Oh Lordy Lord! I am now a complainer.

Dear Standard Chartered,

It is a privilege to now be a Standard Chartered customer. I opened aneSavers account at your PJ State branch office on January 9, 2008,after hearing about its benefits.

While I was intrigued by the value proposition of the eSavers account, I was left extremely disappointed by the poor customer experience. Ittook me over an hour just to sign up for the account, and thecommunications process since that time has been poor.

I had arrived at the branch at 12:53pm, but was only attended to 30 minutes later. The banking hall on that day was not packed – therewere no more than 5 customers waiting ahead of me, and at least 6personnel at hand. Considering that your operation hours are limitedto weekdays, waiting for 30 minutes is a huge inconvenience for office workers like myself.

Throughout the 30 minutes of waiting, I noticed how people took queuetickets then left shortly after realising that the allocated numbersfor account applications were not rolling. I then decided to skip the queue on the next available ticket number as the customers who hadtaken tickets before me were not present.

My experience with the bank officer, Ms. Jeanine, also left much to be desired. Iwas disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm and clarity in communicating the products pre-requisites and benefits. This processtook another 25 minutes, while picking up my "instant" debit card downstairs took another unnecessary 15 minutes.

I was told that an OTAC for Internet banking would be sent to my handphone within 24 hours. Those 24 hours came and went, and I wasleft in a lurch. I called the customer service hotline three dayslater (January 12), and subsequently received my OTAC and EBID. I mustadmit that I was very pleased with the experience over the phone, as it surpassed my expectations.
I would suggest looking into the following areas immediately to improvethe overall customer experience:

1) Avoid long wait times:Address the long wait times. For many office workers, the "lunch hour" period is the only time we can come out to do our banking. Get morepersonnel to be ready on the ground, especially for high-profileproducts such the eSavers

2) Simplify the application process:For office workers, it makes more sense to pre-fill the application forms online, and then perhaps obtain an approval via the bankofficers at the branch. My experience indicates that the bank officersare merely filling up a form with my details, and wasting precioustime. Alternatively, look into an e-Kiosk at the branch in line with your "Go Green" campaign

3) Streamline the communication messages:The bank officer that attended to me suggested that I consolidate myexternal accounts prior to opening an account. When I informed her that I only wanted to open an account without depositing any cash yet,she hesitated and proceeded rather reluctantly. As a suggestion, tryoutlining these tips / suggestions on your brochures / the Internet,and let the customers decide on what they wish to do with their cash

4) Stick to your commitments:If the bank commits to sending an OTAC within 24 hours, then please doso. Making me wait longer than the committed time frame is a major inconvenience, let alone call-in to initiate further action. Giventhat the eSavers account is a no-frills online service, the OTACdelivery should be a top priority

I strongly believe that Standard Chartered's personal banking products are breaking new grounds in Malaysia. However, I now hesitate torecommend it to anyone due to my unpleasant experience.

Thank you.


Sincerely,
Melissa Lai