is serving with passion. When he had served four customers the ladies have not finish serving the second person. I have observed that more than six times in different months.

The unprofitable work that was done by the direct sale personnel is a contributing factor if we all must go after the defaulting clients of Barclays. Some banking staff has taken loans and has travel outside for further studies. I must assure the bank that all is not lost in the recovery of most loans given out. I can do it and others can be trained in the field to help in the loan recovery provided they have the passion for secret investigation. It must be a lesson to all that things must be checked very well whether cheques or first time application documents for customers. Why the lapse on the side of most staff, I think it will be determined when some are picked up for questioning on the loans?

It will be painful if you don’t receive your salary on time at the branch. We must start thinking positive about the bank than running to other banks for fast salaries and jobs. The debt recovery ratio is now 45% because of non repayment of loans, so let all accept the new king set of laws and principles.
A replacement for cool chop is the toffees and chocolates that were on the desks closed to the tellers and personal bankers for every customer to pick while been served. A lot of customers were touched by that and some wish that it was done monthly. A lady said she went for lunch and had to come to the banking hall for quick cash. She forgot her ‘PK’ in the car, just as she sat in front of the personal banker she felt very bad because of breath while he was still putting some documents together. But just as she saw the toffees and picked one she had the confidence to speak to the personal banker about her cheque book. We don’t need cool chop for rewards but the small toffees and small chocolates are adequate.

Let me give you a few of your brand which sold well in the beginning but never caught up with new existing customers. Cash Passport , SME network ,money transfer , Aba pa account for mid class.
Some of the products were lunch way back when I was in my last days in the university studying, but never worked well in the middle class. Barclays’ cash passport is an easy way to take money with you while travelling overseas. One must just deposit funds onto it and on arrival you can have access to it around the world using the visa cash machine. Why have the idea not catch up with tertiary institution in Ghana. Your marketing standards have not help to promote the idea very well. Most banks are now marketing master card and visa card. Who brought the idea, it was Barclays?

The bank can put up for sale all the products through email to existing customers, engage at student’s forums or youth gatherings. Some of the canvassing must be done during the winter travelling season and summer for student using the travel and tours operators. I believe that when students get used to it the society get used to it. Small Medium scale network which was designed to help the existing and upcoming businesses is not at it best. The aim was to help strengthen business relationships and growth. Members are taken through seminars on how to get it done right, exchange contacts for possible support. What happen that we have to struggle to look for customers when we have the right structures in the bank? Our competitors have copied and stolen our brand ideas to make them rich? I still believes that the SME network must be reorganized by the leaders of Barclays where it core responsibility will be to networking and building on strategy to help their members business move forwards that they can still extend the friendly and loyal love to Barclays.

A desk was created to help the business men and women to have smooth transaction for transfers of money for purchase of goods and services but at the branches core dream is lacking in bank. Let us all see every act of Barclays very important that is the way forward.
The next strategy is for the bank to promote these two products i.e. Family funeral plan, Aba pa account and all in one current account. We must start getting the churches to understand us, tertiary institutions the small joints of the mechanic unit in Abossey okai, Ashaiman etc to know about it. A young mechanic shared his experience on how a lady staff of Barclays looked down on him when he was having difficulty in filling form and the spellings were not that right. Such class of persons have bad feeling about the bank. Some of the savings and loans companies have those mechanics and spare part dealers are now big clients in those banks. Some it just about draft, money transfers etc.

We must send text blast around the network, email to existing customers of the new products or ideas. We must start having relations talks with existing customers for a change in the plan to take up ‘’the all in one current account’’. Let forget about the cool chop promotion since it will not help but increase the debit of the bank on the balance sheet.
The next strategy for the bank is the mobile banking kiosks for the Aba pa clients in the market. A condition must be given to make most to save more with the bank in higher denominations like 5- 10 cedis daily. Those that cannot meet up the standard are to contribute 20 Ghana cedis weekly as savings. I know it may be difficult if not arranged well since it may not pick up well if discussions are not than in that area of operation.
Cool chop promo does not promote loyalty among customers. Most customers who were registered with Barclays by the direct sales staff, how many of such customers still do business with the bank. Those that have stay with the bank all over the years have not been rewarded for loyalty for ten years. It is a bad practice that must not be promoted by the authorities for nothing. How are we going to reward the existing customers who have shown loyalty for more than 10years without over redrawing the account? Can we have a big party where we invite customers to it and then celebrate with staffs and families of Barclays?
The bank must identify and surprise loyalty among customers who had save more than 1,000 above constantly in the year and they have maintain the relationship deeply. They must be banking with the bank for the past 10years or more. The need to be rewarded is now.

A good worker must have passion for work and must be unable to get an angry customer have a change in heart. This is just to tell you that maintaining and increasing customers depended largely on staffs at the hall. If prestige banking is 99.5% perfect why the normal banking?
Who will give birth to a dream and will not be responsible for it, let rise up to our own responsibility for the past is chasing us.