No common sense

User expectations of technology are increasing as fast as technological innovation, if not faster. Consequently, when things don't work as well as they should, tempers flare.

Recent dealings with First National Bank (FNB) had my temper flaring. All I wanted to do was cancel my random access code security for online banking, but it took me a week of calling FNB's customer care and eventually a visit to a bricks and mortar branch to get it sorted out.

Extra security for online banking seemed a good idea when the service was introduced, but when the gizmo's LCD died while I was at a conference in Germany, it seemed to be a very bad idea. I was locked out for a week. Accounts needed to be paid.

This little tale serves to illustrate that like rights without responsibility, technology without common sense is meaningless.

Warwick Ashford, technology editor, ITWeb

Hours after landing back in SA, I called the customer care number listed on the FNB online banking site. After an unusually long wait, I was able to explain what I needed. "No problem," said the agent and assured me someone would call me back.

Needless to say, no one called me back. So I tried again. After another extremely long wait I explained my problem, yet again. "You were using the wrong number," said the second agent and gave me another.

Why couldn't agent number one have told me that?

I called the new number. "No problem," said agent number three and promised to call me back later. "Wait, I need to pay accounts, please put me through to telephone banking," I interjected. "Sorry, the system is offline," came the reply.

The next day I called the new number again as I had not heard anything. Another long wait. "We are experiencing unusually high call volumes," said the pre-recorded message. I tried my luck with agent number four. "You are calling the wrong number," she said and put me through to someone else before I could protest.

I then explained my dilemma to agent number five. He chided: If I had read the terms and conditions of the security gizmo on the Web site, I would have known to go straight to my branch.

Why couldn't agent one, two, three or even four have told me that?

Four days, four calls and five agents later, I was no closer to my goal, although agent number five did manage to transfer me to the telephone banking department.

Although the overdue accounts were finally paid, I still could not access my online banking facility. The next day, the fifth day of this frustrating tale, I went to the nearest FNB branch. Things started off well, but then came another twist.

Instead of calling up my details on his computer, the service consultant picked up the phone and called the online banking help-desk! The very same help-desk that had eventually told me that I had to go into a branch to rid myself of the security gizmo.

Then came the next shocker. "We are experiencing unusually high call volumes," I heard from the speaker of the consultant's phone. He was locked in the same call queuing system I had experienced several times that week.

Shouldn't bank service consultants have some kind of hotline?

The consultant explained that FNB was migrating online banking customers to a new Web site. Users had to change their browser settings to access the new site, hence the unusually high call volumes. A full 25 minutes later, the call was answered and my problem solved.

The saga, however, does not end there. The next day when I tried to access the online banking site, I was greeted by the following message: An error has occurred, please call the contact centre.

Again I called, again I waited. Eventually, I had an answer: "The Web site is down," said agent number six.

It was at that point that I realised that while FNB may score highly in its adoption of new technology, it was sadly lacking in the common sense department.

My last call, and I am sure hundreds of others, could have been avoided by simply displaying a notice that the Web site was down. A simple lack of common sense led to an even greater load being placed on the already overloaded call centre. Come on, FNB. Get real.

This little tale serves to illustrate that like rights without responsibility, technology without common sense is meaningless. All the customer relationship management, business intelligence, workflow and process management technology backing FNB's online banking Web site and the call centre was undermined by a lack of common sense.

Common sense dictates that all call centre numbers appearing on a Web site should be correct, that all call centre agents should know how to route calls correctly, and above all, if a company is planning to migrate thousands of customers to a new Web site, it should plan accordingly.

The Fujitsu Siemens PC manufacturing plant in Augsburg, Germany, increases and decreases its staff and working hours according to demand. Why can't FNB or any company that runs a call centre do the same? If more calls are expected, put more call agents on duty!

Common sense, isn't it?

If FNB ever asks how it can help me, I have a little list....