--CCB’s Across-the-board Preparation to Provide Financial Services During the Beijing Olympics

The Beijing Olympics is drawing near.  As all preparation work for the Games is coming to a final sprint, CCB lays stress on its "customer focused” service concept and devotes all efforts to prepare for providing financial services.  The aim is to raise the standards of its internationalised financial services and present a sound image for the Chinese banking industry at the Olympic financial service arena.

Attention to Detail

“Would I sustain any loss in funds if there is a temporary black-out just when I’m using an automatic cash-withdrawing machine?”  “What should I do if my bank card is confiscated by a CCB ATM?”  At CCB branches, a thick volume of “Q&A on Self-service Facilities” is drawing much interest.  A browsing reveals that detailed explanations to tens of issues customers commonly come across when using self-service banking facilities are given in this compendium, making one feel reassured.

It is learnt that the compilation of queries commonly raised by customers in this Q&A on Self-service Facilities (dubbed “Q&A”) reflects CCB’s effort in creating a sound financial service environment during the Olympics.  The Q&A comprehensively sets out in an orderly manner the functions of CCB’s self-service facilities, the regulations in their use, the risk and operational issues encountered by customers in using them, and standard answers to all the queries a customer may have in carrying out transactions at these facilities.  A person-in-charge of CCB’s branches comments that customers usually have a lot of questions when using their bank cards or external credit cards at CCB's self-service facilities.  The Q&A provides detailed reference material for frontline staff in the branches and duty personnel at CCB’s 95533 customer hotline.  Numerous copies have also been sent to customers and they are found very handy.

The Q&A is an epitome of how CCB prepares for the Games and its attention to detail in providing services.  Indeed, CCB spares no effort in providing detailed services.  Presently, at every CCB branch, there are two or more staff members capable of providing services in English, while 52% of branch personnel have mastered the techniques of sign language services.  To meet the special needs of overseas customers, foreign currency remittance can now be handled at all CCB outlets above the local branch level, while foreign exchange can be made at virtually any branch counter and “Currency Exchange” signs are posted on counter windows for identification purposes.  A foreign exchange business function has also been added to queuing number machines and queue numbers are now called out in both Chinese and English.  In 75% of the branches, there are Chinese and English bilingual signs indicating business hours and the names of the business districts; in 87% of all branch lobbies, exchange rates are posted; and in 85% of all branches, barrier-free access ramps have been installed and barrier-free facility notices have been posted.  To match the financial service needs of domestic and foreign customers during the Olympics, CCB branches in cities involved in the Olympics will have their business hours extended.  Another detail is that, staff in all CCB branches will now be able to tell their customers the locations of the nearest toilets.  All these are fully reflecting that, in this blue-themed bank, the concepts of “customer focused”, attention to detail and giving top priority to meeting customer needs have already permeated to all business aspects.

In the Olympic hosting cities in particular, attention to detail in CCB branches is all the more remarkable.  Lately, CCB Qinhuangdao Branch has carried out inspections at each of its outlets at the Olympic venues, athlete dormitories, news centre as well as at all Olympic Organisation Committee designated hotels, overseas volunteer dormitories and tourist attractions.  To meet the demands for foreign exchange services during the Olympic period, CCB Shanghai Branch has started providing exchange service and traveller’s cheque instant cashing services in Singapore dollars, Swedish krona and Danish krone in its branches at and surrounding Olympic stadiums and major tourist shopping areas.  In a bid to ensure smooth running of merchant POS and the normal conduction of transactions, its staff members have also been diligently signing up merchants in Olympic business districts, major tourist attractions and hotel and dining facilities.  All its ATMs are now equipped with external card cash withdrawing functions, while it is endeavouring to endow the same to 100% of its self-service facilities.

Unimpeded Communication

As an indispensable service during the Olympic period, financial services in foreign languages is a top priority for all banks, and, in CCB, a series of oral English proficiency training has long since been started.  In addition, a whole range of service measures such as English or bilingual signs, service hotlines in foreign languages, etc have been launched to meet service demands during the Games.

Since the beginning of this year, CCB has issued video training material in “Service Counter Oral English” and “Teller Service Etiquettes” to all branches to allow concentrated practice during morning briefing sessions.  In addition, to guarantee the access of various types of financial services by foreign customers, training centres of various subsidiaries have actively sought out relevant vendors to formulate oral banking English training courses and teller etiquette training courses to match the actual business situation in CCB.  Meanwhile, sign language teachers have been recruited to prepare sign language training material in accordance with the standardised service requirements of transformed CCB branches, and intensive staff training has started since July for branches in Olympic and Paralympic related areas.  In such training, on-site practices and scenario simulations are employed to improve training results so as to practically enhance staff capabilities in providing financial services during the Olympics.

In CCB Beijing Branch, under the lead of the Branch Youth League, a three-month intensive oral English training course has been given to 82 staff members from key outlets in a bid to provide superb financial services during the Games.  During the training period, the trainees learn one English sentence every day in their morning briefing session.  Recently, three foreign language teachers have been recruited to test the English service capabilities of 257 staff members from 126 key outlets.  The passing rate of these staff members is 93%, of which 56% have passed with distinction.

Particularly worthy mentioning is the case at CCB’s 95533 Customer Service Centre.  Since last year, the Centre has started launching self-help voice services and operator services in English at selected pilot branches.  Beginning this year, in order to better meet customer demands during the Olympic period, English operator service is offered throughout CCB.  Subsequently, after connecting to 95533, customers can directly access English speaking service personnel by choosing the corresponding language option.  In selected areas, as the customer service centre providing the most comprehensive multi-lingual services among commercial banks in China, 95533, in addition to providing English services, also provides services in Korean, Cantonese, southern Fujianese, etc.

In order that it can meet customer demands at the first opportunity, CCB has started to provide internal supports to its branches through a dedicated 95533 line.  In addition to helping solve problems encountered by frontline staff members in the course of their providing services, this dedicated internal line also provides multi-lingual service supports in English, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, etc.  Thus there is no doubt that, in terms of providing foreign language services during the Olympic period, CCB is at the forefront of the banking industry.

Other than foreign languages, another special language is also a key factor in enhancing service capability of a bank during the Games.  One afternoon, one deaf-mute couple showed up at a CCB Shanghai sub-branch.  By employing standard sign language, the customer service officer at the sub-branch was able to “talk” to this couple, learn about their banking needs and take care of their affairs instantly.  Excitedly, this couple expressed their pleasant surprise and appreciation in their special ways.  The customer service officer revealed that, to provide quality services during the Olympics and Paralympics, staff members in the sub-branch have been making use of their rest break to learn sign language from a specially recruited sign language teacher and now everyone can carry out simple exchanges with sign language.

Emergency Preparedness

“Thank you!  Thank you!”  Just before boarding a plane back to their own country, at nine thirty-five in the evening, two German customers emotionally shook the hands of He Dongbo, an employee from CCB Ningbo Branch.  They would return home with a pleasant memory of CCB's superb service.

This happened in mid-July.  Just one hour earlier, Jiang Guoyong of CCB Ningbo Branch received a phone call from the 95533 Customer Service Centre in Chengdu, telling him that, because of erroneous operations in withdrawing cash, a German customer had his credit card confiscated by CCB’s self-service facility at Ningbo Airport.  It was almost boarding time.  Without getting the cash he wanted and with his card confiscated, the customer was highly anxious and sought help from one of his friends in Chengdu.

There was no time to spare!  The operation management department of Ningbo Branch immediately kick started CCB’s distant ATM emergency response mechanism designed for the Olympic period.  Mr. He and other maintenance personnel from the Treasury Centre immediately went to Ningbo branch to fetch the card confiscation record and facility keys and rushed to the airport.  By nine twenty, they were able to locate the foreign customer whose card had been confiscated.  After verifying all relevant facts through simple English exchanges, the maintenance personnel immediately retrieved the confiscated card for the customer and initiated an express credit channel to process this “special” transaction.

The handling of this emergency situation gave CCB’s Olympic emergency response system a chance to undergo an inspection in advance.

CCB not only held many meetings on the topics of services and safety operations particularly for the Olympics and decided the arrangement of safety operations and financial services of its information system during the Olympic period. In order to maintain the transmission of information via internet, but has also checked all apparatus and established emergency precautions. Meanwhile, the Bank had also increased on-duty manpower, system maintenance workers for both onsite and in back office across 14 cities, including branches, self-service banking centres and ATMs.

CCB published a “Proposed Emergency Manual of Major Production System” so as to minimize technical risk of important information system, strengthen emergency management and efficiently handle safety issues related to the production system. 30 contingent plans decided for major production systems were included in the manual, guiding branches to further enhance their capability to respond to emergencies. According to this manual, branches will decide a practical connective proposal and conduct simulations for certain emergent precautions. While working to ensure the safety of production system within the Olympic period, the branches will also closely monitor substantial changes in its business and the market and be will well-prepared for precautions. Currently, all branches have already established emergent mechanisms for the Olympic Games, processed emergent drill so as to ensure spare supplies of internet operations and immediate reaction, and provided instant emergent service to both domestic and overseas customers within Olympic period.

Recently, the CCB headquarters has successfully run a rehearsal on integrative emergent desktop exercises and external credit card Acquiring system. Desktop stimulation of blackout in Beijing Database Centre due to failure of Yangqiao plant room was taken as the simulated situation, involving systems such as the international card system, CCBS, the core business system, CTS system, electronic banking and website, Long Card internet service, external credit card acquiring system, securities service system, call centre of credit card centre. An environmental simulation in Beijing Database Centre was conducted to process a practical operation to deal with emergent cases.

Under the guidance of consultancies, with the continuous upgrading scenarios, descriptions of emergency response and handling procedure were introduced to departments of CCB in areas of technology, operations, guarantee and external communications, outlining coordination, division of labour, notification of duty, process of techniques and business of each department under emergency condition. Description and practice in documents and verbal were employed.

The feasibility of CCB complementary system of CCB and emergent technical proposals and precautions were confirmed and checked through desktop exercises and simulations. To guarantee the continuous operation of information system operation during the Olympic period, the capability of emergency operation and the efficiency of streamline, rules and operation in emergency proposals of involved staff were inspected.

The Bank is now devoting preparation and efforts all along the line for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, providing first class financial services for both domestic and international guests.