One of the country’s leading SME banks, UBA Ghana, has held a forum for customers to express its gratitude to them for their loyalty over the years.
The forum, led by the Chief Executive Officer and top management of the bank in the country, was also a platform to take feedback from customers and assess the bank’s strengths and shortcomings.
Regional Chief Executive Officer (CEO) UBA West Africa, Chris Ofikulu, highlighted the forum’s essence to B&FT.
“We have a philosophy, which is ‘customer first’. This means in everything we do we put the customer first. All our branches manage customers, and with this there is no way I would know how the customer is feeling.
“This is one of the sessions that enables me to get first-hand information/feedback from customers. So, this customer forum gives me an opportunity to come around to thank them for doing business with us. Their loyalty is key. For the fact that they have chosen to do business with us, I think I have to value them; and it is my duty to say ‘thank you’,” he said.
Additionally, the forum has given staff ideas to step up their activities at their branches, and also treat the customers as they are supposed to since customers will be sharing their experiences.
“This meeting also helps the staff of UBA to sit up as I have come; they are apprehensive because they don’t know what their customers are going to say. So, imagine a customer reports that they are not happy. So, the take-away from here is that they will learn things not to do to a customer, and also advise themselves on treating their customers well,” Mr. Ofikulu added.
One of the customers – who is the CEO of EEK Consult &Electricals Ltd., Benjamin Teye Partey – expressed satisfaction, as lots of misconceptions about some transactions at the bank’s branches were cleared.
He added that it has also given them an opportunity to have access to the bank’s CEO, which is not common in the country.
“I think it has been beneficial because there were some perceptions which have been cleared. Sometimes, you go to the branch and they are not too clear as to how things are to be done; and from here we have seen that it is not necessarily so. The opportunity has been given for us to access the CEO, and I think it has broken that barrier of getting access and questions answered by senior people in the bank,” Mr. Partey said.
