My CRM students are informing me about their “customer experience”. They share with me interesting topics they encounter.

They explain their real life experiences and they ask me the questions (as I ask in homeworks and exams) “What exactly is the mistake made here?”

Here is one of them. Uğur Öncü says:

I have been working with xxx Bank for many years and I have a Platinum card. In the past years, the bank increased my card limits regularly. For the last two years, I have been called by the automatic telephone system and my request for limit increase is asked by the robot, and if I press the confirmation button, the increase occurs. So far, everything is normal, it makes my life easier and I make the decision.

This year, I felt the need to increase the card limit due to a large purchase.

• • First of all I wanted to do it from internet banking (there is no such option, but I can do anything but limit increase)
  • Then I called the Call Center via VIP Line, they said “they could not accept a limit increase request on the phone”, I was directed to an intercity fax with requests such as payroll (this is stupid, my salary is paid via this the bank) and a request letter. They said “we will respond to your request within one week”.
  • There was no sound for a week, I called the VIP Line again. “We called you, haven’t got mail?” etc. they said. Anyway, my application was rejected because there was no increase in my income. The letter of rejection was also sent in the mail (I have been making regular payments for 10+ years, I keep money in the bank all the time, I have a salary account in the bank, I have automatic payment orders, I have insurance, etc.) I found the situation odd and even thought of changing the bank for that moment
  • A few days has passed and the robot called me “ if you want to increase the limit, press number 2”. First I thought it was a joke, then I thought there were errors in their systems etc. and I pressed number 2.
  • Strange but true, in one day the credit card limit had doubled (well above the amount I had requested).
  • I called the bank again on the pretext of saying “No letter of rejection has been received”. My main goal was to find out if they were aware of the situation (They were not aware of anything, they said “We will re-forward it, let’s re-mail it” etc.) I said “Don’t bother, my limit has already increased”, frankly they didn’t understand it either.

😉

Now, my exam question: “What exactly is the mistake made here?” Should we question the decision of leaving certain processes to smart systems? Or those who set up these systems should be questioned? Or those who do not integrate them with the customer’s 360^o single view, etc. etc.?

Note: It is not necessary to display the “offer made by robot outbound call and its result” on the screen. After making the decision of “limit increase can be made” in any way (no matter what analysis result you make), when you transmit this to the Call Center, you move it to the screens “the limit can be increased up to this point”. (May not even be real-time. Near-real-time transfer also may be applicable).

After the limit increase request is entered on the Call Center [or the branch] screen (preferably by clicks), the information “can be increased up to this limit” appears. If the customer responds positively to call center agent, limit will be approved by one click.

It is valid even in cases like Uğur Öncü’s case. That is, “it is not difficult to integrate a Call Center CRM screen to robot’s outbound-call for a limit increase proposal… as long as the system analysis team knows what they are analyzing. ”

Do not build the walls to yourselves with risk, algorithm, integration, etc… It shouldn’t be difficult to ensure that this [limit increase] information is accessible from every customer touchpoint. Let’s aim this.

🙂