customer service trumps process!
About a week ago I dashed off to the bank on a Saturday morning to make a quick deposit. It was a cold and blustery day, and I also wanted to get home quickly so I could spend time with my wife and son. I pulled into the bank driveway thinking that jumping out in the cold to use the ATM would be my best option, mostly since I didn’t have a deposit slip, nor did I even remember to bring my account number. ATM’s are very forgiving this way. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to see the drive through was open and there were no cars in line in either slot. I talked myself into giving it a shot, thinking if I can do this via ATM then a drive through teller on a slow day should definitely be able to help.
The teller was standing next to a colleague ready to help. I mentioned all I had was my check card and that I was hoping to make a deposit ATM style (no deposit slip, no checking account number). The response I got was “I’m sorry, you need to fill out a deposit slip”. I asked why and cited the ATM as a way to make a deposit like this, but she reiterated that I had to complete a deposit slip to use the drive through, otherwise I could use the ATM on the other side of the building. Disappointed, I backed out of the drive through and went to the front of the building, parked and used the ATM.
So here are the facts:
- ATMs routinely make these kind of deposits
- There was no one in line or within sight at the drive through other than me (even if there was, would the fastest way to process my transaction be hand me a deposit slip to fill out in my car?)
- The teller didn’t explain why this was policy
- The teller didn’t probe into why I didn’t have or didn’t want to complete a deposit slip, therefore she never got the point of offering to help me track down my checking account number
I didn’t even bother getting into this customer service discussion because the moment was gone. I guess I expected this reaction, but was hoping for more. This would have been a perfect opportunity to bend the rules, make “an exception” and make the customer feel special. Maybe she was new and that was her boss standing next to her. Maybe she wasn’t empowered to bend rules. Maybe she was having a bad day.
Whatever the reason (excuse) it would have been easy to go the extra mile here and have a really positive customer interaction, maybe even create some loyalty for Wachovia. I guess the moral of the story is, if you are going to be on the front lines interacting with customers, you should provide great customer service. Not just service.
